A Little Magic Would be Nice

UPDATE:

A 2006 television broadcast about carcinogens (notably formaldehyde) in household cleaning products has generated questions about Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, since it is made of melamine foam, whose chemical name is: Formaldehyde-melamine-sodium bisulfite copolymer.

Please take some time to review the information found at the about formaldehyde-melamine-sodium bisulfite copolymer, before deciding whether to use this product in your home.

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According to the Household Products Database at the National Institutes of Health (US), this product is considered non-toxic and the risks are limited to blockage of the gastrointestinal tract (if swallowed) and mechanical irritation of the eyes or lungs (if inhaled) by dust.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_Eraser
http://www.homemadesimple.com/sites/en_US/mrclean/ME_Truth/index.shtml
http://www.pgbrands.com/pages/cleaners/msds/MSDS_Mr_Clean_Magic_Eraser.pdf
http://householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/household/brands?tbl=brands&id=16003386

ORIGINAL ARTICLE:
This is not an advertisement. At urbanmoms.ca we like to tell you about cool products and stuff that we, or our members, love! We will let you know if it is an ad.

Okay, okay…I’ll admit I was intrigued by the hype when Mr. Clean first introduced the “Magic Eraser” a few years back. But then I remembered the old axiom that there’s a fool born every minute and I decided I’d have to be one to believe that a little white sponge and plain water could eradicate the scuff marks, crayon scribbles and general schmuck that adorned my kitchen floors and other surfaces.

So I was a bit surprised and intrigued when a good friend told me that the things actually worked, and not only that, they were able to remove the “mystery haze” that collects on the pebbly plastic that they cover your fridge door-handle with. Why did we buy a white fridge again?

In any event, newly resolved to try this little magic eraser out in my kitchen, I bought a two-pack at the local grocery store. After trying them, I went back and bought a four-pack. Then another. And another. I was hooked. These things really are magic!

I won’t go into the gory details of what the magic eraser is able to clean (everything) or from where (anywhere). Instead, allow me to take you on a little trip into the inner workings of my urban mom brain as it pondered this little cleaning miracle: “hey, these things really work! I wonder what kind of horribly caustic and carcinogenic chemical is in them…let me read the package…hmm, no ingredients. Okay, what do the instructions say…just add water. There’s got to be something in these to make them work. Let me check the web…”

After much searching, I found, to my surprise and great pleasure, that there is – quite literally – nothing in a magic eraser. That is, this little piece of magic is simply air-impregnated plastic. Much like the new craze in microfibre cleaning tools, the magic eraser works by having small enough fibres to fit into, and thus scour out, all the tiny, near-microscopic crevices and pores in your surfaces. No nasty chemicals required – just good old-fashioned water and a bit (not much, I promise) of elbow grease.

My house is a cleaner, healthier and happier place now that I’ve found the magic eraser. Oh, and by the way, the generic brand works just as well (although it doesn’t have the embossed image of hunky Mr. Clean on it!)

So don’t waste your precious time with plain sponges, and stop exposing your family to the noxious chemicals in today’s household cleaners. Instead, invest in a four-pack (at least!) of magic erasers and you’ll be able to appreciate the intrinsic beauty of your child’s crayon creation on the dining room wall!

Please click the comments button below to share your thoughts or send me an email!

Kath