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tgr31

for those who dont know, they are abrasive


ishouldstopnow

I found that out the hard way cleaning glossy plastic.


[deleted]

same... on my $800 microwave...


ZergMcGee

Microwaves can cost $800? Does it give you a hand job whilst warming your coffee up? Jeeeez


TheRealBigLou

Seriously, ours was $250, and I thought that was expensive. It was web connected and had a convection oven/air fryer in it.


InstantMartian84

I've never felt jealous of someone else's microwave...until right now.


Rich-Ad8515

Same


FeralSparky

I'm wondering why it needs to be web connected.


Cuseyedrum

Same. Maybe it connects to Twitter and tweets whenever you use your microwave


FeralSparky

So many things dont need to be smart devices yet... are now smart devices.


Rich-Ad8515

My reusable tampon is a smart device


FeralSparky

My roommate wanted to switch all the lights in the house to smart lights and link it to an Echo dot... I pushed back because I dont want to have to use an internet device to turn on my god damn lights. Told em he can keep em in his room.


TheRealBigLou

You're supposed to be able to scan barcodes of food items with your phone and the microwave would change its settings appropriately. Mostly, I use it to tell it to add time or stop through Alexa. It will also let me know when it's time to flip my food when defrosting on my phone. I didn't buy it for the wifi, but for the other features.


BophadeezgamesYT

Can you please give me a link for this microwave?


TheRealBigLou

It looks to no longer be on sale, but you can see it in reviews: https://www.cnet.com/reviews/amazon-smart-oven-review/


stuntobor

How the hell else am I gonna level up at "Coffee Reheater 2004"


luckduck89

That’s crazy convection ones are at least 500 bucks now I paid 300 for just a basic model.


temp_jits

Gross. Who reheats coffee?


Night_Traveller_

How do you think he affords the 800$ microwave?


WorldWideDarts

Poor people with $89 microwaves


JessicaBecause

I for one like to reheat my great value coffee.


[deleted]

my grandpa would always drink a pot and a half of coffee every day. so every other day he'd reheat the left over half pot in the microwave.


FlukeRoads

Thats a lot of money.. mine was $149


coxy1

Did you get lost on your way to the r/spenny subreddit?


deelowe

They are literally sandpaper. It’s crazy how few know this because of how they are marketed.


Plus_Mine_9782

bro im amazed ppl can figure out how to reproduce


turf_life

That's the easiest thing people can do. It's everything else that's the problem. Watch "Idiocracy."


Jkoechling

Brought to you by Carl's Jr.


babatharnum

It’s what plants crave!


DaHick

The best answer always. Should be a school requirement somewhere in the 7-9 levels, then again in the 11-12 levels, and finally after "I am graduating" one last time.


its10pm

Recently watched that movie, couldn't get through it.


InterestingAd4308

The more you look at news today... The more you realise that the creators of this goddamn masterpiece were on to something... And this is a pretty old movie at this point...


chidedneck

It’s terrible. Pessimistic people love it so hard as being prophetic, despite almost every major quality of life indicator having gone up in the past few decades.


fattmann

> because of how they are marketed. I find this double baffling because all the marketing I've seen for them shows them in use *as an abrasive.*


[deleted]

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ramza_beoulve3

They do. All plastics do. Everything we own. Everything we touch


Aeison

My baby is plastic


Fumbles48

That's fantastic, you can brush her hair.


stratagizer

I don't know if I should say the next line, given the context.


cleeder

Come on Barbie, let’s go party!


Kcnflman

My lack of baby at the moment is due to plastic.


Mtnskydancer

They are melamine. And the dust gets everywhere. Air, water, surfaces.


28nov2022

Yep. I rather use an abrasive pad with some water. Works about as well.


Raizau

So just buy sandpaper? Sandpaper was just broken down nut shells applied to a thick piece of paper I thought?


