Thank you for your reply. Yes, I am using the polishing cleanser, the cleanser that is in the can like Ajax or something. The one that is sold in grocery stores. The company spokesperson did refer me to the other product, but as you state, it is not easily found in stores.

I have moved on to use something else for dishes, but would still LOVE to use Bon Ami for general cleaning. I, too, believe the corporate spokesperson, it is just that I think they did change it in a small way--probably so small they thought it would just make the product better somehow--but I find it made the product worse. Hopefully the next generation of the cleanser they will decide to move it back to the way it was.

Thank you.

Bon Ami has definitely changed. We got a new kitchen sink recently, with an enamel finish (which has also apparently been degraded). The enamel coating is extremely thin and fragile. The recommended cleaning is to use Clorox-type cleansers, which surprised me, as I thought them more harsh than Bon Ami. Well, I foolishly continued my old ways, but soon found the finish was being damaged. So I then resorted to the chlorine-type cleanser; my conclusion being that Bon Ami now has some abrasive in it.

I had used the original Bon Ami, for many years. Then I started having serious reactions to the product. After checking with the company, I figured out that their new cleanser formula contains a surfactant, that I can't tolerate. I ordered several cans of the original formula, online, and do not react to it. I use baking soda for many things that I would otherwise use scouring powder. It works quite well, and is non-toxic. I keep a shaker of it near all my sinks. Works great on most cookware and bakeware, too.

Donnie

Donnie -- Can you still get the original on line somewhere? I used it extensively and loved it.

That they put a surfactant in is compatible with my experience. I have lung problems and I really react to whatever they put in.

Thank you so much.

I found that any non toxic mild cleaner works well with a metal wool pad, like brillo pads, but w/ out any detergent. CEC makes exceptional cleaners for all applications, check www.greenhomeoutfitters.com/Clean_Environment_Cleaning_supplies_p/n00-starter.htm&Click=1254

You can order from American Envionmental Health Foundation . They have a lot of enviromentally safe products as well. Please specify which Bon Ami that you want.

I live in San Juan, Puerto Rico and I remember purchasing Bon Ami here many years ago. It is no longer available, so I contacted Bon Ami but they do not ship to PR because they only use UPS and it is too expensive. I tried ordering from Best but the $1.49 can costs $3.45 to ship to PR. Anyone know of another distributor from whom I can purchase at a reasonable shipping charge?

Hi everyone: thanks for the idea about baking soda; I'm also grateful for the support and agreement about the efficacy of the original Bon Ami Cleaning Powder.

Here may be another source for you all for web/mail order: Living Source (www.livingsource.com). The webpage did not work, so I called and was treated delightfully. If you order 8 12 oz cans, the per price drops from $2 each to $14 for the 8. The shipping cost between ordering 4 or 8 was only about $1 (so I splurged).

If you loved the cake as I did, and want it back (it was more effective than the powder, especially on mirrors and glass), write or call Gordon at the Faultless Starch Company. He, as a young boy, working for Lava Soap Co., came home one day and told his dad, head of Faultless, that a similar bar/cake should be made, and voila! it was instant success. He is now in his 60's or 70's, and grieved when the machines got too old to produce the cakes. He and his sons do not think it cost effective to repair them. Personally I would be willing to pay $4.50 - $5.00 per cake as there is nothing comparable! If this meets your standards and wishes, a few calls and letters may eventually make a difference. With pollution and bad food, the numbers of the chemically sensitive are not going to diminish, so my thought is the market will increase.

Lanna - Chemically Sensitive in Sacramento! (California)

The Vermont Country Store catalog lists Original Bon Ami Cleanser (p. 80) @ 2 cans for $5.90. Phone # 1802/362-8440, email www.vermontcountrystore.com. I saw this listed in the Spring 2007 catalog.

Thanks for all help. I'm going to order some of the "original" with the soap added and HOPEFULLY that will be just as good (almost!) as good ole Bon Ami from the store used to be! Boo-Hoo. Still crying over that. Hopefully they'll change it back again one day.

I never used the bar of it, wow, that sounds like it would have been really good. It looks like something they'd like to look into making again. With so much emphasis on going green, etc., Bon Ami was perfect. It was actually Soooo much easier rinsing than some of the commercial cleaners (also a good thing, green-wise), that it's a wonder somebody "up there" thought they had to change it to "easier rinsing" and add a surfactant, or whatever they added. I still think they just made a mistake in changing the product, trying to make it more appealing to people to notice it or use it, but effective advertising would work better than changing the can and adding whatever they added...

Here's what Bon Ami said in response to my email question:

"Thank you for your recent email regarding your interest in our Bon Ami Cleanser. We always appreciate consumer correspondence and regret any confusion.

Our Bon Ami Cleanser is the same formulation that it has always been; feldspar, calcite, biodegradable detergent, and soda ash. The surfactant is present in the detergent and has always been present and has not been changed...

