A " Mr. Clean Magic Eraser" brand sponge, made from melamine foam Melamine foam is a

foam Foams are two-phase materials science, material systems where a gas is dispersed in a second, non-gaseous material, specifically, in which gas cells are enclosed by a distinct liquid or solid material. Note, this source focuses only on liquid ...

-like material consisting of a melamine-formaldehyde condensate. It is the active component of a number of abrasive cleaner sponges, notably the Magic Eraser. It is also used as

thermal insulation Thermal insulation is the reduction of heat transfer (i.e., the transfer of thermal energy between objects of differing temperature) between objects in thermal contact or in range of radiative influence. Thermal insulation can be achieved with s ...

and as a

soundproofing Soundproofing is any means of impeding sound propagation. There are several methods employed including increasing the distance between the source and receiver, decoupling, using noise barriers to reflect or absorb the energy of the sound waves, ...

material.

Properties

The open-cell foam is

microporous A microporous material is a material containing pores with typical sizes less than 2 nm in diameter. Microporous materials, like mesoporous materials, are a subset of nanoporous materials. Examples of microporous materials include zeolites and ...

and its polymeric substance is very hard, so that when used for cleaning it works like extremely fine

sandpaper upright=1.35, Sheets of sandpaper with different grit sizes (40 (coarse), 80, 150, 240, 600 (fine)) Sandpaper, also known as coated abrasive or emery paper, is a type of material that consists of sheets of paper or cloth with an abrasive substa ...

, getting into tiny grooves and pits in the object being cleaned. On a larger scale, the material feels soft because the

reticulated foam Reticulated foam is a very porosity, porous, low-density solid foam. 'Reticulated' means like a net (device), net. Reticulated foams are extremely open foams i.e. there are few, if any, intact bubbles or cell windows. In contrast, the foam formed b ...

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 Styrofoam is a brand of closed-cell extruded polystyrene foam (XPS), manufactured to provide continuous building insulation board used in walls, roofs, and foundations as thermal insulation and as a water barrier. This material is light blue in ...

. Being microporous, it also effectively absorbs sound waves. Being open-cell, it entrains countless air bubbles, giving it low thermal conductivity and thereby making it an effective insulator.

Cleaning

In the early 21st century, it was discovered that melamine foam is an effective

abrasive An abrasive is a material, often a mineral, that is used to shape or finish a workpiece through rubbing which leads to part of the workpiece being worn away by friction. While finishing a material often means polishing it to gain a smooth, reflec ...

cleaner. Rubbing with a slightly moistened foam may remove otherwise "uncleanable" external markings from surfaces. For example, melamine foam can remove

crayon A crayon (or wax pastel) is a stick of pigmented wax used for writing or drawing. Wax crayons differ from pastels, in which the pigment is mixed with a dry binder (material), binder such as gum arabic, and from oil pastels, where the binder is a ...

marker pen A marker pen, fine liner, marking pen, felt-tip pen, felt pen, flow marker, sign pen (in South Korea), vivid (in New Zealand), flomaster (in East Slavs, East and South Slavs, South Slavic countries), texta (in Australia), sketch pen (in South ...

, and grease from painted walls and wood finishings, plastic-adhering paints from treated wooden tables, and adhesive residue and grime from

hubcap A hubcap or hub cap is a decorative disk on an automobile wheel that covers at minimum the central portion of the wheel, called the hub. An automobile hubcap is used to cover the wheel hub and the wheel fasteners to reduce the accumulation of ...

s. If the surface being cleaned is not sufficiently hard, it may be finely scratched by the melamine material. Similarly to a pencil

eraser An eraser (also known as a rubber in some Commonwealth countries, including South Africa from which the material first used got its name) is an article of stationery that is used for removing marks from paper or skin (e.g. parchment or vellu ...

, the foam wears away during use, leaving behind a slight residue which can be rinsed off.

Other uses

Naturally lightweight, melamine foam is also used as

insulation Insulation may refer to: Thermal * Thermal insulation, use of materials to reduce rates of heat transfer ** List of insulation materials ** Building insulation, thermal insulation added to buildings for comfort and energy efficiency *** Insulated ...

for pipes and

ductwork Ducts are conduits or passages used in heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) to deliver and remove air. The needed airflows include, for example, ''supply air'', ''return air'', and ''exhaust air''. Ducts commonly also deliver '' ve ...

, and as a soundproofing material for studios,

sound stage A sound stage (also written soundstage) is a large, soundproof structure, building or room with large doors and high ceilings, used for the production of theatrical film-making and television productions, usually located on a secured movie or te ...

s, auditoriums, and the like. One advantage of melamine foam over other soundproofing materials is that it's considered not flammable. Melamine foam’s fire rating is Class A/Class 1 in the United States and ULCS-102 for Canada. If heated to , the foam shrinks, and collapses. These properties suit it as the main sound and thermal insulation material for

Shinkansen The , colloquially known in English as the bullet train, is a network of high-speed railway lines in Japan. It was initially built to connect distant Japanese regions with Tokyo, the capital, to aid economic growth and development. Beyond lon ...

bullet trains.

Environmental impact

Recent research has highlighted that melamine sponges contribute significantly to microplastic pollution. A study published in ''Environmental Science & Technology'' found that these sponges release over a trillion microplastic fibers globally each month due to wear and tear. These fibers can contaminate water systems and enter the food chain, posing environmental risks. The study suggests that making denser sponges and using alternative cleaning methods could mitigate this issue.

References

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External links

BASF Story about Mr. Clean Magic Eraser

Basotect

VIXUM

Dangerous Chemicals in Mr. Clean Magic Eraser

Snopes.com ''Snopes'' (), formerly known as the ''Urban Legends Reference Pages'', is a fact-checking website. It has been described as a "well-regarded reference for sorting out myths and rumors" on the Internet. The site has also been seen as a source ...

article debunking rumour about supposed dangerous chemicals in Magic Eraser Cleaning tools BASF Insulators Artificial materials Abrasives