Every household requires a cleaning agent to deal with dirt around the surfaces in the house effectively.
Many households rely on magic erasers for cleaning purposes, from cleaning dirty sneakers and scrubbing baseboards to wiping oven doors.
These cleaning agents can tackle many messes, leaving surfaces sparkling new.
Magic erasers are also known as Melamine foam. This sponge-like product has gotten much talking about because of its effective cleaning property.
Many wonders if they contain bleach or any toxic chemical. You may want to know what they contain if you rely on magic erasers for most of your cleanings.
Magic eraser doesn’t contain bleach; It doesn’t whiten surfaces or clothes. Instead, it contains melamine foam, a chemical compound with effective abrasive properties that make the magic eraser reliable. No additional chemical goes into the making of this cleaning agent. The melanin foam is non-toxic and contains no harsh chemicals, making magic erasers safe for cleaning around the house.
Do Magic Erasers Have Bleach in Them?
Magic erasers don’t have bleach in them. Instead, they contain melanin foam which has passed through heat compression to make them more durable.
The melanin foam is the active component of these cleaning agents, having high abrasive features.
Melanin foam is a sponge-like material containing melamine-formaldehyde condensate.
It’s a copolymer consisting of formaldehyde, melamine, and sodium bisulfite, which makes up the foam structure. The structure feels hard, yet it’s flexible.
This chemical compound is rich in Nitrogen and has widespread uses in its solid state, including cleaning purposes.
Melamine foam doesn’t contain bleaching chemicals in it. And since the magic eraser is composed mainly of melamine foam, there’s also no trace of bleach in them.
In addition, melamine foam is better activated as an abrasive when wet. Therefore, wet magic erasers are more effective than dry ones.
Does Mr. Clean Magic Eraser Contain Bleach?
Mr. Clean’s magic eraser doesn’t contain bleach. Instead, it contains the same melamine foam copolymer consisting of formaldehyde, melamine, and sodium bisulfite.
This melamine foam makes Mr. Clean’s magic erasers extra effective for cleaning. In addition, this chemical compound is rich in Nitrogen from melamine.
Also, it contains Carbon and Hydrogen, none of which has bleaching properties.
People often confuse formaldehyde-melamine-sodium bisulfite with just formaldehyde, a preservative for dead bodies.
Formaldehyde is harmful to health in large quantities, but when combined with melamine, the toxic effects neutralize.
However, Mr. Clean’s magic eraser may contain little traces of formaldehyde. This trace amount results from the packaging process, but it’s not harmful to the health.
In addition, no other harmful chemical goes into the making of melamine foam, making magic erasers safe for the household.
Mr. Clean’s magic eraser effectively removes tough stains without the aid of soap or other cleaning agents. Moreover, it works like sandpaper, absorbing tough stains very quickly.
What Chemicals Are in Magic Erasers?
The chemical compound melamine foam is what forms the structure of Magic erasers.
This chemical compound has the physical property of being hard enough to remove stains, dirt, soap scum, e.t.c. from any surface.
This melamine foam is, in turn, made up of chemicals. These chemicals are what make magic erasers extra effective as a cleaning agent.
Below are the chemicals in magic erasers, their properties, and their uses:
| Chemicals | Properties | Uses |
|---|---|---|
| Melamine | It comprises Carbon, Hydrogen, and Nitrogen. It contains Nitrogen in the highest percentage. It’s fire-resistant and produces a harmful effect on the body | It combines with formaldehyde to form melamine resins, helps make plywoods helps make kitchenware |
| Formaldehyde | It’s a strong-smelling gas that combines with water to form formalinIt’s harmful when exposed to large quantities | It has wide application in the production of building materials and helps make household products serve as a preservative in the food industries. When combined with water, it can help preserve dead bodies and combines with melamine and other chemicals to form melamine foam used in magic erasers |
| Sodium bisulfite | It’s a white solid that’s non-flammableIt’s soluble in water | It’s helpful in the food industries in cosmetic industries, combines with melamine and other chemicals to form melamine foam used in magic erasers. |
The table above shows that the individual chemicals can be harmful when ingested or inhaled.