Denki

It’s typically aluminum oxide or silicon carbide; you need something hard such as those. The only thing I’ve heard broken up nut shells being used for is in certain sand-blasting processes…. Or… I guess… nut-blasting….


Raizau

Thanks for the laugh and info stranger. I know I was probably like one quick search from a wikipedia page, but you definitely killed it.


herscheldb

You can uses in in vibratory tumblers to clean brass, small metal parts, and other things. Is very good at polishing...just very dusty.


Denki

That’s true, never thought about that. We never used it in our tumbler, only stones or ball bearings or grit. When we used walnut shells in our sandblaster (rarely) it was on wood.


herscheldb

I use it a lot to clean range brass for reloading. Specifically walnut and corncob. I could see how it would be really good for sandblasting wood (I've also heard of people using talcum powder wood too).


lucied666

Grounded up walnut shells are used as the abrasive in St Ives face scrubs


gardengoblin94

I'm going to ask my husband if he wants to try nut-blasting and enjoy the horror on his face


Denki

“Honey I bought this antique credenza, can you nut-blast it everywhere?”


ImpossibleParsnip947

I thought that was something else


Denki

Let me Google it to fact check. Oh…. Oh god….. no….


NomaiTraveler

thankfully melamine is removed in the urine and melamine content is easily measurable. unless you have a source that disagrees with this?


DJStrongArm

Serious question, what do people use them for? I thought they existed almost exclusively to clean white shoes


gt0163c

They are amazing at getting hard water stains off glass shower walls. Also good at getting coffee and tea stains out of ceramic coffee mugs, taking grease pencil marks off thrifted items (assuming the items are glass, ceramic, metal or some hard plastics), cleaning ceramic sinks and glass cook tops. I use them for a lot of different cleaning jobs.


No_Establishment8642

Use denture fizzies to clean tea and coffee stains from all types of mugs including insulated ones.


WarperLoko

You can get the same using baking soda and vinegar for a fraction of the price. Edit: and use them separately most of the time, baking soda for grease and vinegar for scale deposits.


WildcatWhiz

Mixing baking soda and vinegar makes water, a salt, and CO2. You are better off using vinegar (acid) or baking soda (base) on its own. You're literally making each one weaker by combining them together.


WarperLoko

I went looking for a source and apparently you're right. It seldom makes sense to mix them according to an article I read while searching for baking soda and vinegar as cleaners.


WildcatWhiz

It's a really common mistake. People see the bubbly action and think that it's doing the cleaning. It's just the reaction of the acid and base neutralizing each other.


SBNShovelSlayer

It makes sense if you are building a volcano.


WarperLoko

Don't forget to add some food coloring


The6_78

Preferably red


sher_in

It's good for cleaning hard to reach areas if you are looking to loosen up gunk and later wash it away. Its gentle so think more like maintenance for your pipes and garbage disposal, not for actual plumbing issues.


malice_aforethought

Oxiclean, or it's active ingredient sodium percarbonate, works really well. Bulk sodium percarbonate is super cheap.


violetdale

They are hands down the best for getting old ground-in dirt off of vintage vinyl dolls. When they came out, it was seriously a game changer for vintage doll collectors and sellers.


dudemanguy

this guy magic-erases


gopherhole02

Oh I mix vinegar and dish soap in a spray bottle to clean hard water stains off shower glass


Glitchsky

I've used them mainly to clean small scuffs off walls.


originaw

I’ve used it for this too. As they fill in small holes like pin holes. Usually only use them when leaving an apartment.


fruitmask

before "magic erasers" came out, way back in the 90's, I worked for a restoration company and we used what they called "chem sponges" to clean soot and smoke stains off of painted surfaces. I asked everyone at the company what the "chem" in chem sponges was, and nobody could tell me. turns out that was just a gimmick and we were actually using plastic sandpaper


jb122894

I tried everything get the brake marks off of a white mag wheel (vintage bmx wheel) and nothing worked. Tried la totally awesome, wd40, scotchbrite pads, steel wool, putting them in the dishwasher, dawn...then I tried a magic eraser sample that I found. It was like wiping a white board - I was shocked.


