What is in magic erasers? (and should you clean your teeth with them?)
Hey. I'm Melissa.
Jam:I'm Jam.
Melissa:And I'm a chemist.
Jam:And I'm not.
Melissa:And welcome to chemistry for your life.
Jam:The podcast that helps you understand the chemistry of your everyday life. And if this is one of your first times listening to us, what we just said is very true. Melissa is an actual chemist.
Melissa:Yes.
Jam:And she has her master's in chemistry.
Melissa:Yep.
Jam:And she's getting her PhD. Yep. And she teaches chemistry right now, and I don't do any of those things.
Melissa:Drew, Jam's degree was in radio, television, and film Yep. Which is the reason for this crystal clear audio quality you're getting right now.
Jam:Yes. On a shoestring budget. And And all my chemistry knowledge is from a class in high school, a class in college, and this podcast.
Melissa:That's right.
Jam:So every week, We do a chemistry lesson where Melissa teaches it to me. Live, you are witnessing it happening.
Melissa:Yes.
Jam:I do not know anything until we press record. And then I have to spit it back to Melissa and try to understand it.
Melissa:It's really pretty fun.
Jam:Yeah. That's why we keep doing it. If it wasn't so fun, it might not have kept happening.
Melissa:It might have quit. Yep. We're a 100 and some odd episodes in.
Jam:Melissa, for some reason, likes teaching chemistry. Yeah.
Melissa:It's weird. Okay, Jim. Are you ready to learn about your topic today?
Jam:I'm very ready.
Melissa:So today's topic was submitted by Instagram user Brianna s.
Jam:Okay.
Melissa:And she asked, what is in those Magic Erasers?
Jam:Like, the little Mr. Clean ones or whatever?
Melissa:Yes.
Jam:And they they use, like, lots of brands that have the same thing now?
Melissa:Yes. Okay.
Jam:Yes. I've used those.
Melissa:Also, Friend in real life, Miriam, asked about the trend on TikTok where they use magic erasers to whiten their teeth.
Jam:Oh, brother.
Melissa:Oh, brother. So we're gonna talk about what's in magic erasers and if it's safe to whiten your teeth with them And Uh-huh. All the other things you use them for because guess what? They're amazing.
Jam:Yeah. They actually are. I've I Remember thinking a little skeptically about their name when I first ever saw them, like, pop up on the commercials or whatever.
Melissa:Yep.
Jam:But When we use them, it was like, oh, these are very magic. Like
Melissa:Yes.
Jam:I I can see why it wasn't just marketing. It's kind of the simplest way to explain how they Do what they do.
Melissa:Well, they're also gonna be a little more magic after this conversation because they're used for a lot of other things besides just cleaning.
Jam:Nice. Okay. I'm interested.
Melissa:Ready to get into it?
Jam:Let's do it.
Melissa:Okay. So for anyone who doesn't know what we're Talking about a magic eraser is literally it looks like a little sponge.
Jam:Mhmm.
Melissa:It's white. It is foamy. Mhmm.
Jam:And
Melissa:you get it wet and then rub it on things, and it seems to magically get rid of stains.
Jam:Yeah. Yeah. And its its texture is Odd. It's like doesn't really feel as spongy even though it does soak up water. Yep.
Jam:It feels way more dense of a foam Yes. Especially once you get it wet. But
Melissa:yeah. So it doesn't actually use magic.
Jam:Okay.
Melissa:What it uses is abrasion
Jam:Okay.
Melissa:And chemistry. Okay. The how does it use that?
Jam:Right. Right.
Melissa:Well, I'll tell you.
Jam:Okay.
Melissa:First of all, magic erasers are polymers. Nice. We've talked about polymers a lot before. They are if you have a repeating unit over and over to make a really long So it could be a a a over and over. It could be a b a b over and over.
Melissa:This polymer is Made up of 3 repeating units, a, b, c, a, b, c, a, b, c. Okay. The units are formaldehyde, Melanine and sodium bisulfite.
Jam:Okay.
Melissa:And I will say, I think there's been some weird things circulating the Internet that Say these are really toxic and bad, and I think the reason is because that word formaldehyde is in the name. Right. And that scares people.
Jam:Yeah. Yeah.
Melissa:Yeah. But when it's in this polymer form, it should not be dangerous.
Jam:Okay.
Melissa:It's bound up with the other molecules to make a new molecule.
Jam:Got it. Got it.
Melissa:So it can't penetrate your body and mess things up the way it could otherwise.
Jam:Okay. Okay.
