6 things to do with Bon Ami

Bon Ami have made their natural cleaning mineral powder since 1886, and it's still so popular in the USA today that Martha Stewart has endorsed it. It's 'Good Thing' approved by Martha, calling it a best in class in chemical free cleaning products. Martha uses it to clean her cookware, kitchen and bathroom surfaces.

ONE - clean stains from your bathtub

1. Mix some Bon Ami powder and a little water to form a thick paste.
2. Apply paste to the stain and allow it to dry for 30 minutes.
3. Gently polish off with a damp sponge.
4. Rinse with warm water

TWO - remove grey scuff marks from your dishes

Go to any kitchen cupboard and if there's a stack of plates and there's a couple at the bottom that rarely get used, you'll notice they look completely different to the rest. You end up with scuff marks on plates from your cutlery. If you think they're permanent, think again. Most of the marks are scuff marks from your stainless steel cutlery, and these marks won't disappear in the dishwasher, whether you're using a commercial dishwasher powder or a natural dishwasher tablets. They will, however, be significantly improved by using Bon Ami.

The following is a test done by Joanne in her own kitchen. These are straight out of the phone, no filters, no editing whatsoever, iPhone photos, no tricky lighting or photo studio for these. The plate is from the Gordon Ramsay Maze Dinner Set and it's the same plate in every photograph.

As you can see, there's a significant improvement. They're not completely gone, but some more effort with a scourer and some time would improve the results.

All we used was a small pile of Bon Ami powder and one of our biodegradable dish cloths from The Happy Sparrow and some water.

After we were half way through just cleaning one side, we wanted to show you the difference on the same plate in the same photo and to show you the marks on the underside of the cloth.

For a really thorough clean, if there are more marks left than you'd like, make a paste and let it sit. I was a little too impatient to leave it for 30 minutes, but you'll get a superior result if you do.

THREE - stubborn stains from inside your microwave

You can get your microwave looking like this again with some Bon Ami. If you have left yours far too long in between cleans, sauces and wet foods that splash become caked on and difficult to clean off.

1. Pre-clean, put a bowl of water in the microwave and squeeze some lemon in and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Better still, a glass jug with a handle if you have one.
2. Leave it in the microwave for 2 more minutes before opening the door to allow the steam to work its magic.
3. Remove the bowl / jug carefully. It's really hot.
4. Remove the spinning plate and wipe down with a wet sponge and Bon Ami.
5. Sprinkle more Bon Ami on to your damp sponge and wipe in a circular motion.
6. Repeat until clean.
7. Rinse all the powder out of your cloth and wipe clean until there's no more powder residue.
8. Put the glass plate back inside.

FOUR - cleaning a glass top stove

1. Wipe down with a damp cloth.
2. Sprinkle Bon Ami powder on to the glass.
3. Gently rub until the rubbing feels smooth.
4. Completely rinse off.
5. Dry off with a dry cloth to avoid streak marks.

It is not advised to leave this to soak on glass. Start the job, clean immediately and remove all residue.

FIVE - stainless steel cleaner

Martha Stewart cleans her pots with it and you can too. Use it to scrub stainless steel pots and baking trays. You can also use it to clean your tapware in the kitchen and bathroom. Simply sprinkle Bon Ami on to a damp sponge and polish until clean. Rinse off with a clean cloth and buff dry to avoid streaking.

SIX - polish rocks and gems

We have had customers travel from Sydney by train to visit us to buy Bon Ami for this reason. Many people who polish up rocks and gems use this mild abrasive cleaner in their tumblers or in the final stages of hand polishing.