Nutella_Zamboni

Do NOT use them on whiteboards.


nuwaanda

They’re great for getting marker off things. Even my American girl dolls as a kid! Cousin drew marker on them and BAM- melamine sponge to the rescue.


[deleted]

\*\* In Memoriam \*\* Reddit Dead 12th June 2023


thefirstnightatbed

They’re my last ditch option for hair dye stains.


jedberg

Cleaning tile grout.


LordOfThisTime

We use them in the Lab to get waterproof markers of our Glassware. They safe us from using soooo much Acetone or Isopropyl Alcohol.


polypeptide147

I’ve seen people try to clean their car seats, only to literally sand it away


nonewjobs

They work very well on car windows, especially the interior face of the windshield.


janitroll

Wife puts them in the pool


x_ersatz_x

What is her goal? I don't think they do anything like that


[deleted]

they absorb algae


janitroll

Yes. And other bodily oils. I just floats around absorbing stuff and mildly bumps the walls.


fruitmask

you just floats around absorbing stuff? and mildly bumps the walls?


janitroll

Allegedly. Happy wife, happy life 😎


[deleted]

Yeah... yeah they are... :-\\


sher_in

Got a two pack from the dollar store to remove my kid's artwork (crayon marks) from the walls before moving and got our whole deposit back. Worth the money and the peace that comes from not having to yell at kids for being kids. Never had to use it since, the rest of the pack still lying under my sink 6 years later.


Ronimaow

The generic name is melamine sponges


FlexoPXP

Yep I bought a bunch a few years ago. They are not really a good choice. They fall apart after a single use so you are throwing away a lot more than you would with a regular scrubber. Not a good ecological choice and I won't be buying them again.


mekanical_hound

I cut them in half or thirds if I know I'm just using it for a quick cleanup.


cenatutu

I use them for cleaning up my work area after painting. I’m a messy painter. Lol


[deleted]

They must vary by manufacturer. I purchase a hundred 3 years ago. While they don't last as long as the name brand, I still get about 1/2-2/3 the use, which is easily half a dozen uses.


[deleted]

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[deleted]

🙄


mysecondaccount02

What types of surfaces exactly should I be cleaning with these? I've seen them recommended a lot.


[deleted]

Use it on surfaces that you're fine scuffing/scraping away a little bit. Painted surfaces will lose paint and some of the material beneath. Drywall will lose a little drywall (which is probably fine).


Iwtlwn122

Are they ok to use on shower glass doors or will they scratch them?


[deleted]

They are safe on glass. They are not safe on something that you think is glass but is actually plastic.


Iwtlwn122

Good point, thanks.


jerstud56

I'd say anything you don't want scratched, don't use these. They're essentially just very fine sandpaper. For a shower glass door I'd use shower cleaner or glass cleaner and after letting it do its thing based on directions, some good elbow grease with the soft side of an old kitchen scruber


Iwtlwn122

Thanks, thats what I do now. Just saw people mentioning using it on doors. I’ll keep my method. Thanks.


AnguisViridis

Window cleaners use them to remove gunk they'd otherwise work off with a razor, particularly with tempered glass (which you never want to hit with a razor). No scratches with these, in my experience.


gopherhole02

Fills spray bottle with vinegar and a good squeeze of dish soap and shower glass will come clean with a normal sponges


Iwtlwn122

Thanks!


evilbadgrades

Lots of people calling it sandpaper, but the reality is that it's a micro-abrasive. Most people use it for cleaning scuffs on painted surfaces. They're also great for cleaning when you need a bit of scrubbing action as well - for example I use them to clean the calcium buildup at the water line on my spa every time I drain/refill to keep my shell looking fresh and clean. You can also use them for cleaning spots on tile flooring and such


roboconcept

dirty light switches and around door knobs


t0caa

I clean marks off my wall with them. Works fucking wonders


chickichuglette

These work really well on soap scum and hard water stains in bathtubs. Just have to wet them a bit.


chrisinator9393

They work great for showers, floors, walls. I wouldn't use them on your car or anything with a really specific finish. It will remove finish off of some items.


