Barkeeper's Friend: Is it Safe?
I had to try it out. I picked up a can of the powdered variety, and Holy Clean Pots, Batman!
Yep, it definitely works.
My favorite stainless steel pot was all brown on the bottom and now. . .well, it's not "as good as new," but it's pretty darn good all the same. BKF also took a rust ring out of my stainless steel kitchen sink. (Who's the wiseacre that left the cast iron skillet in there overnight??)
You know, we eat oxalic acid all the time in spinach, carrots, and a bunch of other things. But it's the reason that rhubarb leaves are considered poisonous—too much can cause nausea, kidney stones/failure, and even be fatal.
- The MSDS is rather dire about oxalic acid, citing it not only as toxic when taken internally, but a dangerous skin, eye, and respiratory irritant.
- Oxalic Acid can be absorbed through the skin.
- Commenters on a number of blog posts about BKF have cited peeling skin after use.
- Of course, being in crystal form in a cleaning powder, the oxalic acid is probably much more concentrated than what you would find in plants.
- The MSDS on Barkeeper's Friend seems to indicate that oxalic acid constitutes just 5-10% of their powder by weight. (Am I reading that right?? I wonder what the other 90% is, then.)
These are my thoughts on it:
- Barkeeper's Friend is definitely a poison. But then again, you wouldn't drink your bleach or dishsoap either, would you?
- It seems like it isn't bio-accumulative, since it's flushed out through the kidneys.
- I used BKF before I read anything about it being a skin irritant. So I didn't use gloves. . .But I didn't notice any unusual reactions to it.
- It also seems pretty negligible as a respiratory irritant. The stuff dissolves in water so readily that you'd almost have to be deliberately snorting it to inhale it.
- It does concern me that it can be absorbed through the skin. I think I wouldn't use it for a large job—like cleaning the shower—where there would be prolonged exposure.
- I also think I wouldn't use it for surfaces that come in direct contact with food. (Dishes, cutting boards, whatnot.)
Overall, it seems to me that Bar Keepers Friend
What do you think of Barkeeper's Friend?
Does it belong in the Green Cleaner's repertoire?
Note: I'm not a licensed anything! So definitely use your own judgment about Barkeeper's Friend, and you use it at your own risk!
P.S. Affiliate links are contained in this post. :) Feel free to support us while you shop.
Does it belong in the Green Cleaner's repertoire?
Note: I'm not a licensed anything! So definitely use your own judgment about Barkeeper's Friend, and you use it at your own risk!
P.S. Affiliate links are contained in this post. :) Feel free to support us while you shop.
Comments
And I love Bar Keeper's Friend. I use it to clean my flat-top stove.
http://www.amazon.com/Faultless-Starch-04403-Bon-Cleanser/dp/B000RPXJ8S/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1334972924&sr=8-2
WAIT! There's more! WIthing the 2nd day after usuage, both hands and feet turned very red, irritated, burned, hurt, and skin began to peel. 1 week after the use, I was diagnosed by both my Primary Care Dr (for nearly 20 years) and a leading Dermatologist with severe 1st Degree Chemical burns on both hands and both feet, followed by a subsequent diagnosis of "permanent dermatitis" because it damaged the cells in the epidermal layers of my skin. I literally 3-4 layers of skin on my palms of feet and hands, around fingers, etc, with burning, bleeding, oozing hands. Also lost some feelingin hands. Feeling in hands returned but as of now (almost 4 yrs). I have recurring issues with hands peeling I never had before...
WAIT, THERE IS STILL MORE... After a couple weeks after usage, I started feeling ill, uncomfortable,etc. at week 3-4, I had a severe panic/anxiety attack plus periods of dizziness. Once rushed to the ER for what I thought was a stroke or heart attack.. Subsequent Primary Care Dr Visits, Dermatology visits, Urological Dr Visits led to visit to an ENT specialist for the Dizziness. I was put on Anti-anxiety medications, then was reviewed by the ENT Dr for the Dizziness. Outcome was not ear problems, but Central Nervous system dysfunction causing the dizziness.. this lead to Neurological exams that reveal toxic chemical poisoning. End results. recurring skin problems, recurring anxiety/tremor issues, dizziness..now in year three and nearing year four after the exposure.
Oxaclic Acid dihydrate is classified as a Caustic Substance, Toxic and falls within the Code of Federal Regulations as a "POISON" as the product labeling should containt "POISON" along withthe list of warnings you find on the company's Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS)< yet they fail to warn you of. The company was notified of the issue and changed their website after we advised them of the issues, cleaning up their prior statements the BKF was a Safe product containing no "hazardous materials". That statement was incorrect because Oxalic Acid is a hazardous material. They also relabeled their can in early 2012 to include the additional prolonged use skin irritation warning...too late for me of course.
So.. I would highly recommend everyone use gloves, no matter how long you use this product.
Bon Ami is not oxalic acid. It is diatomaceous earth and has the same composition as chalk. It works for scratch free cleaning, but has none of the chemical interaction that characterizes BKF. Different animal, altogether.
Bon Ami formulas change according to which Bon Ami you buy.
I use Bon Ami (1886 formula) to clean my "Emril" stainless cookware, my stainless cup, and my stainless sink. It works great!
I use Bar Keeper's Friend for different heavy cleaning such as the tub and shower.
I do not use Comet or Ajax anywhere.
Here's a nice tip: it cleans blackened copper in about 10 seconds, just sprinkle it on and let it work with a sponge and a little water. Probably 10 times faster and easier than anything else.
It was only after years of this that I tried BKF on my all-glad stainless cookware. Highly recommended for this also. I haven't been using gloves for this, but my exposure has been very limited in the kitchen.
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