The Magic Sponge - Guide

[Lowiepete]

What Is It?

The "magic sponge" aka the "magic eraser". These can be fully branded from a
range of suppliers, or bought by the ten or hundred from the Far East via eBay.



What Does It Bring to the Table?

From Wikipedia

In the early 21st century it was discovered that melamine foam is an effective
abrasive cleaner. The open-cell foam is microporous and its polymeric substance is very
hard, so that when used for cleaning it works like extremely fine sandpaper, getting into
tiny grooves and pits in the object being cleaned. On a larger scale the material feels
soft. Because the reticulated foam bubbles interconnect, its structure is a 3D network of
very hard strands, when compared to the array of separate bubbles in a material such
as styrofoam.

Rubbing with a slightly moistened foam may remove otherwise "uncleanable" external
markings from surfaces. For example, melamine foam can remove crayon, magic marker,
and grease from painted walls and wood finishings, plastic-adhering paints from treated
wooden tables, and adhesive residue and grime from hubcaps. If the surface being
cleaned is not sufficiently hard, it may be finely scratched by the melamine material. The
foam wears away, rather like a pencil eraser, leaving behind a slight residue which can
be rinsed off.

These small chunks of melamine foam bring a simple and reasonably eco method of
cleaning, using nothing more than the sponge and some warm water.

They will clean...

• hard plastics back to as clean as they left the factory
• light oxidisation from plastic headlamp faces
• vinyl roofs
• vinyl seats and vinyl coated surfaces
• treated fabrics like tonneau covers
• rubber trim, hoses and tyres
• paint scuffs from minor bumps
• glass
• dead wax from corners and crevices
• stubborn bug remains

I doubt that the list above is complete. I keep finding various uses when other
approaches fail. I should add that very little force is either needed or advocated.
The pads are abrasive, so if in doubt, go very gently!

What Am I Testing It On?

Various vehicles, mostly on hard plastics and vinyl.

What Do I Think Of It?

Really, just as their title, little pieces of magic. I was first introduced to them
when I was invited to clean the rear trim below the bumper on my car as Matt
and Lee completed their marathon partial damp-sand compounding. I now buy
them by the pack of 100. Why? Mostly because as you clean, so the sponge is
abraded away, almost to the point of disappearance.

Going back to the black trim on my car, I was amazed at just how clean it came
up. Renault plastics are not renown for looking tidy for very long so I followed
the example by using the sponges on my local test mule. It's a black 2009 Mégane
Coupé with notoriously difficult plastic parts that can instantly make it look a
tad neglected. Just a shower later...

So, here's a sort of 50/50 of me cleaning the rear bumper with a magic sponge...



I'm pretty amazed at how clean I can get it. At this point there is no potion
on it as protection...



The distinctive aluminium bits and the plastic insert at the front are clearly in
need of some cleaning attention. The stain on the latter has been there for as
long as I can remember!



That's a bit better, eh?



Flushed with success on the plastics so far, I set about the side strips on the
off-side. Here's a sequence showing my progress...









Whilst working on a 1964 Gordon Keeble recently, the owner tells me he's going
"to fetch his stuff" for the red vinyl roof. "But, aren't you going to clean it
first?", I rejoinder. "Well," with a sigh, "I'll just use my usual stuff".
"But, aren't you going to clean it first?" I enquire once more...

"You've got something, haven't you?" - "I have", I say as I hand him a magic
sponge. "You'll need that and a cupful of warm water". I wish I'd taken a
photo of his mixed expressions of disbelief and mild confusion. Dampened
sponge in hand and a few gentle scrubs later, I hear "Would you look at that!,
it's unbelievable!"

This is what was revealed...





As we were working in the sun, the cleaned surface was immediately treated with
some leather cream. It's worth noting that all traces of any previous protection
were entirely removed. The satisfaction of having a red roof once more was very
rewarding for the owner. For me, easily getting rid of those dark patches was
the key part of this process.











Sorry about the number of pictures, but they do illustrate the cleaning power of
these sponges.

Pros

Just a simple piece of 21stC technology. So simple, it works best with plain water.
If you are attempting to remove residues of anything potentially toxic, then
protective gloves should be worn.

On 1980s plastics I would avoid any cleaning potion that contains D-limonene.
That includes things like washing-up liquid! So, by using plain water you have
a method of cleaning that will not affect the integrity of the plastics.

Cons

They can disappear when being abraded by surface dirt, though at about 2 or 3p
a sponge, it isn't such a big deal.



Note:
I would not advocate their use on treated leather. At all times, my cleaning
methods are gentle, and using these sponges presents no exception to that.

Conclusions

Having used these on several cars now, I'd not be without them in my cleaning
armoury. As I only work by hand, I have avoided using them directly on paint,
with one or two exceptions. These are very good at removing the horrid white
traces of polishes or waxes from where plastics meet paint. I also gave them a
gentle go on a VW Beetle which had a small scuff on one wing. It was very
successful at removing most of the visible damage, though without access or
use of a machine my efforts were very tentative.

The key to success is to use the sponges well dampened and to squeeze out the
dirt that's removed fairly frequently. If there's any risk of water-spotting, then
maybe use a watered down QD, but just plain water works equally well.

The main point of using them is that they clean the surface so well with just plain
water and with so little effort, there's bound to be a better bond and outcome for
whatever protective potion that follows. This was particularly marked on hard
plastics like unpainted bumpers and door inserts.

Regards,
Steve

[Trevhib]

Detailing section is a good addition and these reviews are excellent.

Is there any indication as to how these sponges work? Are they non-toxic (i.e. safe) and usable without gloves?

Edit - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melamine_foam

Interesting:

In the early 21st century it was discovered that melamine foam is an effective abrasive cleaner. The open-cell foam is microporous and its polymeric substance is very hard, so that when used for cleaning it works like extremely fine sandpaper, getting into tiny grooves and pits in the object being cleaned. On a larger scale the material feels soft. Because the reticulated foam bubbles interconnect, its structure is a 3D network of very hard strands, when compared to the array of separate bubbles in a material such as styrofoam.

Rubbing with a slightly moistened foam may remove otherwise "uncleanable" external markings from surfaces. For example, melamine foam can remove crayon, magic marker, and grease from painted walls and wood finishings, plastic-adhering paints from treated wooden tables, and adhesive residue and grime from hubcaps. If the surface being cleaned is not sufficiently hard, it may be finely scratched by the melamine material. The foam wears away, rather like a pencil eraser, leaving behind a slight residue which can be rinsed off.

[R5MJH]

trevor your not ment to post on articles ill have to change settings then delete this