The Bar Keeper's Friend Can Now Be Your Friend Too
Back in 1882 a chemist from Indianapolis noticed how clean and shiny his tarnished pot was after cooking rhubarb.
So using an active ingredient that's found in the rhubarb plant he made a talcum smooth cleaner and sold it to the city's taverns.
It worked so well that it was called 'Bar Keepers Friend' - and now it can be your friend too.
Originally just available in its powder form, the Bar Keeper's Friend (BKF) has branched out and can now be found as a liquid spray and cream cleanser.
We don't really jump for joy at the prospect of cleaning but if there is something that will make the job easier then we are more than happy to give it a try in an effort to shorten the time we need to be wearing our rubber gloves.
For us, this is usually an indication to find something a bit more skin friendly but gloves on, we set to work on the collection of baked-on spills on the hob.
With a small amount of the new BKF Power Cream we were easily able to shift the majority of the stains in seconds, leaving just a few tougher marks for the original BKF powder. By using a damp cloth and agitating the stains we swiftly removed any marks, leaving the surface ready for rinsing down and wiping dry.
Whilst many cleaners contain chlorine bleach, the Bar Keeper's Friend range is completely 'bleach-free' and benefits from the unique cleaning power of Oxalic Acid (found in rhubarb, parsley and chives) and when combined with its unique mineral base and surfactant blend, delivers a unique cleaning performance.
The smell of many chemical cleaners can be overpowering but the BKF was not unpleasant to work with and left no lingering odours.
The BKF Power Spray is great for using around the bathroom and shower but, as with many sprays, it runs down the tiles a little too quickly. After rinsing it appears to leave a residue on the tiles, almost like a waterproof film, which repels liquid in-between cleans, keeping your tiles soap-free for a little longer.
Overall the cleaning power is good and all the stains we tried to remove lifted fairly easily and cleaned away. We can see how this product would be popular in bars and clubs but would we replace our regular cleaning products with Bar Keeper's Friend? Probably not... but we would certainly keep a bottle in the cleaning cupboard for those stubborn stains.
For more information visit www.barkeepersfriend.co.uk.