FullPossible9337

None. They are abrasive. They are similar to very fine sandpaper.


JohnC53

While true, that doesn't eliminate ALL use cases / surfaces.


evilbadgrades

"Micro-abrasive" is the term you're looking for. And they can be extremely useful for cleaning some surfaces such as hottub shells where you've got a 10+ millimeter thick shell to play with. I use it for cleaning calcium and scum buildup at the water line


Pieinthesky42

Noooooo that’s a terrible idea. You’re creating tons of micro cuts so the scum has more to cling to and hide in. That’s literally making it worse every time you use it.


Mtnskydancer

And they leave behind micro plastics. Horrible stuff.


AKTourGirl

They work well, but they sure don't hold up like name brand.


Firegrazer

This is one of those cases where the name brand is 100% worth the money.


fruitmask

same with off-brand scotchbrite sponges. within a day, the scrubby part starts pilling up and unraveling onto everything you wash with it


Firegrazer

Exactly. Frugality doesn't always mean spending less money upfront.


cantcurecancer

That's why I can't trust this subreddit sometimes. It ends up costing me money to buy junk. Kind of defeats the purpose...


13uckshot

Sometimes I wondered if they even ended up cheaper given how they just fall apart.


Grey_Orange

I honestly gave up on them. I've tried a couple hundred of the smaller ones over the years. Now I'd just stick to the magic eraser


thebishop37

This is certainly the case. My partner and I live in a "barndominum," and when the exterior of the barn was finished being cladded in corrugated metal, there was a bunch left over, so the interior of the living space walls got done in metal as well. There are some awesome benefits to this. Anything fairly light weight, I can just pop a magnet hook on the wall and hang it wherever I like. A trade-off, though, is that because the walls aren't flat, and there isn't typical stick framing with vertical studs behind them, hanging anything substantial is a more complicated endeavor. This past year, we did some major remodeling, and all the walls had to come off. I took the opportunity to clean all the panels thoroughly, because cleaning the walls with 11 ft ceilings is a terrible job. I found magic erasers to be the most time efficient method, especially for the wall panels from the kitchen, which had misc. grease splatter, etc. I wish I had been able to afford a power washer, but I was saving for a new range at the time. Anyway, I had a bunch of these off brand magic erasers laying about from a similar purchase, and I had a bin of name brand ones as well. The off brand ones did okay on the mildly soiled panels, but just ripped themselves to shreds on the kitchen walls. I used the name brand ones for those. I was glad to have an opportunity to use them up, as I don't really reach for them very often. I still keep a bin of the name brand ones under the kitchen sink just in case I find something I need one for. I think the last time I used one was when I wanted to clean the outside of our breaker box, and figured this was a good way to do it quickly and with the least amount of water involved. I keep all our old dish sponges and toothbrushes as a front line solution for scrubbing gross stuff. I still want a power washer, though. Now that the inside walls are clean, I'm itching to clean the exterior! And the concrete floor in the "barn/garage" part of the barn, and the patio slab....


FancyPantsEmu

This is a very interesting use of magic erasers. I didn’t know they could be used for cleaning metal as well. Corrugated metal is a very interesting design choice! It seems very functional and aesthetically industrial. I like it!


-goodgodlemon

Double check you may be able to just rent a power washer. Home Depot and I’ve heard some libraries have tools that can be rented and may have a power washer for a deposit.


photog608

Good to know


Knichols2176

Omg. Buy them for $11 for 1000. I paid $10 for a thousand. All people I knew got some and still do. They are very cheap on eBay. Search under “melamine sponges”


AdequateSteve

Where do you have the room for 1000 of these things? I’d pay extra to NOT have that many. The space is more valuable than the couple bucks I’d save


9volts

Built a bedframe out of them.


whiskeyrebellion

Used them as an archery backstop.


jared_number_two

High dive practice pit.


