How to Clean Almost Anything With Bar Keepers Friend
Want to clean pretty much anything?
Then Bar Keepers Friend is your new best friend! Originally used to clean brass rails in taverns, this powdered cleanser contains the active ingredient oxalic acid, a plant-based cleaner that breaks down rust and stains on a molecular level. Now get ready to create some dramatic before and afters!
Hip Tip: Wear gloves when using BKF, as it tends to significantly dry out the skin. This product is abrasive and may etch or dull delicate surfaces. Test it on an inconspicuous area first to make sure you’re happy with the results. Always consult the care section of your product’s user manual for proper cleaning procedures.
1. Use Bar Keepers Friend in the backyard.
You may think it’s time to throw out that metal patio furniture — after all, it’s totally covered in rust. But with Bar Keepers Friend and some scrubbing, you can clean and polish it to look like it just came from the store!
Use BKF to get your outdoor grill sparkling clean, too, and you’ll be ready to host that summer barbecue in style! Just be sure to clean (with gentle dish soap) and rinse any surface that’ll come into contact with food. While oxalates are naturally occurring in foods like spinach, broccoli, cabbage, brussels sprouts, and rhubarb, ingesting too much oxalic acid can be harmful.
2. Remove scratch marks, stains, and baked-on residue from dishes.
You know those unsightly marks silverware can leave on your dishes? Bar Keepers Friend and a little elbow grease will remove those marks on your everyday items, china, and any other ceramic dishes, like Corelle, Fiestaware, and even vintage Pyrex. Just make sure to thoroughly clean with dish detergent afterward to make sure all the BKF residue is removed.
3. Remove rust and scorch marks from your cookware.
It may seem like those ugly marks on the bottom of your pots and pans are here to stay, but a little paste of Bar Keepers Friend plus water can make your stainless steel or copper pots look like new again.
Hip Tip: Don’t feel like making your own paste? BKF makes it’s own highly-rated liquid Soft Cleanser if you’d like to skip that step!
4. Use it in the garage.
Take Bar Keepers Friend to the garage to clean rust and grime off of tools, bicycles, tire rims, car chrome, and motorcycle, ATV, and snowmobile parts. It even works to clean and shine up golf clubs.
Hip Tip: Do not use BKF on painted finishes or black plastic vehicle trim.
5. Polish metal and brass with Bar Keepers Friend.
Have a metal or brass serving tray or decorative item that’s seen better days? Just scrub on the Bar Keepers Friend, and grandma’s serving platter is ready for the Thanksgiving table once again!
Hip Tip: Use sparingly, as a little goes a long way on metals.
6. Make your kitchen look shiny and new.
Thankfully, Bar Keepers Friend makes short work of cleaning your stainless steel knives and other kitchen cutlery. It can make your sink look shiny and new again, too!
It’s also great for removing cooked-on crud and scorch marks from your glass or ceramic cooktop. Just make a paste with BKF and water, scrub, and then remove the cleaner thoroughly with a clean cloth or sponge.
If your oven’s glass door is covered in grease and burned-on food, a little BKF will have it gleaming in no time.
Hip Tip: It is not advised to use BKF on cosmetic areas of your stainless steel appliances. Many manufacturers apply a clear protective layer to help reduce fingerprints, and abrasive cleaners like BKF may harm this protective layer or damage the brushed finish of your stainless steel appliances.
7. Put a spring in your step with brighter sneakers.
Are your sneakers or athletic shoes looking a little worse for the wear? A little scrubbing with a gentle brush and a paste made from Bar Keepers Friend will spruce them up in no time!
Use Kool-Aid in the dishwasher? OH YEAH, we did! Here’s what happened.