Melissa:In fact, Procter and Gamble have put out a material safety data sheet which goes over all the properties and all the information, and they've confirmed it should be nontoxic when it comes into contact with the skin.
Jam:Got it. Got it.
Melissa:You know, it's always good to wash your hands after, but it should not be a a great risk to humans.
Jam:Okay.
Melissa:Now it may be a risk to the people producing this Polymer if they're working with formaldehyde
Jam:Mhmm.
Melissa:But not once it's made into the polymer form.
Jam:Okay.
Melissa:Okay. So when the polymer forms If you could zoom in way way way way way way way way to, like, the micrometer or the nanometer level, like, very small. Okay. You would be able to see a sponge like material with lots of fibers and holes in it that look like Pores, basically.
Jam:Okay. Okay.
Melissa:So just like the sponges, the yellow ones that we see
Jam:Uh-huh.
Melissa:Only you have to zoom way in to see that structure.
Jam:Okay. Got it. Not it's not as obvious. Like, obviously, sponges, you can see the holes and stuff like that. Right.
Jam:But okay.
Melissa:I see what you're saying. Still going on, but at a much Smaller scale.
Jam:Got it. Got it.
Melissa:And that's why it looks sort of just like a chunk of foam, but if you could zoom in, you'd see this.
Jam:Mhmm.
Melissa:So imagine all these fibers and pores
Jam:Mhmm.
Melissa:And the fibers are really strong.
Jam:Right.
Melissa:I read that they were similar to the strength of glass, Although I could not find a scientific paper that confirmed that.
Jam:Okay.
Melissa:But they're really, really strong. And because of these tiny and strong fibers, it can do what's known as abrasive cleaning.
Jam:Mhmm. Mhmm.
Melissa:So it is literally scratching, making teeny tiny scratches in your stain, whatever's on your surface to get that thing up.
Jam:Got it. Okay.
Melissa:So that's how it sort of releases the dirt. Yeah. But It has another layer to it.
Jam:Okay.
Melissa:So that abrasive part, that's just kind of like sandpaper almost.
Jam:Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Melissa:You're, like, sanding off the top layer.
Jam:Right. But way more gentle, which is what you want for, like, cleaning a baseboard or a door frame or whatever
Melissa:Right.
Jam:To not scrape off the paint.
Melissa:Not scrape off the paint. Yeah.
Jam:Yeah.
Melissa:But the other advantage that it has are these they're called melamine sponges. That's the There's no science name for it. Uh-huh. These sponges have the property of being hydrophilic, which means they like water.
Jam:Okay.
Melissa:They absorb water. You've seen that.
Jam:Mhmm. Mhmm.
Melissa:But also Oleophilic.
Jam:Okay.
Melissa:Oleo is sort of another word for fat or grease.
Jam:Okay.
Melissa:So they love both grease and water.
Jam:Okay.
Melissa:And those 2 things don't usually come together in 1.
Jam:Right. Right.
Melissa:So when it's scraping up all of this dirt or grease or whatever is making your stain, then it can suck up the dirt and grease and trap it in the spun.
Jam:Oh, wow.
Melissa:And that's why they get that ugly gray color.
Jam:Interesting.
Melissa:When you're using them, you know, they can turn gray?
Jam:Oh, seriously. Yeah. They it's obvious when they're When they've been doing their job?
Melissa:Yeah. Because they've they're bonding to that grease and water and holding on to it.
Jam:Got it.
Melissa:I believe that the pores are what actually absorbs the water, and the actual molecules are what binds to the dirt, but I couldn't confirm this. There could be some other intermolecular forces between certain parts of the polymer and the grease or certain parts of the polymer and the water. Okay. But I couldn't find the mechanism of how it was binding these things, just that it is known to be loving fat, loving water.
Jam:Yeah. Yeah.
Melissa:And also when you're scrubbing, you know, you see the milky liquid that's sort of left behind.
Jam:Uh-huh. Uh-huh.
Melissa:That is actually what's known as a suspension. It's basically just water holding all these tiny polymer particles inside of it.
Jam:Okay.
Melissa:So that's it. That's how a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser works. It scrubs like sandpaper, and then the sponge sucks up the leftover dirt and water Wow. To get rid of your stain.
Jam:Wow. Wow. Dang, dude.
Melissa:So I want you to tell that back to me.
Jam:Okay.
Melissa:And then we'll talk about all the other uses including on your teeth.
Jam:Okay. Okay. Well, dang. Thinking of analogy for this would be very hard. So I would the first thing that comes to mind for me is it's basically like a chemical Swiss army knife.