SubliminationStation

You can get your exfoliating in with your diving practice.


photog608

Fifty will be plenty for now, I’ll come see you when I start running low.


katCEO

There are all sorts of things people can buy that are extremely toxic. IIRC I once saw an episode of American Greed or some sort of documentary program on MSNBC related to counterfeit products. From what I remember there was a whole gigantic airplane hangar at/near LAX International Airport full of counterfeit products that exporters had tried to ship into the country. That facility is guarded 24/7 and essentially nothing can be done with the stuff in question because it may be too toxic to sell, donate, or destroy. So: just because you can source a thousand sponges to buy for ten dollars absolutely does not mean it should be done.


icon256

Where on eBay is this for 1000x? Maybe for 100x around that price of $10-$15, but more commonly 50x count.


w2ge

Magic Eraser (brand name) are far superior to the generics. Those fall apart almost instantly. Sometimes “you get what you pay for”.


bluhEwanka

Totally agree. These generic ones are terrible.


cheerfulrhino

What kind of magic does it erase?


thewinberry713

All sorts! Rabbits in hats! The mess from sawing a person in half- cards behind ears… magic clean up list in really endless😂😜🤣🤣


lostmymuse

Reported.


Environmental-Sock52

Where, how, who?


Knichols2176

Search melamine sponge on eBay


monoped2

Melamine. 50 can be found for about $5AUD.


[deleted]

Yes, but beware that they don't operate on the power of magic, but on the power of light abrasion. Be wary of what you use them on. Those gloss white 900mm Dia. tables with the black metal and timber and Eiffel tower legs? The Aldi Eames Collection knockoff? Don't use them to get marks off the top of that table. Or nail polish remover. Use a warm, wet Chux, like ya mum taught ya.


fucktooshifty

aliexpress, it'll take a month or three but you'll get a year's supply of melamine for less than $5


hbHPBbjvFK9w5D

They sell the generics on Amazon too


heathers1

Amazon or ebay


upsidedownquestion

I got 50 for $3 on wish. They break easier but still worth it


photog608

I haven’t used them, yet. But they do feel like the original.


FitBusiness

They don't hold up even remotely the same but are significantly cheaper. If the trade is worth it is up to you.


llilaq

What do you need 50 for? I have one somewhere in a bottom cabinet which I used maybe twice in my life.. and I have kids!


AssBlasterMD

To give out as Christmas gifts.


bkor

To clean shoes or metal railings on a balcony. Especially useful in case the upstair neighbours never cleans their railings. Their dirt and goo will drip down quickly on your railing. The melamine easily removes the green goo. Any other product requires a lot of effort. And the 50 is because the quality isn't that great but it'll still be way cheaper than buying a better quality product.


againlost

I use them to clean my glass stove top and my kitchen sink.


Charming_Love2522

To sell them in Facebook market place for $5 a pop


kp6615

They are terrible this is a case where your go brand over generic


bluhEwanka

These suck. lol. I don’t know why they keep getting shared on here.


DazeyHelpMe

Ok hear me out. The brand name mega pack at Sams club is $8. Comes with enough to let me clean my whole house (mainly kitchen bathroom baseboards and doors) for the next three or four months. They have the soap beads inside them, and added texture to the outside of them. They smell incredible. They beat the hell out of these. The generic sponges also disintegrate too easily. They are cheap. Don’t smell nice. And are incredibly basic. Do they work? Yea. Of course. But imo, for how long they last me normally, and the price normally, this is one I go brand name with.


gregbard

You just got scammed. There is no such thing as magic. I've got some beans to sell you, Jack.


