I’m currently living in my first apartment, and I’ll be moving out soon. I’ve got tons of scuffs on the walls from stuff like installing my furniture while moving in and bringing my bike in and out of my apartment. I tried cleaning them with soap and water, but they weren’t budging at all, so I sighed and resigned myself to losing my deposit. I mentioned it off hand to my dad recently, and he told me to try using a magic eraser. I was a little skeptical, but I went out and got one anyway. I was amazed, literally one swipe of the eraser was able to get rid of the smaller marks instantly. My walls have never looked better!
I had always assumed magic erasers were just sponges with some soap already inside them, maybe with a scotchbrite pad attached. But I looked it up, and no, the “eraser” in the name isn’t metaphorical. They work exactly the same as pencil erasers. They’re super fine plastic sponges, and when you rub them on the wall they break down into tiny sharp plastic fibres which act as an abrasive. I found that super interesting to learn, and now I have another tool in my toolbox.
Even better, you can buy large packs of generic melamine sponges online for a fraction of the price of the name brand.
Check out barkeepers friend as well for cleaning the sinks and stains off of counters and other surfaces.
Bar keepers friend is also great on my stainless steel cookware. There’s also a degreaser called Krud Kleaner which is a nontoxic version of that Easy Off oven spray. Doesn’t work as well in the oven, but it works great on the stovetop, counters around it and those places where cooking oil splatters.
I’m going to give that a shot. I’ve been using the ZEP brand green all purpose cleaner and I like it too.
More microplastics, finally. I’m astonished it’s not banned
Recent research has highlighted that melamine sponges contribute significantly to microplastic pollution. A study published in Environmental Science & Technology found that these sponges release over a trillion microplastic fibers globally each month due to wear and tear. These fibers can contaminate water systems and enter the food chain, posing environmental risks. The study suggests that making denser sponges and using alternative cleaning methods could mitigate this issue.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melamine_foam#Environmental_impact
I just buy microplastics in bulk and eat them directly now. Much healthier than absorbing them through the skin.
You don’t have to eat them, they are already inside you and every newborn. So it’s actually part of you, like your gut bacteria.
Me 💗 my microplastics 💗 my gut bacteria, we are a small family
Pfft if you want pfas-laden frackwater poisoning. I only eat organically sourced microplastics from recycled infants toys and military packaging waste. Cleaner chain of custody, you can tell where each batch is from.
I just drink tea, using bags. It’s cheaper, and more flavors too!!
Then what’s an alternative?
It depends on the surface… but whatever we used before they were invented in the early 2000s, I suppose.
I’m being a little snarky, but they are a general purpose “shortcut” method, not really specialized for any particular use–kinda like duct tape. So there is almost certainly a better way depending on what specifically you’re trying to clean.
Yeah it’s amazing that in all my years of crafting and fixing, I’ve found that the least-suitable application for duct tape is on ducts.
A white wall
I’d start with a good quality microfibre cloth and a little water.
If that didn’t work sugar soap, which is mildly abrasive and acidic. Painters use it to prep walls before painting.
Finally an abrasive cleaner like Ajax, Jif, or Gumption. These all have tiny particles of calcium carbonate that provide the abrasive quality. Calcium Carbonate readily occurs in nature, it’s called Limestone. These are intended to strip grease out of your nanna’s oven with her 80 year old elbows though, so with a mark on a wall I would start with a very, very weak mixture.
Whatever you do just be aware that you’re mechanically altering the surface you’re “cleaning” whether you use a magic eraser or abrasive cleaner. If you go at a nice shiny enamel finish with a bottle of jif you’re going to end up with nasty foggy spots. This will be more noticeable than you might expect, and might even deteriorate over time.
Thanks! I just want the white walls white. This is very helpful. Thanks for writing it out :)
Elbow grease.
Steel sponge or sandpaper
So damage or polute?
… both of which magic erasers do
EACH ONE?!?
Thx for the heads up on this…
Melamine sponge. Think of it like 3,000 grit sandpaper.
They are abrasive, so for walls they are removing a very, very thin layer of paint. If you scrub hard and long enough it will work through the layer of paint.
If you have thicker paint, it shouldn’t be an issue,
Yep. Just a fine grit sanding sponge.
They work great but they are destructive. E.g. dont use on surfaces that shouldn’t have abrasives (glass, granites with coatings)
I love them though. It’s like a super fine sandpaper for some projects.
I hope you didn’t drop bank on the branded product. You can get super cheap melamine sponges for pennies - same thing.
I spent a couple bucks on one of the Mr Clean ones this time, just cause they were on the shelf at the superstore across the street from my apartment. Now that I know they work I’ll definitely get the cheap ones though
They’re also really great on porcelain.
The Magic Eraser brand ones come at a name brand premium, you should know, and ones labeled “melamine sponge” can be found for half the cost or less. I’ve seen ones with patterns and soap put in them, but I can’t really see a use for that and the soap seems superfluous.
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I feel the exact same way about steel scrub sponges. I spent an embarrassing amount of time scrubbing a burnt pan. It would’ve been 3 minutes if I had known better. Lol
Be super careful if it’s a nonstick though!
Oh, didn’t know that. Thanks!
Holy crap, I just imagined someone going to town on a non-stick pan with steel wool and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up even more than when I saw the cast iron pan in a dishwasher meme…
My grandma famously returned a non stick pan to my mother saying she’d “taken ages to scrub all the black stuff off the bottom”
they break down into tiny sharp plastic fibres
Things that break down into tiny sharp fibres don’t tend to do you much good.
