Products We Love: Bon Ami Powder Cleanser

Here at Hello Charlie, we’re all about discovering and sharing the best and freshest innovations in the world of eco living. But there’s also something to be said about the old school products that have been low key “green” long before green living was even a thing.

The Bon Ami Natural Home Powder Cleanser is one of these.

You see, Bon Ami has been a household cleaning staple for more than 150 years, but it can still compete with its more modern counterparts in eco friendly cleaning. This green cleaner isn’t exactly exciting or flashy, nor is it knocking you over the head with words like “nontoxic” or “eco friendly.” It’s just a simple cleaning product that gets the job done while helping you minimise your eco footprint. 

What are some of the Bon Ami cleanser uses?

Since 1886, people have been using Bon Ami Powder Cleanser on their tubs, sinks, toilets, tiles, stoves, ovens, cookware, bakeware, dishes, and wood furniture.

It effectively removes grease splatters, baked on food, soap scum, water stains, deep seated grout stains, mould, smudges on woodwork, scratch marks on china, rust stains, and other messes.

Bon Ami gets food residue off most countertops without scratching the material. It absorbs odours from pots and pans. It’s tough on soil and smudge marks on outdoor furniture. It removes scuff marks from floors. And because there’s no dye, you can even use it to get crayon marks and fingerprints off your white walls.

What are the Bon Ami cleanser ingredients?

From the beginning, Bon Ami has stayed true to their name, choosing their commitment to people and the environment instead of caving to the pressure to use chemical additives — even when everyone else was. To this day, the original formula still has just 5 simple ingredients: limestone, feldspar, biodegradable cleaning agents (alkyl polyglucoside), soda ash, and sodium bicarbonate.

Unlike most mainstream powder cleaners, there’s absolutely no nasties in Bon Ami. No perfumes, dyes, chlorine bleach, and anything that can make you, your family, or nature sick.

Bon Ami is biodegradable (great for the planet) and hypoallergenic (great for people with allergies). It’s safe enough for children to use, especially if yours have started taking on some of the chores. All Bon Ami packaging comes from recycled paper and bottles.

The Bon Ami Natural Home Powder Cleanser has an A+ rating from EWG, which means it’s “of lowest concern” and has “good ingredient disclosure” with “few or zero known and suspected health and environmental hazards.”

How to use Bon Ami Cleaning Powder

Lightly wet the surface you want to clean. Next, sprinkle Bon Ami all purpose cleaner and rub it in with a wet cloth or sponge. Rinse off a couple of times. Don’t use hot water when rinsing, as this will only separate the powder and create more residue to rinse off.

Bon Ami is not intended for glass, mirrors, brushed stainless steel appliances, and lacquered surfaces. So if you’re unsure if the powder is too abrasive for a particular surface, test first on an inconspicuous area.

Lastly, don’t use too much powder. A little gets a lot done!

If you’ve sworn off bleach and other harsh chemical cleaning products, as we have, we highly recommend Bon Ami. You can get it right here at Hello Charlie. This is really good stuff that perfectly balances effectiveness, affordability, and safety. Give it a go!