September 7, 2007 | Reviews, Broom Hugged, Cleaning products
2 well known mild abrasives. Both natural. In my mind, they do about the same job of cleaning up. Sure, Bar Keeper’s Friend cuts grease a bit better, but Bon Ami rinses easier and leaves less residue. Otherwise, they’re pretty close when it comes to performance. But what about health? After all, here at Broom Huggers we’re all about health. That’s the whole focus of our green and natural maid service. So here’s the lowdown.
Bar Keeper’s Friend’s active ingredient is Oxalic Acid. It’s found in nature all over the place (in small quantities) and even occurs naturally in some foods we eat, like nuts, chocolate, rhubarb, poppy seeds, and more. In trace amounts in food, it’s harmless to healthy people. When processed for use in cleaning products, it can be related to breathing difficulties, skin irritation and skin burn, severe eye irritation (don’t use it to clean your contacts), and convulsions, nausea, and shock if ingested. If you compare it to something like Comet, Bar Keeper’s Friend is pretty darn friendly.
The problem is, compare it to Bon Ami and Bar Keepers Friend comes up short. Bon Ami’s active ingredients are Feldspar, Calcium Carbonate, and Sodium Carbonate. All of these occur naturally, and none of them are associate with any severe health irritation. Sure, if you take a bath in it your skin won’t be too happy. And if you decide to use it as flour in your next batch of bread you’ll probably end up with a tummy ache. But all in all, it’s safer than Bar Keeper’s Friend.
You’ll find Bon Ami under my sink, though I wouldn’t be opposed to using Bar Keeper’s Friend in a pinch.
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