Magic Eraser review

By mudlark • October 15th, 2008

Of the ‘conventional’ cleaners out there Magic Eraser is a little different. No powder, no liquid, just a little white sponge. It got a bad rap a while back due to an email that went around claiming that it’s filled with formaldehyde. The truth is, there’s no formaldehyde in it, according to the manufacturer and their MSDS. There’s a chemical compound – specifically a melamine foam substance – that has the word formaldehyde in it’s name. Unfortunately I’m not a chemist, so I can’t tell you how that works, but if there are any chemists out there, do share your knowledge.

In terms of how it works, I’ve never met anyone who doesn’t have a success story with Magic Eraser. The consensus is, it is indeed magic. In fact, I’ve heard people call it divine glory. Personally, I keep one on hand simply for crayon on the wall. It’s the only thing that works (with non washable crayons, that is).

But we’re here to talk about how ‘green’ it is. The answer? When Mr. Clean made the Magic Eraser, he (or the corporate magnate behind him) wasn’t concerned with things like sustainability, biodegradability, safety for marine life, and all the things we look for here at Broom Huggers. In fact, you’d be hard-pressed to find any information about it from Mr. Clean.

If we’re looking at toxicity though, it doesn’t contain any of the big worries – no petrochemicals, neurotoxins, respiratory irritants, endocrine disruptors, carcinogens, mutagens. I haven’t seen any data that would classify Magic Eraser as ’safe’ (though it’s said to be safe unless swallowed). But let’s just say that there are much worse things you’re exposed to every day. The PBDEs in your matress and pillow, the stain proof coating on your carpet, the adhesive in your cabinets, the list goes on. As for Magic Eraser, there are no tests that prove its safety, but likewise we know that none of the really bad stuff is in there. Even if swallowed, it’s not the chemicals that will hurt you, it’s the fact that swallowing a sponge will adversely affect the way your gastrointestinal tract works. If it’s something that you use on occasion when nothing else works, you’re good to go. If you have a basement stacked full of them that you use all day for every cleaning purpose, you might want to consider something a little healthier for the environment and something that has been proven safe to people and pets.

Comments(5) Cleaning products, Reviews

Comments

By cjoy on October 15th, 2008 at 9:17 pm

Thank you…I’ve been wondering about this since I, too, keep it on hand for such things as crayons on the wall (okay, crayon is found in other places, too!).

By Roger Hamilton on October 17th, 2008 at 8:35 am

Magic Eraser? Thanks for the review. Might try it out.

By Kara on October 19th, 2008 at 8:00 am

I love your site! I got a mass email regarding the Magic eraser and chemical burns. The main lesson is to keep them away from kids. duh.
http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/bl-magic-eraser-burn.htm

By Anna on October 23rd, 2008 at 10:57 am

I actually use it to remove wall marks that are really hard to get off. I am pretty green, but it saves me a lot of time priming the dark mark and then repainting the wall!

The only problem is sometimes colored paint rubs off too. Do you have this problem too?

By amazon coupon codes on March 14th, 2009 at 8:39 am

I must say that your Magic Eraser is hilarious especially that brand logo.