Easy Off BAM VS. Clorox Formula 409

The battle for bragging rights to our kitchen and bathroom surfaces has been going on for as long as I can remember. When I was little, we scrubbed off toilet stains and soap scum with the leading abrasive cleanser. Granted, it took a bit of elbow grease and left some scratchy residue behind, which paved the way for an arms open wide welcome to spray cleaners. Then, you had to buy a cleaner for the bathroom and a separate one for your kitchen spills and splatters. Hence, the invention of the multi-purpose household cleaner, safe for all surfaces and good for grease, grime and stains.

Clorox Formula 409 has been around a long time, and I've used it regularly. It works well on the stainless steel sinks as well as the bathtub and toilet. I've found that for burnt on grease on a stove top, if I spray it with 409 and let it sit for ten or fifteen minutes, I can wipe it up easily. I've never used it on dishes; I'm just not one to use a spray cleaner on dishes. I have used it on the bathroom floor, and it works great.

I've also used Easy Off Bam, both the De-greaser and the Grime, Lime and Soap Scum Remover, because they're cheaper than Formula 409. They work just as well. I've found the Grime, Lime and Soap Scum Remover can be used as a multi-purpose cleaner. It does no harm to the steel appliances or stainless steel sinks, and it leaves no residue or film on the counter tops. Since I no longer have carpeting, I can't comment on carpet stain removal, although, I know that 409 is safe for carpet and works well, so I assume the same for Bam.

Since I'm not a scientist, I don't know the exact ingredients in either Easy Off Bam or Formula 409, or any other household cleaner for that matter, unless of course it's a natural, homemade cleaner. I'm looking at both bottles now and 409 states "contains nonionic and cationic surfactants," whatever those are. Bam states, "contains sulfamic acid, but no phosphates." My limited recall from school on chemical names leads me to "assume" that sulfamic is related somewhat to sulfur, which as we all know, smells terrible.

Herein lies the distinct difference between Easy Off Bam and Formula 409 household cleaners. Bam just stinks. It stinks so badly that it tingles the nose hairs. This is not good. It actually hurts to work with Bam. If I'm bent over the tub spraying Bam, I'm bombarded with nauseating fumes, almost toxic fumes. To me, they are toxic, because I get an immediate headache and with prolonged exposure, I become nauseas.

Now, I'm not usually, easily sickened by chemical cleaners, for example, I use a half and half water to bleach combination to clean my Venetian blinds. I don some gloves but no mask, and I'm fine. Yes, the blind cleaning is done in the yard or basement where there is extensive ventilation, but one would think that this much ventilation would not be needed to scrub your bathtub. I could understand if I were a person who is sensitive to chemical cleaners, but I am not.

Must I open all the windows and doors to clean my bathroom or stove top with either Bam product? I haven't tried it, and I probably won't. The reason I have both Easy Off Bam and Clorox Formula 409 bottles to view is because I no longer use the bottle of Bam. I went out and bought the bottle of 409 so I could clean my toilet, my tub, my kitchen appliances, counter-top and sink without becoming ill.

For me, the few cents difference in price between Easy Off Bam and Clorox Formula 409 just wasn't worth the discomfort in using Bam. Possibly, I'm just sensitive to a particular chemical in Bam (sulfamic acid) that isn't in 409, and others may not be sensitive to that chemical, so it may be worth giving Bam a try if you're cost conscious. If not, since they both work well, I'd avoid Bam and stick with 409. Save the noses of the world.