apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I started using Bar Keeper's friend when I got my first set of All-Clad, about nine years ago. It is THE BEST. We use it every time we cook in anything All-Clad -- insides, sides, bottoms and lids -- and my pots and pans look almost new. I remember when the big size cost 99 cents!

Thank you! My pots look like that--I needed to see the before and after to believe it--will buy some this weekend.

P.S. $6???? No way. Even Bed, Bath and Beyond sells it for $2.99.

I tried to use this for my enamel-coated vintage wedgewood stove, with not a ton of luck--does anyone have any ideas what I'm doing wrong or a product better suited to this?

And BB--lucky people with cars can make it to a BB&B...the rest of us have to settle for neighborhood hardware stores (and markups)! :)

I use it for everything -- sinks, showers, taps, glass cooktop, and my All-Clad. The liquid version is awesome.

The cheapest was to buy it is online - http://www.barkeepersfriend.com/

Shannon in SF: I wouldn't think you should use anything abrasive on enamel! You might try Simple Green ... use it straight (don't dilute).

I have an easier way to clean copper for you. Cut a lemon in half. Sprinkle salt on the copper, scrub with the lemon half. The grime comes right off. And if you don't have the lemon and salt, just squirt some ketchup on and wipe off. For really dirty pot bottoms, you might need to use just a bit of elbow grease, but really, either solution works amazingly well and quickly.

It's worked great for everything I've used it with, even gets the scratches on my porcelain sink!

wow! I had no idea it was considered environmentally safe. I love this stuff but I always reserved it as a last resort because I thought it was toxic... now I can clean with wild abandon!

Love this stuff but the powder form has an unpleasant scent. The liquid doesn't, though.

I love this stuff, but I'd recommend wearing gloves while using it. I went crazy cleaning with this after I saw the magic it worked on my water-stained stainless steel silverware, but the next day the top layer of skin on my hands peeled off.

I use it on all of my pots and pans. It works miracles for hard water stains and strange tub marks. I got multiple friends, my mother and my sister using it. Plus my local grocery store sells it for only $1.49 (yay Kroger). Bon Ami also works very similarly for the same cost.

i've got a can of this, but i don't use it much since i found out about mr.clean erasers. it will clean the same pot bottom with only water hardly any scrubbing. try it, you'll love it!

greer, you beat me to it! I just finished giving some big copper bowls the lemon & salt treatment. No elbow grease required.

When the pots were shiny I dropped the used lemon in the disposal for a little air freshener.

I suggest using gloves if the copper is really tarnished. When the tarnish comes off it can stain your finger nails a gross dark green color.

mod*mom --

Mr. Clean erasers contain carcinogenic compounds, and are very toxic. BKF is very safe.

...shouldn't say "very toxic", but the Mr.Clean erasers contain Formaldehyde-Melamine-Sodium bisulfite copolymer. Formaldehyde is a carcinogen (there are many sources for it in homes), and given that there have been no studies on the effects of exposure to cleaning products, beauty products etc., which contain this and other suspect chemicals, it may be a good idea to limit exposure where possible. Afterall, that whole pet food scare last year demonstrated that you do not need to have toxic chemicals to produce serious health consequences.

This stuff really is awesome, although I agree with the comment above that you should wear gloves when using it. I use it on stainless steel All-Clad pans and have used it to get the rust and black stuff off really old copper hardware (doorknobs, etc.)

Doesn't BKF have Oxalic Acid in it? Bon Ami is marble dust which isn't toxic compared to BKF. I have both, but be careful with acids.

ketchup also brings dirty copper back to its shiny state.

This was an aptly timed article! I recently burned my tea kettle and I was resiting using BKF to clean it. I eventually gave in, because I didn't want to get rid of my kettle. After cleaning it I saw this post and now I don't feel so bad! In fact I am heading off to buy a new can of BKF soon!

Tea Kettle Dilemma