I'm in the process of draining some of my pool water to reduce the CYA level. During the process I started using the magic eraser to clean the vinyl above the water line which has turned gray and black. This stuff works like magic without a lot of scrubbing. It is even taking some of the yellowish (I'm asumming iron) stains off my acrylic steps. I have no idea if this stuff is safe to use or not so I stopped and thought I should check it out with the experts. Anyone know?
Using Magic Eraser on Vinyl Liner
- Thread starter jagfan
- Start date
Just googled and found out it is a melamine foam. But I'm not a chemist, so that is still greek to me. I'm going to hold off on any more scrubbing until I'm sure it won't harm the liner. See below.
Here's an excerpt........
,
"The secret behind these types of erasers is a material commonly called melamine foam. With just a little water, melamine foam can dig in and destroy stains that other products can't touch. Kids go crazy with the crayons? Co-workers leave a trail of scuffmarks wherever they walk? Erasers made with melamine foam might be just what you need.
Stain removal isn't the only thing this special foam is useful for. It's actually been around for about 20 years and has a variety of applications, such as sound insulation (whether to improve a room's acoustics or dampen excess noise) and temperature insulation (whether to protect against very hot or cold temperatures). It's just recently that developers realized its potential as a cleaning product.
A couple of melamine foam's specific physical properties make it a great stain remover, and we'll dive into what those characteristics are on the next page."
Here's an excerpt........
,
"The secret behind these types of erasers is a material commonly called melamine foam. With just a little water, melamine foam can dig in and destroy stains that other products can't touch. Kids go crazy with the crayons? Co-workers leave a trail of scuffmarks wherever they walk? Erasers made with melamine foam might be just what you need.
Stain removal isn't the only thing this special foam is useful for. It's actually been around for about 20 years and has a variety of applications, such as sound insulation (whether to improve a room's acoustics or dampen excess noise) and temperature insulation (whether to protect against very hot or cold temperatures). It's just recently that developers realized its potential as a cleaning product.
A couple of melamine foam's specific physical properties make it a great stain remover, and we'll dive into what those characteristics are on the next page."
Well, I used it last year on my water line, I noticed no ill effects....
Here's a thread from 2 years ago on the subject:
http://www.troublefreepool.com/water-scum-lines-and-mr-clean-eraser-t239.html
Here's a thread from 2 years ago on the subject:
http://www.troublefreepool.com/water-scum-lines-and-mr-clean-eraser-t239.html
I haven't had any problems with light scrubbing. But if you really scrub a vinyl liner with a magic eraser it can visibly scratch the liner. Often the scratches are better than the stain, but they do tend to change the appearance.
Last year, I tried a few different methods to clean the slight but noticeable gray/tan stain along the waterline in the step section of my vinyl-lined pool - all without success. Then I saw a thread here at TFP several days ago where someone recommended a Magic Eraser. It worked superbly - also used on the waterline areas of my skimmer plate and powder-coated ladder as well as the outward edge of the white liner bead, with similar results. Just a pass or two, with very little pressure exerted. I read in other threads that melamine foam should not be used w/ chlorine but after more research the warning apparently references household-strength (5-6%) bleach.
That said, I don't think I'd ever use one on the liner itself. I believe the primary culprit behind waterline scum is sunblock and body oils, and I've found that regular (weekly) cleaning w/ vinyl & tile cleaner and a sponge keeps the liner looking new. Take care to clean it in sections (3-5' lengths) and rinse thoroughly w/ pool water or a hose before moving to the next section.
That said, I don't think I'd ever use one on the liner itself. I believe the primary culprit behind waterline scum is sunblock and body oils, and I've found that regular (weekly) cleaning w/ vinyl & tile cleaner and a sponge keeps the liner looking new. Take care to clean it in sections (3-5' lengths) and rinse thoroughly w/ pool water or a hose before moving to the next section.
I've been using a product called wipeout, the only problem is that it only removes the grime where it touches so when you pour it on it drips down and when you wipe it away you can see where you missed. Although you can get around this problem by misting it on with a pump spray bottle, I used this in conjuction with the mr. clean eraser and found that the wipeout works better than the eraser since there is no real scrubbing needed just mist it on the vinyl and wipe it off. The mr. clean erasers work, it just takes time and it's basically just a micro abrasive.
