Mr. Clean Magic Eraser

[fnord]

I just used a Magic Eraser for the first time and I must be doing something wrong.
I wet down the sponge and stem, started scrubbing and the Magic Eraser began to crumble. The pad tore in several places and as I scrubbed little pieces started breaking off the pad.
Look, I'm no man-ape and the pressure I was applying was, at best, moderate. Are they supposed to come apart like that or did I end up with a faulty pad? (The stem wasn't rough or jagged either. It had a couple of saliva stains that I wanted to remove.)
Any ideas?

 

[fnord]

The pad was thoroughly wet, pal.
Here's a pix:

 

[dlattim]

I've had the same problem fnord. I guess we're just stronger than we think. When I try to lighten up my touch a bit I get no results. Now I just use Murphy's Oil soap and a dish rag. Then I use a wet dish rag with no soap to remove the soap. Works for me.

 

[tbradsim1]

Try a little liquid soap with it, does the same to me. The old cajun

 

[fnord]

Jinx, Brad.
Just sent you a PM requesting your Mark IV eyeballs on this post.

 

[mountainman]

it is normal for Magic Erase pads to disintegrate when you use them.

 

[spartan]

That's supposed to happen....

 

[austinxpipe]

I was wondering the same thing the other day. Mine always fall apart as well. Far worse than pictured, actually.

 

[hfearly]

Make sure to squish the wet Magic Eraser a couple of times - there are little cleaning compound balls inside that you need to break up and activate. It will start to foam on the outside - then it's good to go. Otherwise the stuff starts crumbling like nuts.
Also I like using the "Kitchen" and the "Bath" Magic Erasers for pipe restoration. The "Bath" ones are a lot tougher and last longer, while the "Kitchen" ones have 2 layers with a sturdy foam layer in the middle for scrubbing out edges and nooks.

 

[fnord]

Thanks for the input, guys. I thought I was really screwing the pooch.
Bath or Kitchen it is from now on.
Fnord

 

[nsfisher]

Kitchen and Bath pads are what you want mate. I put about 2 inches of hot tap water in an Ice Cream Container and drop both the stem and the pad in. Let the pad absorb as much water as it will, give it a few squeezes, re wet it and your off to the races. No such thing as too much water at this point. Water is your friend.

 

[gmwolford]

I use the Walmart brand ones and get quite a bit of use from them, usually can do two stems before they disintegrate. But as stayed, they do need to to throughly wet through and then squeezed out a good bit or else they crumble fast and don't "work" as we'll as they should.

 

[dochudson]

I use the extra fine 3M Synthetic Steel Wool Pads and the 3M car polish.