My Cleaning Friend, My Bon Ami
For decades I used good old Comet to scrub the tub, kitchen sink, and other surfaces with stuck on crud. Then a couple years back, in my attempt to go "greener," I started using Bon Ami Powder Cleanser.
I will never go back.
You see ...
Bon Ami was a green company long before "green" became a product category. They didn’t start out striving to be green. They just started out with simple ingredients and simple processes to make products that work without dangerous chemicals, and that are biodegradable, nontoxic and hypoallergenic.
Take my favorite, Bon Ami Powder Cleanser for example. It's made of five simple ingredients.
- Alkyl polyglucoside (glucose and fatty alcohols inherent in the natural oils of corn and coconut)
- Feldspar
- Limestone (calcium carbonate)
- Soda Ash (sodium carbonate)
- Baking Soda (sodium bicarbonate)
The result is a natural, effective cleaner.
How I Use Bon Ami Powder Cleanser
In our home, there are two cleaning applications where the Bon Ami Powder Cleanser really shines—in removing scorch marks from cookware (stainless and enamel-coated) and dissolving soap scum.
Cleaning Cookware
Bon Ami products will not scratch enamel-coated cookware like Le Creuset. Thanks goodness! Since I use Bon Ami on mine all the time. Bon Ami is great at removing cooked-on—even burnt-on—food from enamel cookware. But do note that over time and with lots of use, the enamel itself will start to deepen in color. The pros call it "curing," and are rather proud of it. It isn't really possible to take the enamel back to new. But that curing does not hurt future meals in any way. To remove heavy-duty messes from cookware I make a paste of water and the powder cleanser and apply a coating over the cooked-on food or scorch mark. After letting is sit for 30 minutes, I use a little elbow grease and a sponge and voila, sparkling clean!
Cleaning the Bath and Shower
Moving on to the bath and shower, I can't begin to tell you how impressed I am with how sparkling this cleanser leaves my acrylic tub and walls. I give the entire surface a quick spray down with water and then apply a thin coat of the powder cleanser with my hand. I let it sit for 15-20 minutes then wipe down—using a little elbow grease as needed. You will feel the grime release. Please note that when it it comes to shower and bath surfaces it's always best to test a small, inconspicuous place.
Use with Care on Glass
You may know the famous tagline the Bon Ami chick chirps, but not many know why she says “Hasn’t scratched, yet!” Well, just as Bon Ami won't scratch surfaces, a brand new baby chick doesn't yet scratch at the earth for the first few days of its life. Hence, Bon Ami’s promise to be tough on messes, but gentle as a baby chick.
Bon Ami has traditionally been the go-to product for cleaning glass and mirrors. And it's still safe for glass if you are absolutely certain that what you are cleaning is only glass. That's because the feldspar in Bon Ami is a softer material than the silica traditionally used to make glass.
That said, these days not all glass is only glass. Safety glass, UV coatings, tinted windows, non-shattering windshields, and other window materials are all coated with various kinds of plastic. These coatings make life safer, but they need non-abrasive cleaners.
Lexie's Kitchen Readers Love it Too!
Now let's hear from some rockin' Lexie's Kitchen readers on how they use Bon Ami Powder Cleanser!
"I have used this product for many years and started using it to polish my stainless steel fridge, dishwasher, and wall oven. In addition, I used it to totally clean my outdoor grill. Everything always looks so beautiful, clean, and polished when I am finished using this product."
"I use it almost everywhere and my favorite natural food store now carries Bon Ami in liquid form for cleaning and washing dishes. Yeah!"
"I've been using it for oh, 30 years now because it doesn't have weird chemicals and chlorine in it. I use it everywhere in the house to scrub, including in the bathroom along with vinegar and tea tree oil."
"I love Bon Ami! I use it on my white ceramic sink. It gets out all the scuffs and stains...making it look like new. It's cheap, I can get it at Target, and it works great!"
"I use it for my sink, but just the other day I used it on the outside of my stainless steel Kitchen Aid bowl to get the hard water off!"
"Toilets, ceramic sinks, tubs, shower, glass shower door, stainless steel, and grout! Just a few places really!"
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Reader Comments (92)
I would love to try the liquid version!! I hope I win :)
I have loved and used the Bon Ami powder for years, after ditching Comet. I'd love to try the other cleaners- I haven't seen them around before!
My husband are trying to go green, we have been reading lables and recycling! My Mom always used your products and now after being a home maker for 40 plus years, I think it is time to start using them once again. My husband said it is time to become a little more greener, I will be looking for them in our Stop and Shop!
I am excited to try the new products. I do use the cleanser to clean my cookware and it truly does work like a charm!
Love Bon Ami powder! Haven't tried the other cleaning products yet. Need to look for them next time I head to Target!
I love Bon Ami! Thanks for the giveaway!
I have been looking for a good all natural cleaner!! I would love to try these!
My mom has used Bon Ami since I can remember. I've only used the liquid cleanser, but maybe I should start getting their other products. I love that it only has 5 ingredients, and the label is really cool.
I would love to win these products!
I like Bon Ami onFB
Shared the giveaway on FB.
Love, Love, Love Bon Ami!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Would love to try these products
I 'Liked' Bon Ami on Facebook.
I love this give-away!
I LOVE Bon Ami! Hurray for this post, and for this giveaway!
I love Bon Ami. I use the cleansing powder all the time.
I love Bon Ami powdered cleanser and have used it for many years. I'd like to try the new products, too!
i love bon ami!
When did they start making all the products? I've been using the powder forever. Would love to try the others.
I love Bon Ami and use it mostly to clean my sink. I add essential oils, like lemon to make it smell nice too.
I just posted this on Pinterest under my fertility friendly cleaning products.
I love the Bon Ami cleanser, would love to try these products. I love this site and will be back often!
I saw this product in target and love the label. I didn't buy it because i wasn't sure what was in it, until now! Thank you for this wonderful post. I will share this on Pinterest for my friends to see.
Hope I win! I would love to use a product that actually WORKS!
Just "liked" Bon Ami's FB page!
Bets
I might have to try this!
so cool - I've got to try it now :-)
I've been looking for a new "green" product to try. This sounds like what I need.
What a romantic name for a cleaner. I guess that's because people are constantly falling in love with the product! I am can't wait to try it!
I liked Bon Ami on facebook
I'd love to win this! Looks fabulous!
I liked them on FB too!
My mom always used Bon Ami when I was growing up! I didn't even realize that they had dish soap and liquid cleanser! Thanks for the post!
Would love to win these!
So nice to know they have some new things to try! Used it years ago when I did a stint as a maid and I need to start using it again! Thank you!
Wow!! Sounds great! I'm always looking for "Green" products that are effective cleaners too!!
Thanks for a shot at trying your faves too!! :)
Pinned you on my Pinterest ...
Liked Bon Ami on Facebook ... :)
Though Bon Ami powder is amazingly green watch out for their other products. It is surprising what's in there. Check out this source:
http://www.ewg.org/guides/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&q=bon+ami&x=0&y=0&page=1&per_page=15
Kendra, thanks for this great source!! I definitely will continue using the powder cleanser. It got a rock star rating ; )
xoLexie
Will these products clean up that ugly build up in the corner of my drawer slides? I keep forks and spoons in there and I don't want to use a chemical that will get on the forks and spoons that we put in our mouths. Thank you for sharing these product reviews. I will definitely have to check them out.