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Bar Keepers Friend is a real classic. Your grandmother may even have kept it in her cleaning cupboard. It’s a mild scouring powder that has been produced in the US for almost 140 years!
While the manufacturing company, SerVaas, has since extended the range, Bar Keepers Friend remains the flagship product.
Of course, this means that many households have come to rely on it as part of their regular cleaning schedule. If it’s not on the shelf, this may create a minor panic!
Everyone finds neat and spotlessly clean surroundings attractive and soothing. Whether it’s your home, office, medical facility, or school, it must be kept clean and hygienic.
Of course, the process you go through to get it that way might not be that entertaining, but the results are quite satisfying, especially if you use an effective product. Imagine what our lives would be like without these modern cleaning agents!
When it comes to perfect cleaning agents, Bar Keepers Friend (BKF) remains, in many people’s opinion, the best one.
Because it’s so popular, though, there will likely be occasions when you get an “out of stock” sign on the empty supermarket shelf space.
Hence, this article. Many people search online for Bar Keepers Friend alternatives to tide them over until new stock comes in.
Common Uses for Bar Keepers Friend
No kitchen looks attractive without gleaming cookware and sparkling glassware. This product is great for removing all that burnt-on crusting on your pots and pans.
It also eliminates any marks and blotches on your glasses without scratching them, leaving them shining like new. Use it to clean your stovetop.
Remove tea stains from inside cups you forgot to rinse immediately and small scratches from dinner plates.
Moving out of the kitchen into the bathroom, you can use BKF to get your shower door sparkling, remove stains from toilet bowls and basins, and get that tide mark off the bath.
It removes mineral deposits on windows left from the evaporation of hard water.
There are many more uses for this fabulous product, but we won’t discuss them all here. It’s safe to say, though, that if this product is out of stock, you’ll be a little stuck.
That’s why we’ve provided you with some suitable alternatives in this article. Just keep reading to find our top 4 Best Bar Keepers alternatives.
Can I Replace Bar Keepers Friend with Other Brands?
It is safe to say that Bar Keepers Friend is an irreplaceable brand. Finding alternatives might be tricky sometimes. But there are a few “no name brands” that might fit the bill.
Please read the labels to find ones that contain oxalic acid as their main ingredient, as this is the active ingredient in BKF.
Bar Keepers Friend Alternative
Some cleaning-friendly and readily available alternatives of Bar Keepers Friend are:
1. Bon Ami — our number one choice!
Four years after the arrival of Bar Keepers Friend on the market, Bon Ami was brought into the cleaning world in 1886. Bon Ami also offers a range of nontoxic household cleaning agents that work exceptionally well.
Bon Ami is a similar product to BKF, but it’s made with different ingredients. While the main ingredient in BKF is oxalic acid, Bon Ami uses mild mineral abrasives like feldspar and limestone, among others, to help with your cleaning issues.
It is slightly less abrasive than BKF, so it is not as good for those difficult-to-clean items like burnt pots. However, it works as an acceptable substitute for glassware, bathroom fittings, and so on.
The best thing is it should be relatively easy to find in your local grocery store at a reasonable price.
Just like Bar Keepers Friend, Bon Ami offers all-purpose cleaning from your kitchen to bathrooms. Your sinks, tiles, countertops, and mirrors are all safe with effortless-use Bon Ami products.
2. Professional Brewers Wash
If, unfortunately, you are out of Bon Ami as well. Then, Professional Brewers Wash can do pretty much the same job.
It’s an alkali cleaner used a lot in breweries in the US to clean equipment such as fermenters and tanks, but it’s great for home use.
This products’ cleaning properties resemble Bar Keepers Friend products to an acceptable extent, so you can safely stock it as a workable alternative for Bar Keepers Friend.
It’s a little less harsh on the skin, too, so maybe more suitable for those with allergies and skin conditions.
3. Super Washing Soda
Are you an environmentally conscious person who would prefer to replace the inorganic chemicals of Bar Keepers Friend with organic cleaning substances?
Super Washing Soda is the one for you, then. The cleaning capabilities of washing soda are adequate for household use, and as a bonus, it removes odors from your refrigerator.
You can use it in your laundry too. The product is free of fragrances and uses plastic-free packaging. Good for your family and the environment.
4. Homemade Cleaning Powder
Here’s an alternative for those who can’t get to the store or prefer to make their own cleaning products. Make your own Bar Keepers Friend substitute with ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen.
A mixture of 1 cup of baking soda, half a cup of salt, and a few drops of essential oil for fragrance will be your new best friend. Alternatively, use a mixture of 1 cup of baking soda and 2 tablespoons of borax. Add essential oil if you like.
Final Words
Unique brands like Bar Keepers Friend might not have exactly cloned alternatives. However, we can vouch for the other options mentioned above, especially Bon Ami. Happy cleaning!