Melissa:Yes.
Jam:That's a
Melissa:good one.
Jam:Somehow, either by accident I'd love to hear the story about whoever figured out how to make this thing, by the way, If it's even interesting, but multiple things air in this one little substance that make it so useful for this purpose of cleaning our homes.
Melissa:Right.
Jam:1st would be the fact that it is A polymer, so it's strong and in this state that allows it to be together. Right? Right. So that makes it be this army knife. The the things, the formaldehyde, the mel Melamine.
Jam:Melamine.
Melissa:It's It's a weird name.
Jam:And the Sodium bisulfite. Nice. Sodium bisulfite are together. And the structure has of being that, like, really small microscopic Sponginess
Melissa:Yes.
Jam:To it with little holes and stuff for they they can hold water and Allows it to be that roughness against the layer of dirt and grime.
Melissa:Yep.
Jam:And then it also It's nice because it can hold that water. Yes. It loves water.
Melissa:Mhmm.
Jam:But by some Amazing feat of chemistry also loves fat and grease. Yep. And so when we scrub it against dirt and grease and grime and stuff, it also loves that.
Melissa:Right.
Jam:And just like it soaks up Water, sort of, it is able to kind of draw in
Melissa:Yep.
Jam:The fat and grease and dirt and grime.
Melissa:And hold on to
Jam:And hold on to it Yeah. So it's not just spreading it around across all over a
Melissa:Yeah.
Jam:Wall or door frame or whatever. And,
Melissa:Yeah. And that's it.
Jam:Did I miss anything?
Melissa:I don't think so.
Jam:It seems simple, but it's amazing.
Melissa:The thing about them though is because they use the abrasive cleaning, you don't wanna use it on something you're worried about getting scratched.
Jam:Right.
Melissa:So really small scratches in paint isn't a big deal if you have that hard, glassy paint. It's not just gonna come up.
Jam:Especially if the paint is a pretty solid layer of polymer
Melissa:Of polymer.
Jam:On its own.
Melissa:Little scratches aren't that big of a deal.
Jam:Yeah.
Melissa:But if you're using it on, you know, some nice Antique or something you probably don't wanna go Oh, yeah. That kinda sponge that's gonna make scratches in it.
Jam:Right. Right.
Melissa:So that's also just fair warning.
Jam:Yeah.
Melissa:It does literally scratch things. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. So now let's talk about using it on your teeth, speaking of scratching things.
Melissa:Yeah. Okay. I looked this up, and I found 1 peer reviewed journal article about the use of melamine sponges on teeth.
Jam:Wow. That's surprising.
Melissa:It is surprising. I found 1.
Jam:Was worried that it wouldn't there wouldn't be any doubt about it.
Melissa:Yes. Well, The difficult thing is I'm not used to searching medical journals, so it's possible that there's more.
Jam:Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Melissa:That was the only one I found.
Jam:Okay.
Melissa:And I literally use the search terms melanin sponge teeth. You know? So that would be what they would refer to it as in a scientific journal. Mhmm. Not mister Clean Erasers on teeth.
Melissa:That gets you a bunch of random articles
Jam:from Yeah.
Melissa:Just like opinion pieces.
Jam:Yeah.
Melissa:So This one article did say they had an extracted human tooth. Uh-huh. They used a melamine sponge on it.
Jam:Uh-huh.
Melissa:And it created Less mechanical abrasions, so less scratches from rubbing something abrasive on it Uh-huh. Then brushing your teeth did.
Jam:Okay. That's surprising.
Melissa:Surprising. Yeah. But here is the problem. Uh-huh. This was an extracted human tooth.
Melissa:It was not in a human's mouth.
Jam:Right.
Melissa:They did it one time, And that was it. Yeah. So I don't trust 1 article usually saying that something is good, especially if it involves abrasions to your teeth. Mhmm. Mhmm.
Melissa:So if it were me, I would not trust this one article. Yeah. But also the fact that it was an extracted human tooth meant that there was no risk of ingesting the Polymer.
Jam:Right. Right.
Melissa:And we don't know what ingesting this polymer would do to humans. I did not suggest it.
Jam:Yeah. Totally.
Melissa:And what we see when you Using Mr. Clean Eraser on a dirt patch on the wall is a suspension of polymer particles in water. Yeah. Which means that if you're using it on your teeth, you will likely also get a suspension of polymer particles in water. Right.
