Getting At All Those Hard-To-Reach Places . . . Including Corners!
Written: Nov 17 '04 (Updated Dec 30 '04)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: The product worked well . . .
Cons: I couldn't get the pole together . . .
The Bottom Line: I'd still rather get on my hands and knees with a bucket and a brush
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| ed_grover's Full Review: Mr. Clean MagicReach Starter Kit |
Bra-a-a-a-a-a-k-k-k-k!! The doorbell woke me out of a light afternoon slumber and I silently cursed whoever it was as I stumbled to the door and pushed the intercom.
Me: Uh, hullo, who'z 'ere?
Cheery female Voice: We have a package for you Mr. Grover.
I shuffled out to retrieve my package wondering what nut had sent me something now. It was Federal Express. I signed on the dotted line and headed back to my apartment wondering if it could it be another package from my friend in New York filled with magazine clippings and maybe a book? No it was too big and too light for any of his nonsense. I found my box cutter and zipped through the reinforced tape to find a Mr. Clean MagicReach Easy Top to Bottom Bathroom Cleaning product sample from Hass MS&L.
Hmmmmmm, it completely escaped my mind that I agreed to participate in the product pre-launch events this company was handling. A few months ago Pogomom, one of the Category Leads in Home & Garden, sent me an e-mail asking if I would be willing to participate. I said yes and here was my chance to prove I could review more than Books and a few men's fragrances.
As advertised on the web:
" Mr. Clean Magic Reach™ is an innovative new bathroom–cleaning tool that helps you—just extend the neck to scrub away soil on the top of the shower or behind the toilet! The all–in–one tool can be used in combination with two types of cleaning pads to destroy germs and dirt in the shower and tub, or on the floors and sinks.
In a special advertising section on the Internet, Mr. Clean and Oprah are celebrating women reaching their goals and getting to that hard-to-reach place in their life. Whether it's getting that much deserved promotion or raising a family, [they] want to hear how you got there and will choose some of the best stories to feature on the [web] page in the following weeks. For more information, go to: http://www.oprah.com/ads/mrclean/mrclean_challenge.jhtml.
Since I'm a 73 year-old gay male, I don't qualify for any of this stuff. Not that I'd want to, but should I start screaming discrimination now, finish cleaning the bathroom, or chuck the whole thing? Does Mr. Clean & Proctor & Gamble think men (straight or gay) don't clean bathrooms?
What was in the box:
I found the components for constructing a three-piece pole that didn't exactly snap into the Magic Reach Flexible head (MRF). it's a piece of pierced, dark blue material shaped like the sole plate of a steam iron that I assumed was either rubber or soft plastic. I had a problem assembling the pole. One of the pieces wouldn't snap in place no matter how hard I tried.
The flexible head is where you attach one of the two types of cleaning pads (more on that later). There's a white plastic handle attached to the MRF head that folds down to lock the cleaning pads in place. You can use this tool either with the pole (if yours works) or without it, as I did. I thought the handle could have been more ergonomically designed while they were at it. Arthritic hands will not enjoy the grip if they are scrubbing for any length of time.
The telescoping pole should have been easy to snap together; there were east to follow directions. I found the parts I did get together were not so easy to unsnap when I wanted to put the contraption away because I wasn't using it. I would suggest that once the tool is assembled (if you get it assembled), leave it that way and store it with your other cleaning supplies in a closet, or a corner like I do because I have no extra closets for that sort of thing. One end of the pole slides out to form a hook that you can use to hang it up if you wish. Instructions come in English and Spanish. What about all the Asians and other nationalities that are coming to our shores and doing so well? Oh, that's right, they all learn English.
There were two each of Magic Floor/Multipurpose Pads and Scrubbing Tub/Shower Pads. They were clearly marked "Sales Sample: Not For Resale," and came with full directions for slipping on to the MRF head. Instruction are printed in dark blue on orange(ish) background are exceedingly hard to read. Fortunately they have included pictures of the assembly: 1) slip on the cleaning pad, 2) activate it with water, 3) clean your surfaces and, 4) rinse thoroughly.