Detergent is not listed on the MSDS as it is not a hazardous material (i.e. not a mineral, in this case). Material Safety Data Sheets do not list all of the ingredients, only the ones that can be categorized as hazardous. The Bon Ami powdered cleaners are mildly caustic and are non-toxic according to Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) regulations, biodegradable and do not contain phosphates, ammonia, or chlorine bleach. Calcite and Feldspar are both inert materials derived from natural rock.

The surfactant in the detergent is sodium alkyl-benzene which is also found in many other household detergents. The specific name is proprietary."

Thank the company rep. However, I have used it for ? 6 years extensively, up to 300 cans a year, and in 2006 I went from NO REACTION to Bon Ami to a reproducible reaction each time I use it, of lung burning and other "symptoms" that are associated with chemicals.

I have tried repeatedly to use it since 2006, and cannot because of something they added or changed.

Even if they think that what they changed is "just like" what it was before, obviously it is not. I was not a casual user of Bon Ami. I used it for everything. It has changed, I cannot use it, and I am not the only one here who has noticed the change. Many of my gal-friends have.

If the company would examine what it put in to make it "easier rinsing," and change it back, then they'd have the same great product. It is unfortunate, in this day and age of being "green" and with their customer base being the chemically sensitive, to a large part?, that this excellent cleanser was changed to be "Easier Rinsing." They need to examine what they did at that time.

Again, thank you for contacting them. I believe the company representative believes what they are saying, but somewhere there was a change. As the other posts attest, i.e. the person who found it to scratch her sink, when it never did before, other people have also found it changed. It acts totally differently, I used to use it dependably for everything, it is different. Acts differently, does not clean as well, I even used to use it dry on fabric to get oil/grease stains out with no damage to the garment, would not touch fabrics with it now.

But, it was kind of them to reply. I got the same reply from the company last year. Thanks, Deb.

LB - did you notice that there are two Bon AMi products? The one in most stores now seems to be the "polishing cleanser" with the new formulation. But the original 1886 formula is also still available from a number of sources.

See if the 1886 formula causes the problems you note. It can be ordered from the Bon Ami site or from many of their dealers.

Rol

Rol -- Thanks for your comment. I certainly have been meaning to order the other product.

But, and it is a big but-- I tried Bon Ami for 1 can over the weekend because I really wanted to clean some stuff, and I got, once again, a bunch of mucus in my lungs by that night and the following couple of days, and terrible neck muscle pain like a hangover in the back of my head and neck--the next a.m. --- the same symptoms I get from chemicals and the same symptoms I have gotten from the Bon Ami cleanser from the stores in the last one year or so.

So-- It is Bon Voyage to the Bon Ami cleanser for me! I have proven to myself once again that it is not the same product, and I cannot use it anymore.

BUT-- I really want to try the other. I am really hoping I can use it without difficulty and it will be as good as the old Bon Ami, which I loved. I used the old Bon Ami, before it changed, for EVERYTHING and it was a great and fast cleaner. Hopefully someday they will go back to the way it was.

Thanks once again for the information. You all are the greatest. Gotta go order some. I am also interested in the cake, as the one person said it was really better than the old Bon Ami, which would be something! Maybe with all the green awareness and etc they will go back to producing the old, excellent product they had in Bon Ami and also the cake. I loved the old Bon Ami. And it actually rinsed pretty well, far better than teh commercial detergents, which use a lot of water. With the green considerations, Bon Ami was a better product all the way around. I never had a problem with it rinsing. The new generation of Bon Ami cleanser in stores, the \"easier rinsing\" has too small of a particle size (too easy to be inhaled) and contains a chemical which is also a lung irritant, so double whammy. I used the Bon Ami this weekend from an entirely opened can, cut in half to reduce the lung irritation from shaking it out of the can, but still it caused symptoms. Hopefully someone in corporate Bon Ami will see these posts and go back and find out where they went wrong. It used to be a great product. But, I'll look into the one you said.

HELPFUL HINT

I cannot guarantee it would help in this case, but sometimes if you ask the manufacturer to list the excipient ingredients, you get fuller disclosure (but don't expect a warm response!). My understanding is that each food industry segment has a list of ingredients that are used in such small quantities they purportedly could not cause any harm. I imagine the same would hold true for cleaners and cosmetics.

Thanks for taking the time to post. I really appreciate it!

That is good information-- I wondered how the earlier person who mentioned a surfactant (I think) got the information.

I am still hoping Bon Ami goes back to the old product and takes out whatever they snuck in-- how little it seemed to them. When trying to make a product better, seems like the companies need to do some research on current users. Bon Ami needs to advertise-- and its sales would go up (if it went back to the great product it had before 2006). They don't need to "tweak" the product to try to attract business, they just need to advertise the great old product they had.

Thanks for all who take time to reply. I'd be interested in knowing other people's experience on if Bon Ami has changed. A few answered, and really that was great. Would be great if they continued to sell the Bon Ami bar, as person above said it cleaned better than Bon Ami. I never found it-- again, ADVERTISE, Bon Ami people. Even if just in women's magazines, green magazines, etc.

