I’ve noticed that there something of a natural progression when you start canning, even if it’s on a very small scale. Suddenly you start looking around your home and looking for ways that you can streamline, simplify and make from scratch. Several years ago, I started replacing counter top cleaners with vinegar solutions and powdered bleach scrubs with baking soda. And they were pretty darn good for a variety of basic cleaning.
Thing is, there were a couple things that those more natural cleansers didn’t do particularly well. For instance, the enamel in my bathroom sink is chipped near the drain and it bleeds rust on a daily basis (we haven’t replaced the sink because the whole bathroom must eventually be gutted, but it is still serviceable so we soldier on). It needs aggressive scrubbing with something more potent than baking soda. But after all the energy that went into ridding my home of chemical cleaners that made me light-headed, I didn’t want to invite them back for this one job.
A couple of weeks ago, the answer arrived* in the form of a box of Bon Ami products. Made from feldspar and a gentle soap, it’s an incredibly easy to use and made quick work of my rust stains (it also worked on rust-stained jars). You just rub a web cloth or sponge over the Bon Ami bar and scrub. It’s a fantastic complement to my arsenal of vinegar spray and baking soda (I must say, their spray cleaner is also terrific and has the added bonus of not smelling like pickles).
Now, I realize that I sound a little like an ad here. But truly, I’m a bit smitten with the Bon Ami bar (and the powder too). I’ve always had a weakness for old fashioned ways of doing things (which is probably why I started canning in the first place) and so I get an unnatural amount of satisfaction from using something that my great-grandmother may well have applied to her own sinks and tubs.
You’ll be excited to learn that Bon Ami has given me two more of these cleaning kits to giveaway here. To enter for a chance to win, leave a comment on this post and share a story about cleaning unguents, solutions, powders or soaps (do you make your own cleansers? Did you grow up with Bon Ami? What’s your take on hand soap – bar or liquid?). Comments will close at 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, June 7, 2011. The winner will be chosen at random and will be contacted via email. This giveaway is only open to residents of the United States (my apologies to all you reading from Canada and beyond).
One last thing. Because we’re in the social media age and all, I thought I’d mention that Bon Ami is on Facebook and they’re currently running a contest for a chance to win a green house cleaning. If you feel so moved, you can toss your hat in that ring too.
*I was sent this box of cleaning products at no cost to me. However, my elbow grease and opinions are all my own.
I just recently started my conversion to vinegar, baking soda, etc. I made my first batch of dishwasher detergent and have had wonderful success with it.
I’ve been using Bon Ami for years. It started with needing a cleaner for my knives; in Hawai’i they rust bad. Bon Ami cleaned the rust off like a champ. I began using it as an all purpose cleaner because it was natural and didn’t scratch. Now I use it frequently, especially on my apartment’s glass top stove.
OK…my take on soaps, they should clean without leaving residue and not dry your skin out. It should also be environmentally friendly. And, yes, I do make my own cleaning products.
I first used a can of Bon Ami cleaning powder when I was living in my first apartment without roommates. I love their little chick.
Mostly I use cleanser and dish soap for all of my cleaning needs. I’ve used baking soda when I’ve run out of cleanser, and it works pretty well. My mom makes homemade soap, and I absolutely love it. It doesn’t dry out your skin and it smells so wholesome. I’d love to give this Bon Ami a try, I’ve never heard of it before.
I love BonAmi, but haven’t been able to find locally. I too have done my best to go cleaning chemical free ~ combining, bottling all that is natural, but admittedly have pulled out the bleach product when the natural couldn’t do it. I would love to try the soap and the spray! Yes, I’ve made my own soaps and cleaners, Yes, BonAmi was under our kitchen sink. And I’m a liquid hand soap girl ~ hate to see a dirty soap bar.
I love cleaning products! Natural ones, like you. When I find a good one, it’s thrilling, as sometimes “natural” cleaners can’t get the job done. Right now, I make my own counter spray, with vinegar…but, my stove came with strict instructions to only use Bon Ami cleaner on the surface. So, I do use their scrub. The bar and spray are new to me and I can’t wait to try them out!
I literally have been using Bon Ami since the late 1980’s. It’s a great product. Have not tried the spray or bar soap. Here’s a link to a blog post I wrote about natural cleaning. http://milesawayfarm.wordpress.com/2011/01/14/natural-cleaning-101/
I use Bon Ami all the time! Great for hard water spots on glassware. I make my own automatic dishwasher soap for pennies. It works better than any commercial soap. Made from equal parts Borax and baking soda plus some kosher salt. Put vinegar in the rinse agent container.
