A magic eraser is pretty incredible! When used properly, it will remove orange spots from your paint. However, there is a risk to using a magic eraser type of sponge on your paint. The risk is that there is a chance that you could do more damage to your paint. Not by the Magic Eraser, but by the material removed by the Magic Eraser.
Will a magic eraser remove orange spots, fallout, rail dust? The scrubbing motion required to remove the orange spots will likely dislodge the ferrous particles from the paint that cause the orange spots AND eventually, wear the orange spots from your paint. However, when the ferrous particle causing the orange spot is removed, it will be rubbed between the magic eraser and the paint until you take a break from rubbing. This creates sand paper which creates scratches as you scrub with the magic eraser.
Top 6 reasons to never use a magic eraser on orange spots.
A few minutes ago, I stumbled across a tip to remove rust stains from white painted cars. The well-intentioned person who was sharing the information explained that a magic eraser would erase the rust stains. He actually demonstrated that the Magic Eraser would take off rust stain smudges where rust spots had stained the paint.
The Magic Eraser actually did an okay job. The shadow of the stain remained when the test was complete, but most of the stain did actually disappear. This could be an option for certain types of staining. Perhaps rust stain removal from industrial equipment where the shadow of the rust is not a big deal. However, I cringed at the thought of using the magic eraser on the white paint of my Ford F-150 King Ranch. The Ford salesman’s voice still echoes in my mind “the truck has nice white paint, but don’t ever scratch it! That paint is three times more expensive than basic white!”
Majic Eraser Becomes Sand Paper
Here is my concern about trying to remove orange spots with a magic eraser. The orange spots on the painter created by tiny iron particles being embedded in the paint. These small iron particles are harmless as they rest in the paint. However , the Magic Eraser uses mechanical force to remove the rust stain. If that small iron particle were to be removed from the paint by the mechanical force of the the magic eraser, it could be ground between the Magic Eraser and the surface of the paint. As the person using the Magic Eraser was scrubs aggressively to remove the rust stain, they could be scratching the surface of the paint with the iron particle that has been removed from the paint. Essentially scraping the paint on a microscopic level.
I’m concerned that once the paint has been penetrated, and bare metal is exposed, rust could be created at a rate much greater than just having the spec of iron embedded in the paint. Potentially, more significant long term damage could be created that is much more significant than leaving the orange spot and rust spec in place. This could lead to more serious damage to the car after a year or two.
Perhaps the Magic Eraser could be used after the iron particle was confirmed dissolved and removed by a liquid industrial fallout remover, such as Iron X.
What is in a Magic Eraser?
A Magic Eraser is made up of melamine foam. This foam like material consists of a formaldehyde-melamine-sodium bisulfite copolymer. This foam is manufactured by several manufacturers worldwide, predominantly BASF, under the name Basotect. It’s been around for over twenty years as insulation for pipes and ductwork. It is also used as a soundproofing material for studios, sound stages, auditoriums, and the like.
Although melamine foam is the active component of a number of abrasive cleaner sponges, it is also used as a sound and thermal insulation material for bullet trains, due to its high sound absorption, excellent thermal insulation performance and lightweight.
Information Sources:
BASF Basotech Magic Eraser Product Description Sheet.