what is bar keepers friend made of

Full Answer

What are the ingredients in bar keeper’s friend?

“The principle ingredient of Bar Keeper’s Friend products is oxalic acid. Oxalic acid has toxic effects through contact and if ingested.

What is Bar Keepers Friend?

Bar Keepers Friend is a brand of mass-produced cleaning agents. The original canned powder product has been manufactured and sold since 1882. It was invented by a chemist in Indianapolis, Indiana, where it continues to be manufactured by SerVaas Laboratories.

Does Bar Keepers Friend powder really work?

Yes, oxalic acid is the active ingredient that sets the product apart, and definitely the major reason Bar Keepers Friend powder works. But the other component that helps it really clean? Abrasives.

What is feldspar in bar keeper friend products?

Feldspar is the abrasive ingredients found in most of Bar Keeper Friend products (except for the MORE Spray+Foam) and is a mineral, one of the most abundant minerals found in the earth’s crust. It is found in most igneous and metamorphic rocks and has no color of their own.

Is Bar Keepers Friend the same as baking soda?

Do I trust this Bar Keep? Is this stuff just baking soda in disguise? (It is not.) It's an entirely different chemical, oxalic acid, and it is hardcore. While my interactions with human beings have withered and my home bar-keeping has skyrocketed, I'm spending more and more time with Bar Keepers Friend.

Is Bar Keepers Friend toxic?

The main ingredient in Bar Keepers Friend is oxalic acid. Although it occurs naturally in some plants and vegetables, such as chives and rhubarb, it is considered toxic. You must use caution with this ingredient because it has caustic (corrosive) properties.

What should you not use Bar Keepers Friend on?

BKF cleans and polishes most hard, nonporous surfaces. However, never use BKF on the following: cast iron, granite, marble, wood, fabric, leather, or painted surfaces.

Is Bar Keepers Friend the same as Comet?

Bar Keepers Friend is safe on glass and ceramic tiles, but Comet is not. Both brands contain granules and are abrasive cleaners, but the granules in Comet are larger and more likely to scratch surfaces. Bar Keepers Friend is an acidic cleaner, whereas Comet is a bleach-based cleaner.

Can Bar Keepers Friend make your hands peel?

Think about it: If Bar Keepers Friend can remove buildups from calcium, lime, rust, and hard water stains, just imagine what it can do to your hands. The active ingredient in Bar Keepers Friend is oxalic acid, which can cause skin and eye irritation (via NJ Department of Health).

Can I use Bar Keepers Friend on glass shower doors?

You can use Bar Keepers Friend Cleanser, Bar Keepers Friend Soft Cleanser, or Bar Keepers Friend MORE Spray & Foam to clean your shower door (some people prefer the foam because it adheres to vertical surfaces well).

Is Bar Keepers Friend just citric acid?

The Bar Keepers Friend ingredients in their Spray & Foam Cleaner are: Water* Oxalic Acid. Citric Acid.

Can Bar Keepers Friend clean grout?

While not as natural as hydrogen peroxide and baking soda, bar keepers friend works really well to clean grout and get it white again. To clean grout with bar keepers friend, wet the area first and then sprinkle the powder onto the grout lines.

Does Bar Keepers Friend Really Work?

This stuff is amazing! It removes shower/faucet/commode scale and deposits like nothing else I have ever used. If used for the right cleaning jobs, this is a product that will surpass your exectations and have you thinking of new applications, such as cleaning tools and equipment that have gained a little rust.

Which is better Bar Keepers Friend or Ajax?

So, How is Bar Keepers Friend Cleanser Different From Comet & Ajax? BKF is the #1 non-bleach Cleanser in the market today. The most significant differences between BKF Cleanser and Comet or Ajax is 1) the absence of bleach AND our use of oxalic acid, 2) the quality of “scrubber” used, and 3) the detergents used.

What is the difference between Soft Scrub and Bar Keepers Friend?

So, What's the Difference Between Bar Keepers Friend Powdered Cleanser and Soft Cleanser? The bottom line is that the Soft Cleaner can be easier to use and more convenient, while the original Powdered Cleanser may be better at deep and restorative cleaning.

Can I use Bar Keepers Friend on glass cooktop?

If you have a glass cooktop, Bar Keepers Friend powder cleaner will also get the job done when cleaning up caked-on messes without scratching or staining the surface — just be sure to use a non-abrasive cloth or sponge and test the product on a small area first.

What happens if you breathe in Bar Keepers Friend?

The harmful effects of oxalic acid in Bar Keepers Friend present themselves if it is ingested or inhaled. Breathing it in can cause upper respiratory tract irritation which mostly means it may lead to a cough, shortness of breath, or a sore throat.

What happens if you accidentally inhale Bar Keepers Friend?

May cause mild respiratory irritation. 4.3 Indication of any immediate medical attention and special treatment needed: Immediate medical attention is required for eye contact.

Is Bar Keepers Friend toxic Reddit?

BKF main Ingredients are acids (oxallic etc). There's a warning on it to not ingest, but it's encouraged that it be used on cookware. I use very cautiously on my cookware by washing after BKF application with dish detergent and water and then for a long time water only.

Is Bar Keepers Friend natural?

Bar Keeper's Friend, if you haven't heard of it before, is a powder cleanser—and a powerhouse cleaner. The active ingredient is oxalic acid, a natural compound that's found in rhubarb and spinach and works at a molecular level to break the bonds of stains like rust and lime deposits.

Who makes bar keepers friend?

In the 1950s the product became the base of a line of cleaning products made by Indianapolis-based SerVaas Laboratories, which started producing and carrying products under the Bar Keepers Friend brand name. Additional products manufactured and marketed under the Bar Keepers Friend brand name include liquid, cream and spray cleaners.

