Barkeeper’s Friend Powdered Cleanser
Think of Barkeeper’s Friend as a polish for maintaining and restoring surfaces rather than as a cleaner. Comet–which contains bleach–is a better option for routine cleaning and scrubbing, as it also disinfects. Barkeeper’s Friend is the best solution I have found for actually removing surface stains (something that Comet does not do very well) from ceramic and stainless steel surfaces without scratching.
This product is available as the original powdered cleanser in a shaker can or a premixed formula in a plastic bottle. I have used both, but I prefer the powder because you can make a thicker slurry paste if necessary.
I used Barkeeper’s Friend at least once a week in the kitchen. Even with a water softener, we still get light scale and mineral deposits on our faucets from our well water. A light scrubbing with Barkeeper’s Friend removes the build-up and restores their luster. I have used this product to remove years of hard water stains from white ceramic sink basins that I thought would be impossible to remove.
I will be a customer for life because of the time this stuff saves me, especially in the kitchen. While I mostly cook with cast iron these days, we still have a nice set of stainless steel Calphalon pots and pans that we received as a wedding gift. This cleanser makes short work of that thin layer of gunk that remains even after soaking for hours that the dishwasher can’t remove. How many of us can relate to wanting to make something delicious in the slow cooker but at the same time abhorring the thought of having to clean it? Soak it for a few hours then scour it with Barkeeper’s Friend–problem solved.
While I mostly use this in the kitchen and bathroom, I think you’ll find more and more uses for this product the longer you use it. I have been using it outdoors and in my shop lately, including brightening up our exterior light fixtures and cleaning up the working surface of my wet tile saw after finishing a project.
Most chrome finishes such as faucets should be fine, but be careful when using this on inlaid lettering such as the blue/red color gradient overlay on the shower handle. I wasn’t paying attention and accidentally scrubbed off some of the color on mine.