The Magic Eraser Tip You’ll Wish You Had Known Years Ago

Let me start by saying that I have two sons, two dogs, and a house full of white walls. In other words, I use a lot of Mr. Clean Magic Erasers to get rid of random crayon marks, paw prints, and other mysterious scuffs and spots around my house. Given the frequency and, uh, messiness of the stuff I need to erase, I buy the extra-durable Magic Erasers, and honestly, it’s becoming a bit of a strain on my pocketbook!

The 10-pack I buy tends to cost about $12, which breaks down to about $1.20 an eraser. 

Don’t get me wrong — I’m more than willing to dish out money to keep my house clean. Unlike the rag-and-soapy water method, melamine foam pretty much requires no elbow grease on my end. Just get it wet and literally erase! All that said, if there was a way to save money on my Magic Eraser habit, I’d be more than game. 

Thinking through my cleaning habits, I asked myself: What if instead of buying fewer (or cheaper, off-brand) Magic Erasers, I found a way to get more use out of the ones I already have? That’s when it dawned on me. I can save money (and you can, too!) on Magic Erasers! Here’s how: Instead of using the entire, full-sized eraser to stave off scuffs, just cut the thing in half! You’ll instantly double your supply and bring the per-Eraser cost down to 60 cents!

The best part about this hack is that altering the size doesn’t compromise the effectiveness of the tool. The majority of the time, I don’t need the entire eraser for my typical cleaning jobs — especially because I use the extra-robust foam, which is a lot less flimsy than the basic ones. Of course, I reuse the halved eraser until it’s not longer useful, too. 

How do you save money when cleaning your house? Tell us in the comments below!