There are warnings on the box and on the packages to keep out of the reach of children and pets. There are also warnings that this product is not for personal cleansing. You wouldn't really do that, would you? If there is prolonged exposure to skin and eyes, one should rinse immediately with clear water and call a physician. We are warned what not to clean, such as things as natural stone or colored grout. Always test on old, worn or delicate surfaces such as chrome, plastic or cultured marble before using. Well, I ain't got any of those, so I got out my rubber gloves and headed for the bathroom.
Wow, I thought, this thing is right on time. Curtis Ray, our intrepid building manager and paramour of my buddy Illona Trailer, who runs the Trailer Trailer Park in central Wisconsin, just put the finishing touches on my bathroom last week. The place has been a major disaster area for eight months . . . since April of this year. The lead pipes in this 85-year old building decided to give out and after replacing the complete plumbing stack for four floors of bathrooms above me, there was enough dirt, mold and other crud around to put any new show-off cleaning product to the test.
Being a fair-minded creature, I swept up the better part of the debris and vacuumed up the major part of the plaster dust, but there was still a lot of gunk to be removed. I got a nice new "family commode" (Curtis Ray's term) out of the deal and building management agreed to resurface the sink, which had been damaged, but not the bathtub. The floors in the bathroom (and the kitchen and hallway) are those tiny white octagon tiles and they were a mess. I had planned to get on my hands and knees with a scrub brush, but my arthritis has been acting up and here was this nice new tool that promised to "easily clean the hardest–to–reach places in your bathroom."
How it all worked:
After carefully cutting open the plastic package with a scissors, I easily slipped on one of the Scrubbing Tub/Shower Pads. It had a pleasing lemon scent and relieved my fear of caustic odors because of all the warnings. I went to work. There are no shower tiles for me to clean here. My shower is one of those oval rings that hangs from the ceiling. it has a wall of plastic shower curtains hanging from it. Building owners installed these in bathtubs where there was previously no way to have a shower.
The hand tool worked very well on my ancient claw-footed bathtub. The gunk of ages came off in a swoop and even took off a few rust stains from around the drain. I turned on the shower and rinsed off everything. I didn't dare go near my newly resurfaced sink, but I gave the new "family commode" a swish or two and then rinsed it with clear water from a bucket. The wonderful part of all this was that I just took off the dirty cleaning head and tossed it. The dirty rinse water went right down the drain.
After a sit-down and a caffeine free diet soda while I watched a bit of TV, I changed the cleaning head to one of the Magic Floor/Multipurpose Pads and went to work on the floors . . . and those dreaded hard-to-reach places. The first place was the area at the end of the tub where I formerly kept my cat's littler pan when I had a cat. Talk about hard-to-reach places . . . and corners, I easily got in there and reached corners that had previously seen only the head of a vacuum cleaner hose and had seldom been reached by the string mops I was using. My reach when I was on my hands and knees wasn't so successful either, so this was a joy.
I got behind the "family commode" quite easily. This is another place I've always had trouble reaching. In the past I tried one of those blue toilet cleaners . . . the ones in a jar that you drop in the tank. Well the tank leaked and I had blue stains on the tiles, but they aren't there any more. I wiped the old chrome in the sink and the tub and it brightened considerably.
There was no rinsing required for the floors, but I felt I ought to, so I did. The package lists other areas you can clean: counter tops (none for me), floors, and sinks (I ain't touching mine). Do not clean: natural stone, non-sealed tiles, unfinished, oiled or waxed wooden boards or floors and stay away from any carpeting. You really wouldn't have tried that, would you? You are cautioned not to flush the pads, but to toss them in the trash when you are finished.
This product worked well enough for me that I was satisfied. I really have such a small area that I prefer to get down on my hands and knees to do the floor with a scrub brush. I like to use a bucket full of warm water containing some Mr. Clean Multi-Purpose Cleaner, rather than something on a stick to get into my corners. I think I'll give this cleaning tool to my friend Illona, she'll love using it and she has more hard-to-reach places to get into than I do. If she can't reach them, Curtis Ray and his big socket wrench certainly can.
Ed Grover – November 2004
Recommended:
Yes
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Member: Ed Grover
Location: Milwaukee, WI
Reviews written: 332
Trusted by: 400 members
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