24 Ways You Can Use Magic Erasers (But Aren’t)

For scrubbing walls, there’s nothing better than a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser (which is actually just a melamine sponge, brand names be damned). But these bad boys can do a whole lot more than de-scuff your walls — when Mr. Clean says “magic,” he means it.

A few housekeeping notes, if you’ll forgive the pun: Unless otherwise specified, wet your Magic Erasers before use, as they can be a little abrasive when they aren’t damp, and water is what really activates their cleaning power anyway. You can reuse them, but they will eventually fall apart, so try to buy melamine sponges in bulk instead of over-spending on the name brand option if you need to do a lot of cleaning.

Finally, check out this list of things you should not use a Magic Eraser on. And now, on to the list of things you should absolutely be.

Banish grout

Use melamine pads to get the grout on your tile floors and walls looking good as new.

Spruce up sneakers

Magic Erasers are also a sneakerhead’s best friend: Use them to get dirt and other marks off of your canvas shoes, as well as the rubber soles on all your footwear.

Degrease your computer keyboard

Computer keyboards get nasty because of the skin oils we drag across them all day (plus, if you’re like me, the snack residue) but melamine sponges sop that right up. This has been a Lifehacker staple hack for years.

Fix your landlord’s sins

Have you ever moved into a new apartment and found that your landlord decided to just paint over, like, everything with a thick coat of white? If you need to get dried paint of your door hinges ASAP, scrubbing with a Magic Eraser will do the trick, per SI Parent.

Shine your silver

According to Taste of Home, the trick to battling tarnished silver is just a little date with a wet melamine sponge. Scrub your way to glamour.

Take it outside

Scuffs on the vinyl siding of your home can be tackled with a Magic Eraser, too, according to SI Parent, so the next time your kid’s aim with the football is off, don’t stress it.

Clean mirrors — and prevent fog

When you clean your bathroom mirrors with a melamine sponge, you get a two-for-one deal: You remove streaks in the present and prevent fog in the future, per SI Parent.

Remove sticker residue

Sticker or price-tag residue is no match for a Magic Eraser, according to Apartment Therapy, so feel free to use your pad to take the whole sticker right off.

De-gunk tech

Phone screens get oily from our hands and our faces, but melamine pads soak it right up, according to Apartment Therapy. Be sure yours is wrung out well before smacking it on the phone, so it’s not too wet.

Restore kitchen glory

Splashes inside your microwave or oven lead to dried-on, caked-on messes that can last a long time. A Magic Eraser will remove them in seconds, according to The Maids.

Get ready for summer dining

Plastic outdoor furniture somehow always finds a way to get dirty, even when it’s in storage all winter. Restore it to its former glory with a melamine pad, per The Maids.

Get better hair

Hot tools like flatirons and curling wands get caked in product, especially hairspray, but according to The Maids, all you need is a damp Magic Eraser to get your tools back in pristine condition, which will help your styles form quicker and last longer. (Always remember to unplug the tools before going after them with a wet sponge.)

Banish rust residue

Little spots of rust in the bathroom or garage are annoying, but nothing a Magic Eraser can’t take care of, according to Real Simple.

Whiten your kitchen

Beets, pomegranates, berries, and other kitchen staples leave a staining mess behind in your kitchen. A melamine pad will easily cut through even the worst kitchen stains, says Real Simple.

Make a faucet flashy

Anything that is dried or caked on to a surface in your home can be scrubbed off with a Magic Eraser, but one of the best examples is toothpaste and soap scum. These can make your faucets look dingy and usually take forever to remove with a cloth, but your melamine foam will handle them easily, per Real Simple.

De-scuff your accessories

Scuffed boots? Discolored handbag? Mr. Clean is a fashion icon and his Magic Eraser will restore your accessories. Just patch test on a lesser-seen part of the goods before doing the whole thing, per Real Simple.

Say goodbye to water marks

Whether it’s a ring on the table from your cup of tea or waterline marks around your pool, a Magic Eraser can get rid of water marks for you, says SI Parent.

Tackle fabric stains

You might associate Magic Erasers with hard surfaces, and while they’re great on those, don’t be afraid to use them on fabrics, too. Get stains out of couches and shirts with a wet melamine pad, according to Expert Home Tips.

Pamper your car

We’ve already gone over how great melamine pads are for mirrors, but consider using them on your car’s headlights the next time you wash your vehicle, too. Per Expert Home Tips, this will clean them and prevent fogging.

Master your whiteboard

You know how when you use a whiteboard, the dry-erase markers leave a kind of ghostly impression behind after you erase? Try swapping your regular eraser for a dry Magic Eraser to solve that, according to Expert Home Tips. To remove the lingering stains of messages gone by, use a wet one.

Pad your walls

Cut up a melamine pad and use glue to stick it behind your picture frames, creating a little padding that will prevent bumps and scratches, according to Real Simple.

Refresh your shower curtain

Shower curtains are notoriously hard to clean, but instead of spending a bunch of time wiping yours down with a cloth and cleaning concoction, try your Magic Eraser first. According to Apartment Therapy, mildew on that vinyl curtain won’t stand a chance.

Beautify post-beautifying

Nail polish and hair dye spills are collateral damage when you’re trying to beautify, but according to SI Parent, they don’t need to be permanent reminders that you should have just gone to the salon. A melamine pad can get them off of countertops and even out of carpet.

Get rid of melted plastic

One time, I left a bag of bread on top of the toaster oven while I was toasting. As SI Parent notes, a Magic Eraser will get that melted plastic right off of there. I wish I had known that before I spent a fruitless 20 minutes scrubbing it with an old toothbrush.