can’t-live-without: bar keepers friend
I’d like to take a moment to thank an important cleanser in my life, Bar Keepers Friend. BKF, I don’t know how to thank you enough for the countless times you’ve quickly and efficiently removed every stain from allegedly stain-less steel flatware, not to mention those hefty jobs extracting the nitty gritty from my precious All-Clad pans.
No wonder you’ve been around since 1882; you’re the hardest-working powdered cleanser in town. Brilliant with stainless steel, you can also clean ceramic tile, plastic, copper, china, fiberglass, tile, grout, chrome… And for a mere $2.50 a can, you’re certainly the cheapest house cleaner I know. (Cue applause.)
Here are two sources to buy Bar Keepers Friend from:
bestcleaningproducts.com
Readers, please share the cleaning products YOU can’t live without! —Megan K.
May 17th, 2006 at 9:17 am
Even though it’s a bit toxic - I love using WD-40 for cleaning anything that’s petroleum based. It’s awesome!
http://www.twbc.org/wd40.htm
May 17th, 2006 at 9:30 am
I have Bar Keepers Friend too, but I prefer the Aluminum and Stainless Steel Cameo. It seems to work a lot better and its cheaper too!
May 17th, 2006 at 10:02 am
Megan, I totally agree with you! I love bar keepers friend for my All-Clad cookware. Nothing else works as well. There’s an acid in it that actually eats away a bit of the pan, so I recommend soaking first and using it as a last resort. Bon Ami also dissoves the steel after a time, but not to the same degree.
Baking soda is a great way to clean naturally. If you’re short on it, try seltzer.
May 17th, 2006 at 10:35 am
Okay, I don’t actually clean anything myself, but my cleaning lady asked me to buy lemon oil. So I asked her why, being the inquisitive soul that I am, and she showed me. After you clean, you wipe this on your stainless steel appliances and sink and they gleam! It also keeps future dirt and grime from sticking so everything stays clean until the next time she arrives with her cleaning crew
May 17th, 2006 at 10:56 am
Goo Gone for getting stubborn price stickers off of things and Soft Scrub with bleach for cleaning the shower.
May 17th, 2006 at 12:52 pm
Murphy’s Oil Soap for hardwood floors… works great and smells so clean. Love it!
May 17th, 2006 at 1:59 pm
Can I ask where you find lemon oil? That’s brilliant.
May 17th, 2006 at 4:52 pm
I’m heading out for lemon oil now…
Hey, do any of you have an all-purpose wood cleaner you swear by?
May 17th, 2006 at 4:58 pm
…forgot to say that I’m checking Trader Joe’s for the lemon oil; I have a hunch they might have it.
May 17th, 2006 at 6:50 pm
Shopping list: 1) bar keeper’s friend, 2) lemon oil, 3) cleaning lady.
May 17th, 2006 at 7:17 pm
Two words….Magic Eraser
May 18th, 2006 at 9:13 am
Hmmm. . . I think I got the lemon oil in the cleaning aisle at either Target or the grocery store. A bottle is kind of pricey — like $4 something, but it apparently lasts *forever*. You (meaning the cleaning people, in my case) use only a smidge each time.
May 19th, 2006 at 4:30 am
Olive oil works just as well as lemon oil!
May 19th, 2006 at 2:50 pm
I swear by Bar Keepers Friend for my sink! Nothing works better.
May 20th, 2006 at 6:27 pm
I too swear by the Magic Eraser. My shower floor has never been so clean.
May 31st, 2006 at 8:14 pm
I am a vinegar junkie. I mix it up with water and essential oil for cleaning counters, but I also use it to sanitize my rabbit cages, whiten my towels, and most importantly, to de-calcify my showerhead. great stuff!
June 1st, 2006 at 1:07 pm
shoemoney…
nice shoemoney site at shoemoney http://www.imyourhuckleberry.info/ 6…
June 16th, 2006 at 9:04 am
i really dont know about magic eraser, i havent tried one. but mr. muscle is one heck of a cleaner.
August 27th, 2006 at 3:36 am
The Magic Eraser is a shoe win-it did an amazing job on my tub that was riddled with soap scum-ordinary cleaners and a scrub brush did nothing but get me sweating-with little effort the eraser had the whole thing clean in no time-I don”t know what that thing is made of, but I am now a dedicated user.
September 7th, 2006 at 7:19 am
Does anyone know how to remove black lines from my porcelain sink?
Thanks So Much
October 11th, 2006 at 6:18 am
My friend Mary, had a post about this stuff! Please check her out and leave a comment as well.
October 11th, 2006 at 6:20 am
Oops forgot to include the site…
http://owlhaven.wordpress.com/2006/10/11/works-for-me-10/
November 16th, 2006 at 7:38 am
I love Bar Keepers Friend, too. It works great everywhere. If you haven’t tried it or can’t find it locally I would try their web site because they are giving away free samples. http://www.barkeepersfriend.com
February 2nd, 2007 at 9:10 am
I can’t live without vinegar and baking soda to clean with!
I have other non-toxic cleaning ideas on my site at http://www.happyslob.com
Hugs to all,
Christina
April 19th, 2007 at 7:11 am
[...] written about our all-time-favorite, can’t-live-without stainless steel cleanser before: Bar Keeper’s Friend. It does an amazing job on removing stains from supposedly “stainless” steel, and also [...]
July 19th, 2007 at 8:43 am
Grease Lightning for that soap scum and grease, dissolves both fairly quickly with minimum scrubbing. Not sure of toxicity but seems fairly mild to me, and the price is right.