Especially in this day and age of green cleaners and not wasting water, Bon Ami I thought WAS pretty easily rinsed before, compared to detergents. Don't know why they changed it, just to have a new label and market it, I guess. Somebody's brainstorm, but change it back and market it better. I used it for windows, stain removals, BBQ grills, removing glued labels, etc. One woman said it kept her stainless steel tea pot looking like new for 30 years. Obviously it was working great.

I see I'm somewhat late in getting to this blog. I was out today trying to find either the 'cake' or the Original Formula. Unfortunately I didn't have any luck. I mostly want to comment on the 'cake'.

Many years ago when I worked in the wash stall of an automobile dealership, we used the 'cake' for cleaning windshields and car windows. It did a much better job than any of the chemical cleaners I have used since. It required some elbow grease, but the finished product was well worth the effort. I also found glass stayed cleaner longer. It was as if a coating or residue of some sort helped to keep spots/dirt off for a longer period. I'm hoping with the big push to 'green', the company will make their product more widely available.

To the "late" blogger above--about the cake. I found on the net a discussion about people who do gold leaf-- you know, lettering on doors and glass-- and they raved about the cake to clean and prepare the glass for the gold leaf.

But, apparently, they too have found they can't get it any more.

Just thought you'd be interested in that. Thanks for posting. Let's have the OLD Bon Ami back. The old cleaner and cleanser and get rid of whatever they put in that was new.

I just bought several cans of the original formulation Bon Ami from Orchard Supply Hardware. For the very affordable price of $1.99 per can!

Just a thought here about the "old" and "new" formula discussions & reactivity.. I'm no health expert but I do know that people can become sensitized over time to things that they used to be able to tolerate.

I'm an example of that in 2 or 3 areas. Many years ago I started to break out in rashes when using soaps & shampoos that I had previously used for many years. Not just any one brand, but many brands! I still don't know the exact ingredients I'm allergic to, but I have to use Ivory soap and shampoos without strong perfumes. Sometimes I even get reactions from Aloe containing items! Go figure.

And now that I'm older I am starting to react to Poison Ivy (I used to be able to pull it out bare-handed without issue!) and after 40 years in the auto repair business I'm now starting to react to many of the solvents that never before bothered me. Actually, maybe THAT's what finally built-up in me and is causing me to OD on everything else!

Thanks. I don't believe that is what happened. From 1 jar of the old to 1 jar of the new, the reaction was there. I still had a few jars of the old in the bathrooms, and was fine to them. Thanks for the input. By the way, I can't use Ivory soap anymore. they put some chemical in it. Of course. Mostly I find I get a reaction to a product because the mfr has put new chemicals in. Usually if it remains the same it's OK if it was OK before, at least for me. And with my chemical sensitivity, it has gotten much better overall over the years, except for certain things like tobacco smoke (again, it could be the myriad of chemicals put in cigarettes), chlorine, and all the personal products like shampoo and soaps and deodorants and body washes, which are being packed full chems. I cannot tolerate. Thanks again. I still think they changed Bon Ami. I tried to get some tape off some plastic, the old Bon Ami would have done it in 3 or 4 applications, the new one was just wimpy. Not really useful anymore, and I still think the new one has scratched my sink.

I, too, wish they'd bring back the Bon Ami bars. I found this blog because I was hoping to find them on line. My mother used them for cleaning knives, and I think it cleaned and sharpened.

I've been using BonAmi as a vanity sink cleanser for years, but am wondering about any anti-bacterial qualities it may have. In other words, can I rely on it to kill and germs in addition to doing a good job at making the sink clean?

Debra - thanks for your reply comment to my question about any antibacterial qualities of Bon Ami in the round can. That's disappointing. I guess I'll have to go back to Comet and its sink-scratching effects!

Using baking soda works for me.
A little dab will do you; use too mch and it takes forever to wash it all off.

Thanks, Annique. I have always used too much and you are right, takes forever to wash off. I\'ll try it. Still miss my old Bon Ami.

I like the idea of using hydrogen peroxide spray,but I wonder if it will "pit" the chrome faucet and/or stain the vanity top? I've experienced even mild soap like Dove staining my vanity top, when I leave the bar on the little plastic soap holder to dry and it drips down.

Bon Ami Cleanser and Bon Ami Polishing Powder is carried by some of the Tru Valu stores; the cleanser is the one that can be used for glass and the one that is supposed to be like the previous cake. JO

Hey, I'll look into that. We have Tru Value somewhere around here, I really hope. Thanks so much for the info and clarifying which is which-- wish me luck!

There are now at least two different formulas for BON AMI. One is called POLISHING FORMULA, the newer one, and +++the original formula which says ORIGINAL FORMULA on the label, or "1886 formula".

I searched high and low for it, and finally found it at my local DO IT CENTER, the old LUMBER CITY.

You can find them online, to get a store near you that carries the products. There is a listing at this site for their sellers!

or see

www.bonami.com/products/

I use the original formula to clean my DESCOWARE and MY RANGE TOP!

Thanks much. That appears to be a Calif-only company, but I will order some online or look around. This is very much appreciated, really, Thanks