X-PertPool said:
Oh by the way, Wipeout just isn't for pools it's also great for outdoor furniture and bathtubs.
Be careful with the magic erasers on vinyl, you could potentially remove the print from the liner (at least on aged vinyl liners)
The video requires quicktime, in the video I will rub off a small area of print. It's a little hard to see but I didn't want to discolor a large portion of the liner. Keep in mind I think only really happens on older liners where they don't feel smooth anymore, but It could potentially be doing damage that we can't see on newer liners.
http://www.x-pertpool.com/0723091248.3g2
The video requires quicktime, in the video I will rub off a small area of print. It's a little hard to see but I didn't want to discolor a large portion of the liner. Keep in mind I think only really happens on older liners where they don't feel smooth anymore, but It could potentially be doing damage that we can't see on newer liners.
http://www.x-pertpool.com/0723091248.3g2
[/quote:2jku4wo7]X-PertPool said:
Where do you get "wipeout"? Is it safe for the vinyl liner?
Here is a website that sells it, you can try using Google to find other places as well.
It works nice on vinyl outdoor furniture too,
http://www.polytecpools.com/wipeout-vin ... -7687.html
It works nice on vinyl outdoor furniture too,
http://www.polytecpools.com/wipeout-vin ... -7687.html
We get "ring around the pool" every time it rains. Our ground is greasy black clay, and the fine clay particles suspend in the air when it is dry, then rain into the pool. The end result is a greasy black line about 2 inches wide around the pool liner. When it rains here, it pours, and can easily add 2 inches in a few hours. I have been using the magic eraser since I first got the pool last year, but I have to really scrub and there is still a noticeable stain. It is much better since I put borates in the pool, but it is still there. Now, it is sounding like really scrubbing is bad for the liner and I may be damaging it. What is in the wipeout that makes the difference?
I don't know the chemicals in wipeout but it comes with a squirt tip that you can pour on but it works much better if you can put it in a spray bottle and mist it on. I'm not sure if it works any better than a pool scumline/tile cleaner you would get a pool store but it works. The only thing to watch out for is that it will turn fiberglass steps yellow sometimes, but the yellowness goes away after it drys and if it doesn't you can use ascorbic acid to get rid of it.
will this wipeout product remove stains above the water line? I have a yellow/brownish stain all around my pool above the water line and only where the sun hits it. In places the sun does not hit the liner, it looks new.. Only 3 yr old vinyl liner.
rgividen
0
please believe - Magic Eraser from Mr Clean (proctor & gamble). it works on pool liner scum line.
i have used Magic Eraser for the last 3 years. i actually went on Ebay and bought a pack of 50 for like $5 last year. still got over 30. i did notice last year that with an older vinyl liner that if i scrubbed too hard, i would notice a little blue on the eraser.
That's exactly what happened to me, older liner, so I stopped using it. Made me nervous. Now we have a brand new liner and still afraid to use it.
i have used the magic eraser a few times this year, but rubbed very, very lightly. did not see blue color come off. i think last year i rubbed a bit too hard, and not to mention the liner was a few years old.
rajung
Well-known member
Same here, ever so lightly, not that I scrubbed that hard to begin with but the sections that have constant sun , which is most of it, you can see some blue. For some reason mainly on the north and east end of pool, always had a problem with yearly slight fade from water line to about 4 inches down. Those areas are very weak to magic eraser. Less fading towards south and west walls, none anywhere else. Those areas with light pressure on eraser I have no problem.
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I was wondering if it is wearing away the vinyl since Magic Eraser is a very fine abrasive. I was using it on the scum line around the pool. That's why I got nervous when blue came off, so I stopped using it a few years ago. Now that we put in a new liner last year mid summer, I haven't tried it yet but also no scum line yet. 
i never noticed with the past pool that we had that it was weakening the liner. like it has been stated, with Magic Eraser you do not want to rub real hard, just a nice light wipe will do.