Have you encountered a Magic Eraser in a skimmer lately?
If so, thank Lisa Pack.
This summer, the grandmother from Ohio took to Facebook to announce a miracle cure for algae. Simply drop Mr. Clean’s multi-purpose scrubber into the skimmer and, to use her words, “holla bing, holla boom” you’ve got a clean pool within 24 hours. Pictures show a sparkling blue pool and a dirty green sponge that allegedly absorbed all the algae.
“I’m pretty excited to think something so cheap could help so much,” Pack wrote.
Pack’s post went viral, with nearly 100,000 shares on Facebook alone. An interview on Inside Edition and many write-ups in consumer publications followed.
But Andrea Nannini said, “Not so fast.”
The service technician with Custom Pool and Spa Mechanics in Stuart, Fla., began receiving numerous inquiries from homeowners on social media about the Magic Eraser “hack.”
“My first reaction, without having really any knowledge of it, was, ‘No, you can’t do that,’” Nannini said.
A series of experiments may have confirmed her suspicions.
She put a Magic Eraser inside a jar filled with green water from a dirty fountain. The sponge absorbed some, but not all the algae. In fairness to Pack, her pool wasn’t very green before she tried the trick; rather it “looked like it was getting cloudy,” she noted on Facebook — a condition the sponge appeared to fix.
Nannini’s test suggests that the Magic Eraser works to an extent, but is not a cure-all.
“I’d say it’s just collecting the algae, but it’s definitely not correcting any water balance,” she said.
The service professional is currently testing the theory that the sponge may be introducing an ingredient into the pool that’s helping stabilize the water. Magic Eraser contains melamine, the reagent used in CYA tests. She wonders if the melamine from the sponge helps control algae in water that does not contain CYA.
But, here’s where things get potentially dangerous: According to her research, if the water has CYA, introducing melamine would create a toxic byproduct called melamine cyanurate.
She plans to run more experiments to prove that out. But for now she tends to believe the Magic Eraser is mostly ineffective as a pool-treatment product.
And if you don’t believe her, take Mr. Clean’s word for it. Nannini emailed the manufacturer about using its Magic Eraser in swimming pools. Here’s what the company had to say: “The answer to your question is, no — we have not tested the product in pools, and the chlorine may react or interfere with the ingredients in the product.”
Who knows why it seemed to work in Pack’s pool? Maybe it was a fluke of chemistry, or perhaps she mistakenly gave credit to the sponge for the work of good old-fashioned chlorine shock.
As far as Nannini is concerned, Magic Eraser is not a magic bullet.
