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The Bar Keeper’s Friend is a classic staple around the house. From cleaning dishes to countertops, it leaves a trail of shine in its wake. This trusty product has never let us down till now and has lived up to its legacy even in today’s day and age.
The Bar Keeper’s Friend earns its peculiar name through its initial use, for cleaning sticky bars and removing the ever-present grime on them. This product performed so well that it was later mass-marketed to the rest of the public. And it’s been history ever since.
To make this one cleaner your friend, we’ve listed multiple ways to put it to test. And the Bar Keeper’s Friend has earned an A+ on all of them.
What is Bar Keeper’s Friend?
The Bar Keeper’s Friend is a cleanser that contains mostly natural ingredients that can be used to clean away the dirt and grime that can be hard to remove otherwise.
It started out with modest roots and has today become one of the most popular brands present in the market. they have a variety of cleaners present, all for different surfaces and textures.
Is Bar Keeper’s Friend Safe To Use?
The manufacturer advocates for its safety on their site, but how much can you trust the Bar Keeper’s Friend? The cleaner is primarily working with the help of oxalic acid, its active component. Oxalic acid is a natural abrasive and is found in food items such as rhubarb, cocoa and colocasia.
The Bar Keeper’s Friend has a long line of products, and each of them is marketed towards a specific cause. However, the soft cleanser is the most talked about, owing to its versatile nature. The product is safe to use as long as it is not mixed with other chemicals in cleansers.
It is always recommended to conduct a patch test before using the product about 24 hours prior to observing any ill effect. The Bar Keeper’s Friend also needs to be rinsed thoroughly post-use, therefore keep in mind the accessibility and the porosity of the material you will be using it on.
12 Brilliant Household Uses of Bar Keepers Friends:
1. Remove Rust Stains
Whether on your tap heads or gardening equipment, Bar Keeper’s Friend can be used to remove rust stains from all products. Simply put some product on a sponge and rub it in gently.
Watch how easily it scrubs off the rust, leaving a shine behind. You can give your old cycle a new life for the new year by cleaning the chain, or keep up with your ice skating routine by removing the rust that dullens the blades.
Bar Keeper’s Friend is also pretty helpful when you need to restore old keys to their former glory. If you have rusty keys that won’t unlock their locks, buff them up with a bit of Bar Keeper’s Friend and watch how easily it becomes the key to all your rust related problems.
2. Clean Chrome Fixtures
Chrome accents are oh so shiny, catching everyone’s eye when they pass by. However, they can get dirty pretty quickly, erasing their appeal in seconds.
To get your chrome back to its holographic-like shine, use some Bar Keeper’s Friend to clean it. With a sponge and minimal elbow grease, you can fix up your car rims to kitchen sinks. You’ll be surprised at how effective it is, removing all dullness within seconds of application.
3. Shine Your Sinks
Whether your sinks are glass or stainless steel, Bar Keeper’s Friend can clean them all. If your sinks have been looking a little drab lately, give them some love with Bar Keeper’s Friend. Rub in some product with a sponge and let it rest for a while.
Rinse out your sink with warm water and watch all the stains go down the drain. This works especially well even if you have hard water stains, rust or dried up food residue left behind.
4. Fix burn stains
If you want to erase all proof of your failed kitchen experiments, then the Bar Keeper’s Friend is your best ally. For burnt pots and pans, a little bit of Bar Keeper’s Friend is all you need.
You can give them a good clean by pairing a Bar Keeper’s Friend with some cotton wool and warm water. It wouldn’t even require you the least bit of strength to get the stubborn stains off your favourite crockery.
Rinse it later with some water and you’ll see your kitchenware like it was just bought off a catalogue.
5. Use On Glass
If you have a dinner party on hand, let cleaning be the last thing on your to-do list. Bar Keeper’s Friend is an expert at handling the toughest of stains on glass products. For the table, you can use some product with a microfiber cloth to clean away at the rim stains, food marks or any arts and craft experiment that your kids have been up to lately.
Just be careful to not include the wooden fixture below. Bar Keeper’s Friend can also erase cloudy stains from your crystalware, saving you from embarrassment while serving water in them. It can also clean up the glass doors in your bathroom pretty easily, leaving behind a transparent, streak-free door that can confuse even the sharpest of eyes.
6. Clean Exhaust Pipes
Cars can end up looking half their worth if not kept up with regularly. Expensive car washes are not a prerequisite to keeping your wheels at their best. You can give your car some love by simply maintaining it on a semi-regular basis.
