Bar Keepers Friend Explained

Bar Keepers Friend
Producttype:Powdered cleaning agent, liquid and spray cleansers
Currentowner:SerVaas Laboratories, Inc. (1957–present)
Producedby:SerVaas Laboratories, Inc.
Country:United States
Introduced:1882
Markets:United States, Canada, United Kingdom[1]
Previous Owners:George William Hoffman, The Walter W. Miller Co., Gisler Polish Corp.-->

Bar Keepers Friend is an American brand of mass-produced cleaning agents. The original canned scouring powder product has been manufactured and sold since 1882.[2] It was invented by a chemist in Indianapolis, Indiana, where it continues to be manufactured by SerVaas Laboratories.[3] [4] The canned product's primary active ingredient is oxalic acid. Bar Keepers Friend has various cleaning uses.

Overview

Bar Keepers Friend was originally manufactured in 1882 as a cleaning agent in powdered form. This formulation is still manufactured today. It was invented by chemist George William Hoffman in Indianapolis, Indiana. The product was originally sold to bars in Indianapolis and Hoffman asserted in a patent application that the name had been used since January, 1887.[5] [6] The formula contains oxalic acid as a primary ingredient.[7] [8]

The Bar Keepers Friend logo represents the swinging doors of a saloon.[9] According to the president of SerVaas Laboratories, Paul SerVaas, although some people complained during Prohibition, "the name was never changed. It's been Bar Keepers Friend since 1882".

In the 1950s the product became the base of a line of cleaning products made by Indianapolis-based SerVaas Laboratories,[10] which started producing and carrying products under the Bar Keepers Friend brand name. Additional products manufactured and marketed under the Bar Keepers Friend brand name include liquid, cream and spray cleaners.[11] [12] SerVaas Laboratories had 40 employees in May 2011 and 54 in April 2016.

Bar Keepers Friend was referenced in season 2, episode 1 of Emmy-nominated series, “The Bear” in reference to a significant deep clean of restaurant pans, to be done instead of replacing them. (See The Bear S2 E1, 9:58)

Production

Bar Keepers Friend products are mass-produced in a manufacturing environment that has significant automation in the process. The powdered and canned (original) product is formulated in separate two-ton batches during the production process. In September 2016, the canned powdered product was manufactured at a rate of approximately 60,000 cans per day, which are packaged in 12, 15 and 21 ounce cans.

Active ingredients

According to the 2015 material safety data sheet (MSDS), the ingredients are feldspar, linear sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (DDBSA) and oxalic acid.[13] The 2020 MSDS now gives the abrasive as glass oxide CAS 65997–17–3, although this could still cover natural feldspars.[14]

Prolonged use and extended skin contact may cause irritation,[13] peeling and contact dermatitis, which is avoided by wearing gloves. The product can also be an eye irritant.[13]

Performance and uses

In 1994, Consumer Reports found Bar Keepers Friend to perform on a par with Mr. Clean for removing baked-on soil, tea stains and other pot stains, and that it was better at removing rust.[15] While recommending Bar Keepers Friend for a variety of household cleaning uses, author Heather Solos warned that it should not be used to clean silverware, pewter or real marble.[16]

The product serves to make stainless steel resistant to oxidation via the process of passivation and can remove rust on stainless steel.[17] The product can also remove small scratches from stainless steel,[18] silver and plates.[19]

Uses of Bar Keepers Friend that are not noted on its label include removing hard water stains from glass and windows[20] and removing the brown or yellow stains caused by sunscreen containing avobenzone.[21] The product can also clean teak wood and bleaches it.[22] [23]

See also

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: November 1, 2012 . Bar Keepers Friend back to clean up UK . February 28, 2017 . The Grocer.
  2. Web site: Reynolds . Pat . September 16, 2016 . Accuracy improved in auger filling . February 28, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170107120626/https://www.packworld.com/machinery/fillingsealing/accuracy-improved-auger-filling . 2017-01-07 . dead . Packaging World.
  3. Web site: April 18, 2016 . Maker of Indy mainstay Bar Keepers Friend plans expansion . February 28, 2017 . Indianapolis Business Journal.
  4. Web site: The Bar Keepers Friend Story . July 6, 2012 . Barkeepersfriend.com.
  5. News: 2014-05-04 . Sunday Adverts: George William Hoffman Co. (Bar-Keepers' Friend) . Historic Indianapolis . 2017-04-25.
  6. Book: Official Gazette of the United States Patent Office . 1889 . 49 . 1849 . 2015-03-30 . 13.
  7. Web site: Hunt, Mary . February 10, 2016 . Mary Hunt: Three generic cleaners same as brand names but cheaper . February 28, 2017 . Herald-Review.
  8. Book: Wiseman, G. . Nutrition and Health . Taylor & Francis . 2002 . 978-0-415-27875-1 . 67 . February 28, 2017.
  9. Web site: February 28, 2017 . About Us . February 28, 2017 . Bar Keepers Friend.
  10. News: Bar Keepers Friend parent lands new headquarters. May 12, 2011 . . July 6, 2012 . Schouten, Cory.
  11. Web site: The Good Housekeeping Institute . Bar Keepers Friend Cooktop Cleaner Review . Good Housekeeping . March 20, 2013 . February 28, 2017.
  12. Web site: Our Cleaning Products . Bar Keepers Friend . February 28, 2017 . February 28, 2017.
  13. Web site: Safety Data Sheet . Servaas Laboratories . December 2015 . December 22, 2016.
  14. Web site: Safety Data Sheet . Servaas Laboratories . December 2015 . December 22, 2016.
  15. Web site: Bar Keepers Friend. | Science & Technology > Chemistry from AllBusiness.com. October 14, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20101014170002/http://www.allbusiness.com/north-america/united-states-indiana/435939-1.html. 2010-10-14.
  16. Web site: 7 Places To Use Bar Keepers Friend - Home-Ec 101. February 18, 2009.
  17. Book: Schaefer, M. . The Homebrewer's Handbook: An Illustrated Beginner's Guide . Skyhorse Publishing . 2014 . 978-1-62914-989-9 . pt145.
  18. Book: Dominguez, J.M. . The Holy Grail Maintenance: Maintenance Reference Guide . Page Publishing . 2015 . 978-1-68139-095-6 . pt191-192.
  19. Book: Custer, D. . Food Styling: The Art of Preparing Food for the Camera . John Wiley & Sons . 2010 . 978-0-470-08019-1 . February 28, 2017.
  20. Web site: Romero . Cristel . 7 products to make cleaning your home quick and easy . Las Vegas Review-Journal . August 13, 2015 . February 28, 2017.
  21. Web site: 2023-03-03 . Juniper Hill Cleaners, Lexington's Premier Residential Cleaning Services Solution Say Goodbye to Sunscreen Stains: The Magic of Bar Keeper's Friend - Juniper Hill Cleaners, Lexington's Premier Residential Cleaning Services Solution . 2024-03-10 . en-US.
  22. Book: Badham . M. . Robinson . R. . Badham . M. . Sailors' Secrets . McGraw-Hill Education . 1999 . 978-0-07-134869-0 . 56.
  23. Book: Unger . B. . Sovchen . D. . Absolute power trip: lifestyle guide for women boaters . Greenleaf Enterprises . 1999 . 978-0-9665319-4-7 . 57.