I’ve been looking for Bon Ami, if I don’t win I’ll have to order some on Amazon 🙂
I house clean for an elderly couple once a week, and I bring my own vinegar cleaning solutions. But for the grimier things like the bathtub or range I end up using the chemical stuff. At my home I don’t bother because I don’t mind if things don’t look perfectly clean, but that doesn’t exactly fly with an old british couple in their 80s. I would love some more heavy duty cleaners that are a little more eco-friendly!
I have literally been using Bon Ami since the late 1980’s. A great product. Here’s a blog post I wrote about using natural cleaners. http://milesawayfarm.wordpress.com/2011/01/14/natural-cleaning-101/
Oh good friend how I adore thee –
I learned about Bon Ami from the clerk who sold me my first stainless steel pan. I’ve been hooked ever since and now have can under every sink in the house:) However, I’ve never seen other products so this little bar interesting.
hi marisa. i haven’t heard of this, but am excited to try either via your giveaway or getting it myself. i will say that i’ve never found a dishwasher detergent that works appropriately. any ideas or suggestions? cheers to a happy summer. samantha
I’m with you on the cleaning subject. In fact, tonight on my blog I’ll be posting on the homemade laundry soap, oh, I know everybody frugal knows about it already but I haven’t got to put my two cents in yet! Tossin’ in my hat to the giveaway! thanks for your interesting blog.
Another Bon Ami fan here!
I really like using a combo of baking soda and vinegar to clean. Another thing I have started doing is putting used lemon peels in a bottle of vingegar for cleaning.
Also lemon peels in a pan of water and microaved for a few minutes to create steam is great for cleaning the micro. Just let it sit in the over unopened for a while and wipe clean.
I’ve only used Bon Ami powder, which is a standard cleaning item in my house. Am I the only one who hasn’t used, let alone made the baking powder vinegar combo? I purchase a natural cleaning product. Based on all the comments here, need to get in gear and make some of my own (but I’ll never get rid of my Bon Ami!)
I’m a big fan of baking soda + vinegar and also use castile soap a lot. Would love to try Bon Ami. 🙂
My mother used Bon Ami powder and I use it too. It’s great stuff. Also, I have tried mixing my own floor cleaner in a spray bottle, but it leaks down the handle when I squirt. I wonder if it is the dish soap that causes that… Anyway, I have a small graveyard of chemical cleaners that I hope to dispose of responsibly some day.
What a great product! I love the powder – and would love to try the other cleaners. I use a friend’s homemade soap products and won’t use anything else. That, and the usual baking soda/vinegar dymanic duo.
Love BonAmi, but can’t always find it in my grocery store. Guess I have to do the mail order thing with this as well! My mother used to use this before that liquid scrubby stuff became popular and always went back to this as it was far superior to any of the new fangled products. My sister re-did her kitchen and bought a sink that the manufacturer recommends the use of BonAmi as the only scrubbing product…comes with a great reputation!
I’ve never heard of this but now I’m going to have to be on the lookout. I agree about streamlining and getting rid of horrid chemical cleaners. Hope I win 🙂
I adore Bon Ami powder, but have was unaware of the bar cleaner! I will be on the lookout to try. I try to use as many homeade and green cleaners as possible.
Fingers crossed for a win!
We are devoted to Vermont Soap Organics products but I do keep Bon Ami on hand for the kitchen sink.
It was my job in the late 50’s to shine mirrors in the bathroom and the only allowable method was a bar of Bon Ami and a soft cloth. Just seeing the chick on the can I use for most tasks brings back memmories of Saturday morning chores with my mom.
So lovely then are still quietly around all these years later.
I have just started making my own homemade cold pressed soap, laundry detergent and diswasher soap. I feel the same as you, once you start doing some of the old school, back to basic hobbies, you’re enthralled into thinking of other items that can be created from items in your cabinets and with your own hands. I think with being a person that loves to share new ideas and make people happy with a small handmade gift, it gives us great satisfaction when we can make things on our own many of which i am finding are more eco friendly as well-so that’s a bonus! I would love to try this product…
I too have been trying to either find more natural products or do more “from scratch” making of cleaning products. Recently, I discovered what a great scouring powder baking soda can be and you can store it in a handy grated cheese shaker (like the one you find on the table at pizza joints). It even cleans my fancy-pants Le Creuset pot better than just about any commercial cleaner. I’ve also been tinkering with borax for really cruddy gardening clothing and my greasy bar mop kitchen towels (aka “polishing towels” from the automotive section of the big box store) and I’ve been impressed.
I’ve been toying with the idea of MYO laundry detergent but the wife does most of the laundry so I’d have to get her buy-in on that one.
I do have to say that it’s been difficult to find a good spray surface cleaner (a-la Fantastic) and dish soap. Vinegar is supposedly great but, as you mentioned, smells like pickles. I’ve tried a few of the popular “Earthy Crunchy” brands and found that most don’t dissolve stuff any better than plain water. I ended-up really liking the J.R. Watkins products (especially their dish soap…It actually lathers and doesn’t make sponges smell moldy like the regular stuff for some unknown reason). I haven’t done the research to see if the ingredients are all “really safe” but I assume they’re markedly better than their commercial counterparts.