You’ll be surprised at how long a little investment goes. If your exhaust pipes have been covered in grime, use a bit of Bar Keeper’s Friend and a sponge/cloth to wipe at all away. The product can easily take away all the smokey residue left from use, and leave your pipes shining anew.
It can also help in better functioning of your car, as the buildup of grime over time can reduce the efficiency of your car, wasting more fuel in the long run.
7. Erase Car Scratches
Another car-related hack to save you from digging through your pocket, Bar Keeper’s Friend can easily fix minor scratches on your vehicle within no time at all.
Gently run in some Bar Keeper’s Friend and witness the scratches disappear right before your eyes. No more hiding the car while bringing it in anymore.
8. Remove Sticky Residue
Whether on the newest lipstick or on your hydro flask, the price stickers are the worst. They leave behind a sticky residue that just seems to hang around even after years of cleaning.
What’s worse is that they pick up other dirt along the way, turning an ugly brown colour. To remove sticky residue from anywhere, dab a bit of Bar Keeper’s Friend and let it rest for a while. Scrub it all out and enjoy your squeaky clean surfaces.
9. Clean Your Gardening Equipment
It’s the season of new blooms and fresh sprouts. Let your garden be the talk of the neighbourhood this spring with the best tools possible. For gardening hoes that are caked with mud or snipers that been dullened due to rust, Bar Keeper’s Friend is the solution to all your woes.
Keep all your equipment out to clean with a Bar Keeper’s Friend and a sponge. Rinse them out later with plain water and your green thumbs are good to go.
10. Cleaning Musical Instruments
For all budding musicians out there, pull out your drum cymbals to rock and roll once again. From rusted tings to melodious sounds, you are only one Bar Keeper’s Friend away to practising your newest song again. Wash your instrument with some Bar Keeper’s Friend on a sponge and rinse it out later. The shine is unbeatable.
For the guitarists, you can too employ your Bar Keeper’s Friend to clean out the chrome in your guitar to get them shining again. It can even be used to clean the guitar neck, making it one of the cheapest and most efficient methods present to clean your delicate instruments without damaging their integrity or sound.
11. Copper Cleaner
Copper is a versatile metal as it can be used everywhere from vases to utensils and fixtures. When in contact with air, it can turn green due to oxidation. With constant use, it can turn dull and become unsanitary for use.
To restore copper to its former state, all you need to do is scrub at it with some Bar Keeper’s Friend and a sponge dipped in warm water. Be sure to rinse it out later and let it dry before using it again.
12. Camping Gear
Maybe winter isn’t the best time to go camping, but you need to keep up with their maintenance before they get too rusty. An evening with some Bar Keeper’s Friend and a bucket of water will set you up for any future trips you may be planning into the wild.
Where To avoid Using Bar Keeper’s Friend?
Since the Bar Keeper’s Friend contains oxalic acid, there are a few areas you should keep it away from. Thus us because oxalic acid is a natural abrasive and will leave scratch marks if not used carefully.
On surfaces like wood and silver, it may clean with some success but it usually frowned upon considering the aesthetic value of these items. Bar Keeper’s Friend cannot be used on mirrored surfaces, granite, grout, gold, painted surfaces, lacquered surfaces, fabric, wood, leather, polished stone, cast iron, and marble.
These items are prone to scratches and must be ordinarily cleaned with cleansers specifically meant for them rather than an all-purpose general cleaner.
Where can I buy Bar Keepers Friend?
Bar Keeper’s Friend is easily available in your local stores cleaning aisle. If you’re too lazy to step out in the sun, it is also available on Amazon. And if you would like to get your hands in it from the source itself, the Bar Keeper’s Friend has their own site from where you can place an order.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Bar Keepers Friend is best?
EachBar Keeper’s Friend has its own charm. As they are not required to list the ingredient list, the exact components of each cannot be discussed. However, they do have a lot of specialized products for catering to specific needs. If you would like to show your products some TLC, go for their niche product, or stick with the golden soft cleanser.
Is Bar Keepers Friend cruelty-free?
All animal lovers rejoice, Bar Keeper’s Friend is cruelty-free and animal-friendly. For all those who love their four-legged friends, this is an excellent choice. Without compromising on the quality, the Bar Keeper’s Friend has also kept their products an ethically sound choice.
Is Bar Keepers Friend environmentally friendly?
Because the Bar Keeper’s Friend does not use bleach or chlorine, they are much safer and less harsh on the environment than other cleaners. They also do not leave behind a chemical overpowering scent in their wake.
With these uses, you too can extract maximum goodness out of this multi-faceted product. The Bar Keeper’s Friend is just a step away from becoming your inner clean freaks new best friend.