Where is Bar Keepers friend made?

The original canned scouring powder product has been manufactured and sold since 1882. It was invented by a chemist in Indianapolis, Indiana, where it continues to be manufactured by SerVaas Laboratories.

What does the bar keepers friend logo mean?

The Bar Keepers Friend logo represents the swinging doors of a saloon. According to the president of SerVaas Laboratories, Paul SerVaas, although some people complained during Prohibition, "the name was never changed. It's been Bar Keepers Friend since 1882".

How many cans of Bar Keepers friend are made?

In September 2016, the canned powdered product was manufactured at a rate of approximately 60,000 cans per day, which are packaged in 12, 15 and 21 ounce cans.

What are the ingredients in a sandbox?

Active ingredients. According to the 2015 material safety data sheet, the ingredients are feldspar, linear sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (DDBSA) and oxalic acid. Prolonged use and extended skin contact may cause irritation, peeling and contact dermatitis, which is avoided by wearing gloves.

Can Bar Keepers friend be used on real marble?

While recommending Bar Keepers Friend for a variety of household cleaning uses, author Heather Solos warned that it should not be used to clean silverware, pewter or real marble. The product serves to make stainless steel resistant to oxidation via the process of passivation and can remove rust on stainless steel.

Bar Keepers Friend's secret ingredient comes from food

So what is it about this stuff that sets it apart from other cleansers? An active ingredient in Bar Keepers Friend is oxalic acid, which just happens to occur naturally, in high amounts, in the rhubarb plant (which is actually a vegetable).

It's not just the acid that makes Bar Keepers Friend work

Yes, oxalic acid is the active ingredient that sets the product apart, and definitely the major reason Bar Keepers Friend powder works. But the other component that helps it really clean? Abrasives.

A WWII Navy and CIA veteran took over Bar Keepers Friend in 1956

Navy and CIA veteran Dr. Beurt SerVaas had first learned about the product from his grandmother, who used the product in her kitchen. Armed with this knowledge, SerVaas later used the product at his electroplating business before taking ownership of Bar Keepers Friend in 1956.

2022 is the 140th anniversary of Bar Keepers Friend

One look at the product's packaging and you might be able to tell this cleanser & polish has been around a long time. But would you have guessed Bar Keepers Friend was first sold in 1882? The Washington Post reports that back then, the powder was sold in brown paper bags.

The Bar Keepers Friend logo represents the swinging doors of a saloon

It's so subtle you might not have noticed, but the logo is in the shape of two old-fashioned saloon doors in honor of the product's history. While the product has had different logos and packaging throughout its long history, this one pays special homage to the company's roots ( according to the company itself ).

You can clean your sneakers with Bar Keepers Friend

White sneakers look great until they're no longer white, right? While bleach might come to mind for brightening your kicks, Bar Keepers Friend can actually work on tough shoe stains, too. Keep a can near a utility sink at home for cleaning grimy shoes.

Bar Keepers Friend works on rust

Save your rusty utensils, car parts, and tools from a bleak future in the landfill by scrubbing off rust with Bar Keepers Friend. Yes, there are other products specifically marketed for use on rust, but who doesn't love a multitasker that can clean everyday messes and save things that nearly need refurbishing?

Learn how to use Bar Keepers Friend in ways you'd never thought of before, including cleaning rusty tools, removing a stubborn toilet ring and more!

Go-to cleaning product Bar Keepers Friend (BKF) has developed a cult following, and with good reason. The inexpensive powdered cleaner invented by chemist George William Hoffman in Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1882, can do much more than polish brass bar fixtures — the job it was originally marketed to do.

What Is Bar Keepers Friend Made Of?

Bar Keepers Friend’s seemingly magic powers come courtesy of its main ingredient, oxalic acid. This natural substance attacks rust, lime, tarnish and other stains on a molecular level, breaking the bonds holding them together to eliminate all trace. It works on multiple surfaces, too.

How To Use Bar Keepers Friend

Our cleaning experts suggest mixing the powder with water to create a paste, then wiping it off after a brief period. Extended contact can damage finishes.

Ways To Use Bar Keepers Friend

Read on for a host of ways to put this hardworking, inexpensive helper to good use all over your home. A few caveats before you start: Wear gloves, don’t mix with other cleaning products, and always test in an inconspicuous spot first.

A Deeper Dive Into Bar Keepers Friend Ingredients

Besides oxalic acid, what’s in Bar Keepers Friend? Are the other ingredients toxic?

What Bar Keepers Friend Says

The National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) aims to protect and improve human health globally. Bar Keepers friend is an NSF-certified product, and products with an NSF certification have proven compliance with public health standards.

Is Bar Keepers Friend Safe to Use on Cookware?

I’ve mentioned that ingesting Bar Keepers Friend is harmful, so you might be wondering if cleaning your cookware with it puts you at risk.

How to Use Bar Keepers Friend Safely

As long as you follow the instructions, refrain from mixing it with other chemicals like bleach, and wear protective gear, you can use Bar Keepers Friend safely.

FAQs About Bar Keepers Friend

Here are answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about Bar Keepers Friend:

Bar Keepers Friend Alternatives

If you’re concerned about the toxicity of Bar Keepers Friend, here are the best alternatives.

Bottom Line: Is Bar Keepers Friend Toxic?

Now that you know the ingredients in Bar Keepers Friend and how to use it safely, you can make an informed decision as to whether its toxicity is worth the risk.

Summary

Overview

Production

Active ingredients

Performance and uses

See also

Further reading

External links