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When I first heard about Barkeeper’s friend I thought it was about some dude getting drunk at a bar and calling his friend to come to pick him up. Turns out, the barkeeper’s friend is undervalued and quite underrated cleaning products. Kind of like Blood Diamond. I mean hello! Leonardo Di Caprio! If you’re trying to Project Runway your kitchen and bathroom surfaces, then you’ve found the right product.
It can be used on stainless steel, aluminum, ceramic, glass, and many other surfaces. Remember those greasy kitchen knives sitting in the back of your cabinet that soap just doesn’t seem to have an effect on? Without further ado, let’s get into the uses of Barkeeper’s friend. You may find some you already know, but I can guarantee you’ll find at least one useful hack you didn’t know before!
Is Barkeeper’s Friend Safe?
Barkeeper’s Friend perfectly safe to use, especially if you’ve got minions running around the house. Sorry, did I say minions? I meant kids. It’s non- abrasive and biodegradable, so it’s basically the Superman of cleaners. It doesn’t need any equipment or accessories to be used with it. Just your two hands.
1. Knives & Flatware
If there’s one thing I know about my mom, it’s that knives are her first love. After me of course. She keeps them polished and clean, and I’m pretty sure every other kitchen nut does too. No offense. But if you’re looking to up your cleaning game, use some of the Barkeeper’s friend on it and it’ll be sparkling to boot. Using a wet sponge to apply it makes the powder stick better to the steel.
2. Remove Scratches from Dishes
At first, I thought, no way. There’s absolutely no way other than some magical tape that’s going to get rid of these scratches forever. All I needed was 15 dollars to get Barkeeper’s and use it to get rid of these scratches!
3. Glass
Glass stovetops, glass surfaces surrounding the shower, and your knobs are now safe from the grease attack. Tuns out that people have actually tested cleaning glass surfaces with Barkeeper’s friend versus other store-bought products and found the obvious.
The barkeeper’s friend takes the cake! It’s cheap, but really does the job better than other products. Especially since it’s a little difficult to get rid of hard water stains and grease off glass surfaces.
4. Grout
Cleaning grout is really difficult, especially in between the tiles. When you start cleaning, it looks like decades of dirt buildup that you never saw before. Sprinkle a bit of Barkeepers and have at it with a steel wool sponge. It’s tile, you won’t hurt it if you scrub too hard.
5. Pots and Pans
I cannot tell you the number of times that I’ve burned the bottom of a pot and then had the workout of my LIFE with my arms. I just count that as bicep day in my workout schedule.
Cue my mom yelling at me for burning the pan 10 minutes later. It turns out, all I needed was the Barkeeper’s friend. All you have to do is pour a bit of it over the bottom of the pan and let it sit for about half an hour. It comes off really easily, with little to no scrubbing!
6. Inside The Dishwasher
I feel like they should change the stories from “there’s a monster under the bed” to “there’s a weird, alien, autonomous creature living in the dishwasher.” No seriously, have you seen the grime and dirt that lives and breathes in your dishwasher?
Make sure you use a toothbrush to get the crevices and get rid of major food particles and other junk buildups that are visible to the eye. Then sprinkle some Barkeepers’ and set it to the self-wash cycle.
7. Porcelain Sinks
First, you need to do the basic scrub down. Soak a dishcloth in a mixture of dish soap and warm water and get rid of as much grease and grime as possible.
Once that’s done, pour some of the Barkeeper’s over the sink and let it rest for a bit. Then use a wet cloth or damp sponge to have a clean sink once and for all. Since you do have to clean your sink every day (unfortunately), this process can be done once in three days.
8. Cleaning Rust
Barkeepers friend is Harry Potter level magic. Why you ask? It effectively and quickly removes rust stains. Try it out on a small rusty area to see if it works, and make sure you wear gloves in case you have sensitive skin. Then apply it to the rest of the rusty areas and it’ll look like the before/after shots of a sink of Home Renovations: Extreme Edition.
