Do Cheap Melamine Sponges Work As Well As Mr. Clean Magic Erasers? (Hint: YES!)

Melamine Sponge vs. Magic Eraser

I tested generic melamine sponges next to Magic Erasers on each of the cleaning tasks mentioned below, and the answer is… YES! Because Magic Erasers are melamine sponges!

I still buy Mr. Clean Magic Erasers whenever I find them on sale — because a good deal is a good deal.

But most of the time, I buy generic melamine sponges sold under a variety of different names instead — because they’re so much cheaper.

And since each eraser sponge (from Mr. Clean or anyone else) only lasts a few uses anyway, it’s not a product that I want to spend a lot of money on.

The only downfall is that melamine foam erasers wear out quickly — just like pencil erasers do.

~How Stuff Works

My Experience With Generic Melamine Sponges

I’ve bought storebrand eraser sponges from stores like Walgreens and Home Depot before — and they work just as well as Magic Erasers.

I’ve also bought no-name melamine eraser sponges in bulk from Amazon — and they also work just as well. My two favorite generic melamine sponges on Amazon are:

• Dr. Jieer Melamine Sponges
• Reluen Melamine Sponges

Most recently, I was given a large supply of melamine sponges from SpongeOutlet.com to try.

They, too, work just as well as the official Mr. Clean Magic Erasers. The company says they’re “made of 100% identical material as the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser.” And they do look and clean identically, in my opinion.

From their email to me:

We are a private label distributor of Magic Erasers. Our company buys the same product from Germany as the Mr. Clean Eraser.

~ Sounge Outlet

The Cost: Melamine Sponge vs. Magic Eraser

The best part about the generic melamine foam sponges is they cost SO much less — 3x less!

• The generic melamine sponges from my two favorite Amazon sources (listed above) cost about 24 cents apiece.
• At Sponge Outlet, you can get the basic melamine eraser sponges for as low as 29 cents apiece (and free shipping).
• The lowest price I’ve ever seen Mr. Clean Magic Erasers in stores OR online is 75 cents apiece. That’s a big difference for basically the same product!

Melamine foam is the active component of Procter & Gamble’s product Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, as well as other similar cleaning products … The foam is manufactured in Germany by BASF under the name Basotect. 

~ Wikipedia

How I Use A Melamine Sponge Around The House

My favorite uses for these cleaning blocks change all the time.

These days, I mostly use a melamine foam sponge to:

• Remove dog slobber from window sills – what dog doesn’t like to stare out the window?
• Wipe dirt & grease marks from our white doors – since we use the doors that go to 2 different garages many times each day, this is pretty much an ongoing task
• Clean the white vinyl screen door – the exterior side that leads to the back porch regularly accumulates a lot of dirt and debris
• Remove dirty fingerprints from the white pantry door – that gets used multiple times a day
• Make the see-thru doggie door see-thru again – because it gets used many times each day and accumulates everything from dog slobber and fur to dirt and pollen
• Wipe dust and dirt from white baseboards – especially in the tight corners
• Clean chrome fixtures – they’re great at removing hard water build-up, soap scum, and toothpaste splatter from all of our bathroom sink & shower fixtures
• Remove dirty fingerprints from our white light switches – the ones near the doors and the pantry seem to get the dirtiest

I’ve tested a generic melamine sponge against the original Mr. Clean melamine sponge in each of the above circumstances, and the generic ones do — in fact — clean just as well.

So whether you decide to buy the generic melamine sponges or the original cleaning erasers — they’ll all work great. I say… buy whatever you find that’s a good deal!

You will always find boxes from various brands inside my cleaning supplies cabinet.

My Best Tip!

The truth is… whether you’re using a generic melamine sponge vs. a Magic Eraser, you don’t need to use a “whole sponge” to clean most things.

In fact, I think that would be wasteful — because it actually takes only a very little bit of the melamine foam to do the actual cleaning.

My best tip is to cut each melamine foam sponge into several mini-rectangles. Then, use those very small rectangles for your smaller cleaning projects around the house (like all of those I’ve mentioned above).

That way, you won’t waste a whole sponge on a relatively small task. You’ll get anywhere from 10 to 12 uses from each full-size sponge!

I can count on one hand the number of times that I’ve needed to use a full-size melamine sponge for a cleaning project. (For example, cleaning the messy grates of our grill requires a full-size sponge). I use the smaller portions of melamine sponge almost ALL the time.

In the early 21st century, it was discovered that melamine foam is an effective abrasive cleaner. Rubbing with a slightly moistened foam may remove otherwise “uncleanable” external markings from surfaces. 

~Wikipedia

Clever Uses For A Melamine Sponge

If you like melamine cleaning sponges as much as I do, then you’re going to love these clever and unique ways that I use melamine foam sponges all around my house:

• Creative Uses For Those Household Cleaning Blocks That Truly Work Magic (…The ultimate list of clever uses for Magic Erasers.)
• Even More Unique Uses For Magic Erasers That I’ve Tried (…I’m still adding more clever uses to this list as I discover them.)
• 50+ Creative Uses For A Scrub Daddy Sponge (…Another favorite sponge of mine!)
• Is Melamine Toxic? How Does A Melamine Sponge Work? (…Just the facts.)