But, combining these chemicals to produce melamine foam neutralizes the harmful effect.
The combination makes it less toxic and safe for use. No other chemical goes into the production, making magic erasers safe to use in the home. However, it’s not safe for consumption.
Is It Safe to Wash Dishes With a Magic Eraser?
No, it’s not safe to wash dishes with magic erasers. Your magic eraser will remove the stains on your dishes, but it can be bad news for your health and the dishes.
These erasers on nonstick dishware can scratch the surface and weaken the nonstick coating.
These coatings can be released into your food, causing you to swallow the chemicals, which can be dangerous to your health.
Also, since magic erasers deteriorate as you use them, it’s not safe to use them on dishes you will eat from.
When they shrink during usage, the polymer can remain on your dish, which can get into your system when you eat from them.
In addition, swallowing magic erasers can irritate the lungs or throat. Furthermore, magic erasers on stainless steel dishware can scratch the surface, making it less attractive.
Magic erasers can do away with a lot of mess around the house, but it’s not all surfaces you should use these cleaners on.
You should not clean the following surfaces and items with a magic eraser:
#1. Your Car Exterior
Using magic erasers on your car can reduce the value. Magic eraser is very abrasive; using it to clean your car exterior can wipe off the painting gradually.
#2. Delicate Surfaces
Magic erasers may appear soft when wet, but this item can be very harsh on delicate surfaces.
Avoid cleaning surfaces made with granite, marbles, or fine stone finishing with magic erasers.
The abrasiveness of these erasers can remove the sealant and make the surfaces appear dull.
#3. Wood
Wood paneling or any surface finished with wood shouldn’t be cleaned with magic erasers. These cleaners can scratch the surface and remove the finishing.
#4. Stainless Steel
It may feel tempting to use your magic foam to wipe the surface of stainless steel to make them brighter, but don’t fall for this.
These magic cleaners can do the opposite, especially when you scrub too hard. The stainless steel surface will become dull.
#5. Vinyl Flooring
Magic erasers will effectively remove stains and dirt from your vinyl flooring. But, be very careful; it can also remove the finishing.
So, it would help if you avoided it as cleaners for your vinyl flooring, except you don’t care about the look.
#6. Your Skin
Don’t use magic erasers on any part of your skin, whether to remove a small stain. These magic foam can be damaging to the skin.
You can clean the following items or surfaces in the house with magic erasers.
- Stained clothes
- Dirty sneakers
- Leather
- Pieces of Jewelry
- Bathtub ring
- Shower doors
- Mug stains
- Sink
- Oven
- Microwave
- Stovetop
- Spot clean your wall
Wet magic erasers are more effective, so ensure you get your magic erasers wet before using them.
Also, always try a spot test first to see if the magic eraser will be safe on the surface you want to clean.
Can You Use a Magic Eraser On Your Teeth?
No, it would be best if you did not use magic erasers on your teeth. These cleaning foams can remove tough stains, but they are meant for household use and not for your personal use.
It would be best if you did not use them to clean your children’s teeth, no matter how carefully you are. Neither should you use it on yourself.
The following are the reasons you should not use a magic eraser to clean your teeth:
- Magic erasers contain chemicals that can irritate the stomach when swallowed.
- These chemicals can also irritate the mouth, throat, and lungs, causing choking hazards.
- They can cause damage to the mouth, teeth, or gum.
- Magic erasers can cause damage to the enamel of your teeth, causing bacteria problems, sensitivity, and decay.
Conclusion
Magic erasers don’t contain bleach. Instead, they’re household cleaning agents that are extra effective in removing surface stains.
This property is due to the abrasive quality of the melamine foam they contain. They don’t contain any harsh chemicals, but that’s not to say they’re safe for personal use.
Avoid using them on your teeth, skin, or delicate surfaces.