9. Polishing Tarnished Copper
Wash the copper pot of grime, dirt, and large food particles. Then pour in a bit of Barkeeper’s friend and let it rest for about a minute. Wash the pot down with a wet sponge to really spread the substance around and make it effective. Rinse the pot thoroughly before use.
10. Faucets
Sure, the sinks are important. But so are the faucets! Every time I clean the sink, I kid you not, I somehow forget the faucet. Which is probably why it’s looking hella dank. Sprinkle a little bit of the Barkeepers and wait for a bit before wiping it down with a wet sponge or cloth.
11. Cleaning Dull Headlights
Soap and cleaner may not always do the job, which is why you’ve got the handy dandy Barkeeper’s friend. Clean your headlights with a wet sponge and then sprinkle a bit of the Barkeeper’s onto a wet cloth or sponge. Rub it well onto the headlight before rinsing it off with warm water.
12. Cleaning Caked-On Food From a Slow Cooker
Pile on the Barkeeper’s ladies! Sprinkle a good layer of it over the bottom of the pot and let it sit for half an hour. Scrub it off with a steel wool sponge, and you’re golden. If the dirt still persists, kinda like that annoying ex of yours, fill up the pot with 1/4 of baking soda, water and dish soap before boiling it on high.
13. Towel Rails
I feel like clean towel rails shows that a person really cares about cleanliness in their house and most importantly, in their bathroom. The first time I cleaned the rails in my bathroom, it felt like I had found treasure.
Suddenly the bathroom felt super clean and fit to seat a queen. Isn’t that why they say, “you never realize what you have until it’s gone. Toilet paper is a good example.”
14. Water- Stained Wood Furniture
Um, sorry, mom. That stain on the wood rail of the couch was totally me even though I spent half an hour convincing you that dad was the culprit. No apologies here, since my dad is clumsy. Apply the barkeepers on a wet sponge and apply and scrub it gently over the surface. Take care not to use too much of the Barkeeper’s. Thanks for taking the fall dad!
15. Chrome Taps
While Barkeeper’s friend cannot clean the scum of the earth and get rid of them, it can get rid of scum from the taps. And trust me, once you take a look you’ll be wondering how so many stains got there in the first place. Give it the quick wipe down with a wet cloth or sponge in a gentle manner.
16. Bathroom Floor
I’m pretty sure that when my brother was going through his art phase as a kid, he was really channeling the whole “I solemnly swear that I’m up to no good” too seriously. Because no matter how much soap or various cleaners I use, I can’t get rid of residual stains! Which is why a few sprinkles of Barkeeper’s friend totally cleared it up!
17. Bathtub Cleaner
This cleaning procedure actually requires 2 steps. First, sprinkle Barkeeper’s over the half that is farther away from the drain, and scrub it until you’ve got the stains out. By the time you get to the section closer to the drain, you’ll realize that some of it is already clean. Courtesy of the residue coming from the 1st step of this process.
18. Restore Lino Floor
Linoleum floors are probably the hardest to maintain. They seem to become greasy and dirty despite the scrubbing and torturous cleaning you subject it to. No worries as we have barkeeper’s friend for help. Just use a bristle brush to scrub the Barkeepers in nooks and crannies of the floor.
19. Toilet Bowl
Fun science fact: About 34,000 units of bacteria are currently setting up shop in your toilet bowl as you read this. So while money isn’t free to acquire, bacteria are. Use the barkeeper’s like you would with any toilet cleaner and sprinkle it in the crevices, and around the sides. Then use a toilet brush to really get in there.
20. Grime Free Kettle
Apply a little Barkeeper’s friend to a wet sponge and give the kettle a thorough clean from top to bottom. When I say thorough I mean airport security level thorough. Rinse the kettle with warm water, and repeat the process if needed.
21. Deep Clean Oven Racks
While your oven loves cookies and cupcakes, it’s also loving up the grime and grease that’s currently accumulating. After a good wipe down with a wet sponge and some BarKeeper’s friend, I’m pretty sure the oven rack will shine enough to make your eyes sparkle.
Basically, Barkeeper’s will help you out of a lot of tough spots. It’s cheap but special. And you just need a little common sense to apply it!