Melissa:And then you will ingest it. I'm not saying there will never be a safe way to use melamine sponges to clean your teeth. I'm saying I would not trust 1 peer reviewed journal article on an extracted human tooth Yeah. And take that and say, now I can use this in my real life teeth in my mouth right now.
Jam:Right. Right.
Melissa:I would worry that those small abrasions over time could cause a lot of damage to your teeth. Also, they used it one time. They didn't use repeated uses Over the course of a lifetime. Yeah. So you just don't know how that could wear and tear on the enamel of your tooth.
Jam:Right. Right.
Melissa:If it's removing stains, it's Possibly also removing other things.
Jam:Right. Right.
Melissa:So my suggestion is not to do that. I'm not a doctor. This is not medical advice. Just as a chemist, my preference would not be to do this.
Jam:And, also, it's nice that there are whitening things that are made specifically for teeth
Melissa:Yes.
Jam:That Maybe have their own questions, but at least it's designed for human teeth.
Melissa:Yes.
Jam:You know?
Melissa:So I would not use this method personally.
Jam:Yeah. I hear that. That seems very, very smart, man. That seems like a no brainer to me.
Melissa:But there are some other cool things that you can use melamine sponges for.
Jam:Okay.
Melissa:Besides cleaning your teeth.
Jam:Nice.
Melissa:1. This is my favorite one.
Jam:Okay.
Melissa:Because they love oil, You can modify the sponge to not love water anymore.
Jam:Woah.
Melissa:And then it's only A light, floating object that can absorb oil, Which means if you put it on an oil spill in water
Jam:It'll only Dry up the oil. Yep. Oh, cool.
Melissa:So there's a lot of papers. They're adapting it for use in that. I think right now, the methods of modifying the sponge to make it not love water are not the most environmentally friendly.
Jam:Got it.
Melissa:But this is a big Possibility.
Jam:Totally. Especially if you're trying to achieve between 2 not environmentally friendly things. It'll also feel very not Friendly Yes. Environment or making a sponge that soaks it up, maybe you can choose the lesser of 2 evils
Melissa:in ocean is on fire, for example.
Jam:Right.
Melissa:So that's incredible. I love that. You can also use these for soundproofing.
Jam:Oh, nice.
Melissa:Insulation?
Jam:Mhmm.
Melissa:I think because the they keep air in those tiny pockets, it must be hard maybe to get the heat or cold through. I don't know.
Jam:Yeah.
Melissa:They have been modified to use to be used in electronics as electrodes like we talked about in batteries.
Jam:Wow.
Melissa:They're just a good It's what we call a scaffold. So they're just a good blank canvas to put anything you want on.
Jam:Yeah.
Melissa:And they're also currently being modified to be used for flame resistance.
Jam:Nice. Wow.
Melissa:So melamine sponges are A really cool blank canvas that you can do all kinds of things too, but they also can make your wall a blank canvas again.
Jam:Nice. I see what you did there.
Melissa:I just came up with that on the spot.
Jam:Nice. I like it.
Melissa:I like it very much. So that's the magic of a mister clean I mean, not brand name associated.
Jam:Yeah. Of melamine.
Melissa:Of melamine sponges.
Jam:Nice. Very interesting. I like it.
Melissa:I was very I was very interested and very excited.
Jam:Well, I guess I'm gonna have to stop eating them as a snack based on what you were telling us earlier. So I
Melissa:don't think Jim was ever eating them as a snack. Don't let his trickery fool you.
Jam:Yeah. I was not. You're right.
Melissa:But what were you doing this week besides eating melamine sponge snacks?
Jam:Well, this week, I'm glad you asked because this week, I was using a new little contraption that my wife and I got because one of her friends back in Indiana told us about it. Oh. And it is Real, by the way. It's real. It didn't really exists.
Jam:But when I describe it to you, it might seem too good to be true.
Melissa:Okay.
Jam:So it looks just like a microwave. Oh. It Feels like microwave.
Melissa:Okay. Yeah. I've seen your new microwave.
Jam:Yeah. And it sounds like a microwave, but what you might not know is that it is a microwave. It's a convection oven. That's not that crazy. That's what existed for a while.
Melissa:Exist. Yeah.
Jam:It's also a broiler. And the cherry on top is that it's also an air fryer.
Melissa:Dang.
Jam:We had an air fryer for a bit. 1 of our roommates had 1. Yeah. And we got a little spoiled by having it. And some things are just so perfect to make in an air fryer.
Jam:It's not like You know, air fryers are not that complicated, but they are perfect for, like, reheating fries. Yeah. They're really awesome for, like, roasting some vegetables real quick.