I have been trying to switch over to more natural cleaners, but having trouble finding ones that are as effective as the chemical-y ones. I would love to try Bon Ami!
I love Bon Ami. My friend is a professional window washer and he swears by it to remove limey acid marks from old Southern California windows that seem to be etched by lime. Works great! Thanks for the news about the soap bar. I will get some and try it on a rust stain on a favorite ceramic coffee mug!
The hand soap for us is definitely liquid. Due to my job as a wound care nurse in the community, I usually carry my own with me. Bar soaps are covered in bacteria.
I too have just been ignoring the rust stains on the kitchen sink, because I didn’t really know what to do about them. Also excited to try out the bar version, I find powdered cleaners a bit annoying to use.
I don’t have any story as I don’t make my own; I just try to buy the more earth-friendly chemical free varieties–but I’ve been fascinated to read through what people are up to in the comments! I didn’t even know this was all possible.
Older ways are frequently the best. One of the things I miss that you can no longer purchase is Ivory Snow laundry soap powder/flakes (not detergent, but real soap). I used to collect vintage linens and used this laundry soap to wash them and then hang them on the line in the sun. It made the linens white and smelling fresh. Recently, I have made a mixture of Avon Bubble Bath and water in a spray bottle for cleaning my tile floors in kitchen and bathroon. The violet scented bubble bath leaves a nice smell after cleaning.
I would love to try this! I’m just starting to dabble in making my own cleaning products.
I love cleaning with vinegar based cleaners scented with a little essential oils.
I prefer more natural cleaners, but do not prefer the price, so I’ve been trying to move to vinegar and baking soda. But these sound fantastic!
I really like the looks of that cleaning cake. I make most of my own cleaners — I especially like combining baking soda and Dr. Bronner’s to scrub the tub.
I’ve never even heard of Bon Ami but I’d love to give it a try – we are remodeling a bathroom and that room is going to SHINE when it’s done!
I didn’t grow up with Bon Ami but noticed it at the very good cleaning section on our little local Ace Hardware here in my tiny community of East End, AR. I was having trouble cleaning my new white porcelain kitchen sink and didn’t want to grind off the finish with regular cleansers. The Bon Ami works wonderfully! I’ve never seen the bar form or the spray cleanser. You always bring me new ideas.
I’ve seen old Bon Ami adverts and am so happy to learn they are still around! I would love to give them a try. I tend to use vinegar in a lot of my cooker, but the smell can be an aversion. I love pulverizing lemons down the garbage disposal.
I have never heard of Bon Ami but I have been slowly transitioning (or trying to) to more natural cleaners. Method has been the gateway cleaner, and I honestly feel like the right combination of natural things works better than the chemically stuff.
I mean, what works better than lemon, vinegar and baking soda? Very, very little!
I’ve never heard of Bon Ami before, but would love to try it!
I’ve been slowly making the change to using fewer harsh chemicals in my home. As I’ve run out of something that I used for years, I just have been turning to the more natural solution. Bon Ami looks like it would be a great addition to my arsenal of cleaning products. And if it gets rid of the rust stains on jars, I’m hoping it would get rid of the rust stains that my old dryer just left on some of my clothes. I can’t wait to try it. Thanks for sharing!
I haven’t graduated to fully homemade cleaners yet, but occasionally pour baking soda and vinegar down the bathtub. My other tip is a constantly full rag bag under the sink with old t-shirts, socks and towels.
Bon Ami! I would love an alternative to vinegar and soda that works, and I keep hearing more about Bon Ami! What a fantastic giveaway 🙂
I use a lot of baking soda, and a lot of Dr. Bronners. I have been using Dr. Bronners for years and just love it. I use vinegar, but sometimes I just can’t handle the smell, and I’ve never become used to it. 🙂
My husband makes all of our window cleaner and it works MUCH better than windex. Simplify is a key to my life…would love to try the Bon Ami!
I used to make my own cleaning solutions with vinegar, but my boyfriend hates the smell (which is not great for my love of all things pickled). Bon Ami sounds like a great product to try!
Loved the information on your post. I am so happy to see a review on their other products besides the cleaning powder, which seems to be the only one of their products stores in my area carry.
I have used vinegar, baking soda and other homemade cleaning products for some time and was very happy to hear Bon Ami has something that will work on rust. I will definitely be looking for it now.
Love the post! I like hearing how everyone uses more safe cleaning agents. I would love to try Bon Ami. Just started to make my own laundry soap. I use mostly Seventh Generation cleaning supplies but it can be pricey.