What is the "secret" behind Mr. Clean Magic Eraser?

[GON]

What is the "secret" behind Mr. Clean Magic Eraser?

On-line reviews seem overall positive. Do they really work at solving cleaning challenges that a normal rag or brush won't solve?

Starting to clean a interior on a Mercedes, and a normal brush, rag, and soap is not getting it done (primarily on vinyl/ synthetic leather surfaces). Looking at using a Magic Eraser and hoping to get some BITOG feedback.

 

[WylieCoyote]

I have a black glass gas stove, and it takes off everything that would otherwise require Soft Scrub and a Scotchbrite to remove. It's much easier than cleaning up the Soft Scrub mess after the scrubbing is done. Not sure what the secret is....I guess it works kind of like a clay bar on paint.

One warning is to not use it on glazed tile. My sister attempted to clean her shower basin with one, and now she has dull, bare tile.

 

[billt460]

I have had very good luck with them. One of those, "to good to be true" products that really are. My wife won't be without them. They're really good at taking dirt and smudges off of painted surfaces, like doors and walls. I have a fiberglass slop sink in our garage, that we use for giving our dog a bath. The bottom was really stained and dirty from his paws. It took the dirt and stains right off. To the point it looks like a new sink.

 

[sk_pete]

Melamine - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[c502cid]

My wife uses them on everything. I heard they are made up of finely ground glass though so test before you use them!

 

[Lyman]

They are abrasive. Don't use them on a glossy surface as they will dull it. I use them in our bath tub and have noticed it's less glossy. Clean but less glossy.

 

[JohnnyG]

The secret is Melamine, so it's a slightly abrasive material. They now come in a couple of different strengths since the early ones tended to fall apart very easily. I asked here on BITOG once about using one on say a windshield, or to remove bugs and was warned away due to the abrasive nature of the material. (I guess).
However, I have never had them scratch anything yet, so they're pretty mildly abrasive. In fact, a have a robotic vacuum that need to have its sensors cleaned once in a while. The manual that came with it calls for using "melamine sponges" to do the job. The sensors are plastic, so aparently it won't scratch them.

 

[boom10ful]

Melamine acts as a very gentle abrasive and also conforms better to surfaces. I've used Dawn dishsoap, warm water and a rmicrofiber on synthetic leather and it cleans it really well without damaging the surface.

 

[GON]

Appreciate all the posts!

Heading to Sam's Club at lunch to pick up a big box of them. Looks to be just what I am in need of to solve the stain issues.

 

[Warstud]

Oxyclean works wonders on leather so should work on vinyl to.

 

[wings&wheels]

I put Magic Eraser in the same category as RTV; great products that tend to get used well beyond their intent...

Besides the cleaning uses, I use them to polish or remove light discoloration and corrosion from some metals, gentle cleaning of electrical contacts and as an interim step in polishing gelcoat repairs and Marine Tex patches. One tip; from my experience the Mr Clean or major brand ones are better or appear to leave a more consistent result. I purchased some off brand ones from a dollar store out of convenience, found they left scratches, albeit minor, and the results weren't consistent.

 

[4WD]

Elbow grease

 

[UncleDave]

What is the "secret" behind Mr. Clean Magic Eraser?

On-line reviews seem overall positive. Do they really work at solving cleaning challenges that a normal rag or brush won't solve?

Starting to clean a interior on a Mercedes, and a normal brush, rag, and soap is not getting it done (primarily on vinyl/ synthetic leather surfaces). Looking at using a Magic Eraser and hoping to get some BITOG feedback.

Abrasion is the "secret". Use with extreme caution.

They will strip sprayed on leather to the cord.

 

[2strokeNorthstar]

I tried them on ugly headlights and not so great results. You need to be careful for sure. They will take the coating off leather and wear paint off painted interior plastics with too much rubbing

 

[PimTac]

Might as well buy a can of Ajax and use that to clean your car interior. The result will be the same.

 

[Cujet]

Here is a car paint-magic eraser test I found.

 

[WylieCoyote]

Yeah, I'd never touch my paint with one. If it will take glaze off tile, clearcoat doesn't stand a chance.

 

[UncleDave]

scrubbing bubbles often works on interiors, and as long as you follow up with a conditioner safer than a magic eraser, but not without some risk.

The guys at the shop extended the life of many boat interior for another couple of years using it.

 

[Kawiguy454]

Dawn dish soap and a damp microfiber will take off things many other specialized cleaners would not. It really is that simple.

 

[diyjake]

I tried Magic Eraser on some leather seats there were totally shot, it made them look brand new but I could tell it was taking the paint/color right off. I wouldn't be afraid to try it on headlights but not on any other parts of the car.