Melissa:Yep.
Jam:And getting them kinda crispy and stuff like that. Oh, man. So one of Emma's friends that we were visiting in Indiana had this thing and told us about it. And so we got it, and it's been pretty awesome. I don't wanna do too many, like, plugs for an unsponsored, you know, thing.
Jam:So if you are really interested in this exact deal, you can message us, and I'll tell you more about it. But it is just kinda nice to have Something only takes up the counter space of 1 machine, but does multiple things.
Melissa:Three machines.
Jam:Yes. Kind of yeah. 3, 4 yeah. I guess so. Because Most convection ovens broil.
Jam:But here's what I think is the coolest and the most trippy thing about it Okay. Is it can do Different combinations of those things if you'd like. It can air fry and microwave. Weird. Yeah.
Jam:Which it it and it has, like, a book that kinda talks about situations where that'd be helpful. Yeah. Where it shortened the cook time of something where it's like, hey. This will help the microwave will help the inside of this thing Yeah. Heat up more quickly because if it's just external heat on something, it takes it a little while.
Jam:Yeah. But then, also, if you have the convection part on, it'll help it crisp up on the outside.
Melissa:Mhmm.
Jam:And so that's kinda like a mind blowing new, Like, frontier Yeah. Of cooking stuff where it's like, woah. What situation would that be helpful? And And could it, yeah, just change lots of stuff? So, anyway, that's that's the cool new thing in my week.
Melissa:That's very exciting. I had no idea where you're gonna go with that.
Jam:Yeah.
Melissa:I was really on the fence.
Jam:I'm just trying to keep you on your toes a little bit.
Melissa:You did. You kept me on my toes.
Jam:So what What about you? What's been happening in your week?
Melissa:Well, funny you should ask. So we have, you know, about 6 people who we rotate through who review our podcast episodes.
Jam:Right. Right.
Melissa:And it just so happens that somehow, magically, in the span of 1 week, I will have gotten good quality time with 4 of the 6 of our reviewers.
Jam:Wow.
Melissa:Good quality, small group, or 1 on 1 time.
Jam:Dang, dude. That's cool.
Melissa:Very cool. So with 1 group, We had dinner and games last night
Jam:Uh-huh.
Melissa:With another person. It was me Me and her had a garage sale together, and we got good time together.
Jam:Nice.
Melissa:Another person, this weekend, we'll be celebrating Christmas in July, I, a long standing tradition in our 2 families.
Jam:Right. Right. Cool.
Melissa:And then also one of The reviewers, I'll be seeing for a birthday celebration this weekend.
Jam:Nice.
Melissa:So good quality time with 4 of the 6.
Jam:Very cool. I mean, like, super unfair, and I'm, like, really mad about it, but it's cool for you.
Melissa:It is really cool for me and really exciting. And some of the other ones have just been out of town, or I just haven't gotten a chance to see them as much lately either. And so I think realizing how many of the people that I don't get to see very often that Don't live in our town with us.
Jam:Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Melissa:How fun it's been to see them regularly in all in the span of about 1 week.
Jam:Right. Right. See, that's cool, man. Wow. That's crazy.
Melissa:Yeah. Very exciting. Thanks to our reviewers. They take time out of their very busy lives. Their Moms moms, dads, workers, people who have a lot of other things on their plates.
Jam:Totally.
Melissa:And they take time out of their busy schedules to listen to a podcast episode and give critical feedback, which means so much to us. So Yeah. We really cannot do the episodes without them, so thanks to you guys. And, also, thanks to all of you listeners because we couldn't do it without you
Jam:Absolutely. And, Melissa, thank you for teaching us about the magic behind the chemistry, I should say, behind the magic. That's right. Erasers. And if you guys have any ideas of topics that seem chemistry related in your everyday life, please Ask us.
Jam:Do not hesitate. Send us a question or idea on Gmail, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook at Kim for your life. As Kim, f o r your life to share those ideas that you have. And if you'd like to help us keep our show going and contribute to cover the cost of making it, Go to kodashfi.com/kem for your life, and donate the cost of a cup of coffee. But if you're not able to donate, you can still help us by subscribing on your favorite podcast app and rating and writing a review on Apple Podcasts because that really helps us to share chemistry with even more people.
Melissa:This episode of Chemistry For Your Life was created by Melissa Collini and Jam Robinson. References for this episode can be found in our show notes or on our website. Jim Robinson is our producer, and we like to give a special thanks to a Hefner and a who reviewed this episode.
