"Magic Erase" sponges- how do they work?

[DiosaBellissima]

The title sums up the entirety of my question, actually.

Those little sponge things are pretty bitchin’ and I’m just curious what makes them work so well. Some crazy chemical that has already given me 8 kinds of cancer? Milk of a crocodile? Inquiring minds MUST know!

[RedRosesForMe]

My local paper did an article on this when it came out. Apparently it’s just the material, some form of resin, which is really good at scrubbing tough stains. There’s actually no “cleaning product” in it at all.

[ZipperJJ]

Magic.

[CookingWithGas]

Be careful with them, though–they will dull glossy surfaces, like semi-gloss trim paint.

[aerodave]

They are very finely abrasive. They scrub a little of the surface off, taking the stain with it. That’s why they’ll dull shiny surfaces. You could get a similar effect by rubbing the surface with 2000 grit sandpaper.

[Green_Cymbeline]

I you look up “Magic Eraser” on Wikipedia, you get the entry for melamine foam, which is what Magic Erasers are made out of. Yes, that’s the same melamine that recently tainted animal food, killing a bunch of dogs. From Wikipedia:

Melamine foam

Melamine foam is a foam-like material consisting of a formaldehyde-melamine-sodium bisulfite copolymer. The foam, because of its microporous properties, may remove otherwise “uncleanable” external markings from relatively smooth surfaces. For example, it can remove crayon, magic marker, and grease from painted walls, wood finishings, and grime from hub caps.

The open cell foam is not only microporous, but its polymeric substance is also extremely hard, meaning that it works like sandpaper but on a smaller scale, getting into tiny grooves and pits in the subject being cleaned. On a larger scale, the material feels soft. Because the bubbles interconnect, its structure is more like a maze of fibreglass strands than like the array of separate bubbles in, for example, styrofoam.

Melamine foam is safe to use for cleaning as long as the manufacturer’s instructions are followed. If applied to the skin, especially in sensitive areas such as the face, irritation may occur.

The substance needs to be dampened to work properly. It does break down rather rapidly, so a given block of foam generally lasts only a single intensive scrubbing session, though it can be used repeatedly for much smaller marks.

While the name-brand “Magic Eraser” is made by Mr. Clean (Procter & Gamble), the foam itself is manufactured by BASF under the name “Basotect” and was already a common product before this new use was discovered. Other companies have also begun marketing it for its cleaning properties, either under other names, like Coralite Ultimate Sponge, or as a generic product.

Also, from BASF’s web site:

To understand the astonishing capabilities of the Magic Eraser, we have to take a closer look at the special properties of Basotect®. “On curing, melamine resin becomes almost as hard as glass”, explains Dr. Christof Möck, responsible at BASF for the global business management of this special foam. “The hardness of this material is one of the secrets of its cleaning talent: like extremely fine sandpaper, the foam eraser rubs the particles of dirt from the surface.” Basotect® still manages to remain soft and supple thanks to the fine structure of the foam created by foaming the resin.

[choie]

Holy cow, that’s neat! I always assumed it was bleach. (Since it’s made by Clorox, after all. Guess that’s how susceptible to brand influence I am!)

Heck, I even used gloves when I was cleaning with it. Heh.

[Flander]

[QUOTE=from article nyctea scandiaca linked]
While the name-brand “Magic Eraser” is made by Mr. Clean (Procter & Gamble), the foam itself is manufactured by BASF under the name “Basotect” and was already a common product before this new use was discovered
[/quote]

BASF. We don’t make the foam, we make it…wait, we DO make the foam. How 'bout that!