Dept. of Equipment. Reported in the NYTimes on Monday, Mr. Clean has a new product out that claims to revolutionize home cleaning:
"We wanted to really revolutionize and change the entire bathroom-cleaning process," said Alan Goldstein, research and development manager for Procter's Mr. Clean brand.
For years, Mr. Goldstein, who holds a Ph.D. in chemistry, has been sending researchers into the homes of volunteers to gather anthropological data on American bathroom-cleaning habits. Over time, he began to realize that people dreaded the task for two primary reasons: Cleaning chemicals emit noxious fumes, and cleaning tools aren't designed to reach the nooks and crannies most in need of cleaning.
What? Hello! Cleaning is a just a dirty job and you hardly need "anthropological data" to come up with those genius statements...
But what do you think of the Mr Clean Magic Eraser?
That thing is brilliant on walls and fridge door handles.
I've seen the advertising on TV, and it seems like a good idea for someone like me who is lazy and also has a bit of arthritis in her lower back. It's easy to criticize if you are not the one who does the cleaning!
the Magic Eraser is an amazing product, and aptly named.
the Magic Eraser is a small block of spongy foam that you wet, wring out, then rub on scuffs stains or other marks on surfaces.
i've used it to removed (for example) a coffee stain that was made about 5 years ago on a flat-painted wall. the eraser removed the mark, left to trace, and didn't harm the paint. another example; i'd bought a cheap plastic picture frame at Walgreens which to my annoyance left a black outline on the wall where the frame contacts the paint (and have had to leave in place for YEARS to not see this mark if i moved the frame). the Magic Eraser thing got this mark off and left no trace.
the cleaning seems to be achieved by the subtle abrasive quality of the foam pad itself... not by means of any sort of soap or "juice" that the pad is saturated with. as you use the eraser pad it dwindles away to nothing eventually--much like an eraser on a pencil.
there are two versions you can choose from... the Magic Eraser, and the Magic Eraser Duo. i like the Duo better... its the same eraser material, except it's backed with a layer of another type of foam rubber (blue in color) that functions as a sort of handle to grasp the eraser, and as a wiping sponge. meaning you erase with the white side, then wipe with the blue side. it seems to make the eraser last long as well.
So I realize that this is environmentally evil, but confession is good for the soul and all, so here goes - I have totally come to depend on those disposable cleaning wipes by Lysol or Clorox. I have containers of them in my bathrooms and kitchen and use them all the time. I hate cleaning and getting everything together and the wipes allow me to keep things at a basic level of cleanliness with minimal effort.
There. Now I feel cleansed. No pun intended.