Pointless Experiments: Soap scum vs. a stainless steel scrubby

So you guys, the words are still kind of mad at me for some reason, so instead of trying to write a real post, I'm going to tell you about a product I just found that I am totally in love with. And you know I'm being sincere and unbiased because no one in their right mind would ever pay me for an endorsement.

True story. Strangely, I find that comforting.

So here it is, the object of my unending joy:

Source
Damn, why are they so expensive on ebay?
I paid like two bucks for mine...

Huh. Now that I study the picture, I'm finding more and more to alarm me in some serious ways that may or may not include a trip to a therapist at some point, but anyway, I've already opened my package and this picture is the only one I could find online for some reason and I want a picture now.

Kind of forgot where I was going with this.

Oh, right. These things are stainless steel scrubbers, and they are AMAZING. While I have one dedicated for cleaning my cast iron pans (as directed on the package! I think...), I had more ambitious plans in mind when I tossed this into my cart: Cleaning my kitchen sink and shower.

We've lived in our house for 11 years, and I am not that great of a housekeeper. I mean, I keep a neat house -- I like things uncluttered and put away and wiped down and looking clean -- but there are certain chores I'm really not a big fan of, like mopping and dusting and scrubbing. Scrubbing is exhausting. I don't do those types of things very often is what I'm saying, and it shows.

I decided to give it a go in my sink first. I had some staining action going on, as well as grungy faucet fixtures. The scrubby worked great on the faucet; less so on the stains. But all that took was a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. Hey, though, worth the try. Because my sink looks pretty decent at the moment.

The real test came when we found out we were having overnight company roughly 1.25 hours before said company walked through the door. Just in case anyone needed to take a shower in the girls' bathroom, Eric cleaned out the tub. With a scrubby and some washing soda. 'Cause I gave up on buying cleaning products a long time ago.

And OH MY GOD. (That's not saying the Lord's name in vain; that's a prayer of thanksgiving.) That tub was a science experiment of disease and filth, and you should see it now -- blindingly, beautifully white and clean. And to top it off, the scrubby didn't look all that worse for wear.

So of course I had to try it on our shower next. Same course of action (the scrubby and some washing soda, lest you forgot already), and the shower floor was a thing of beauty. After company, when I had a few more minutes, I started tackling the shower walls, too, only this time I didn't bother with the washing soda. And WOAH. You guys, this is completely amazing to me. I had given up on the soap scum ever, ever going away -- and I've tried all manner of steel wool, magic eraser and homemade cleaner. I mean, my shower looks new. Like, no way is that thing really 11 years old.

But it is! It's just clean for the first time since 2003!

So I'm not really sure what the shelf life is for one of these little guys, but I can tell you that even after cleaning a sink and two bathtubs, my scrubby isn't looking all that bad. I'll be watching in the coming weeks to see if it rusts (it's not supposed to), is dishwasher safe (I think stainless steel scrubbers are supposed to be in a general sort of way), and what happens when I use it to clean my oven (that's another chore I despise and never seem to accomplish).

It's crazy times here in the Walker household. Obviously.