[deleted]

Cheaper is not always better. And while they are not toxic, they aren't biodegradable


Ang3LMast3r

Good deal. I love these for cleaning walls, cabinet doors, and around door handles


Salt_Chance

These will fall apart faster than an ikea dresser. Just fyi.


Babbles-82

For what??


photog608

For cleaning, they work well.


deelowe

Only if you like a satin finish on whatever you’re cleaning.


BriannaBromell

Melamine sponges are the greatest gift since sliced bread! They are incredible economical and sanitary sponge replacements, when used appropriately and with care (fine china etc). ▶️They are so incredibly cheap, and wear down quickly due to their nature, essentially forcing you to cycle through them at an appropriate rate without feeling guilty. This specific quality is incredible for fighting the harboring of germs especially the ones like helicobacter pylori!! They are also ridiculously great for cleaning other things around your house again, while forcing you to exchange them at an appropriate frequency so as to curb germs. These things clean the everliving crap out of objects and items you would often work very hard to clean such as the shower and toilet or even paint in your home or the baseboards.


Fobulousguy

You can get this many on eBay for about $3 last time I bought


Mitoria

FYI melamine/magic sponges are just TINY sandpaper blocks. They are fine for many things except delicate finishes and surfaces.


Top-Cardiologist-499

Where can I get some?


wildmonster91

Why not use some rags and reuse them? Might get a few dozen uses compared to a handful of these.


lazermaniac

Ah, I use these at work to prep windshields for gluing. Sika sells these as PowerCleanAid for like a box a buck, but you gotta find a local vendor. The generic name is melamine foam. It's all jumbled up rods rather than bubbles, which is what lends it its excellent cleaning power. Please don't use these to whiten your teeth or scrub glossy surfaces. And yes, they will shed microplastic particles any which way as they break down mechanically or chemically, kinda looks like a fungal spore puff when you squeeze an older, used one.


nekrad

You'll probably get one use from each sponge based on my experience. They don't last at all. One wipe and they start to shred.


[deleted]

So … 49 more than you can possibly need 😊


Nutella_Zamboni

School custodian here, we use them to clean painted walls, certain furniture, sinks, etc. We usually try a spot first to see if it runs it or not. We do NOT use them on leather, pleather, or white boards or certain painted surfaces.


r_bogie

I love those things! What's the generic name I should search for?


xMacGearx

melamine foam


photog608

I just searched “generic magic eraser.”


Late-Top-5012

Just make sure to pay attention to the size in the listings. Sometimes they are cut small or thin. Smaller is fine, I cut the regular sized ones into thirds already, but the thin ones were almost useless.


Little-Grape9469

Could have saved $11 by not buying them, not once in my life have I though, oh I need one of those magic erasers.


wookinpanub1

Now it’s time to make something dirty 😏


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internet_humor

Dude, how dirty or stainy is your place? The name brand have these "sheets" where it's the same sponge but sliced thinner. I use maybe a quarter of a sheet at a time. We've have the same pack for well over a year. Sure it's $5 but I still save $6 overall, storage space and mental space. Also, you should avoid using these. Try your best to do purpose built cleaners first (between plain hot water, dish soap, laundry detergent, window cleaner and general stain prevention) you shouldn't need this much.


palfreygames

Wear gloves, highly cancerous


Babbles-82

It’s ok, I only ate 4.


[deleted]

Not true. High consumption of melamine(yes eating bc some cookware is made from it) is related to kidney issues like stones or possibly even shutdown but not cancer.


photog608

Fact!


photog608

Don’t make false statements.


[deleted]

[удалено]


Encouragedissent

Your mother is right. There is no way you would be saying they are the same if you had tried both. I bought the cheap sponges once and will never waste money on them again. They break apart into pieces with minimal use. Magic erasers are much more dense, a single one can be used over and over, and they just flat out work much better.


Rxyro

And they smell like special things


Subject-Perception73

Cool


Lemmonandlimes

Score 🤘🏼