Why Yes, I DO Believe In Magic.

I must confess: I am inherently lazy. I could go on and on, explaining in detail to you the full extent of my laziness, but for now, I think the fact that I'm typing this while uncomfortably perched on a pile of folded laundry that's been sitting on my bedroom chair FOR WELL OVER A WEEK is all you need to know.

I'm particularly lazy when it comes to cleaning. I mean, I try to keep things generally organized, and our place looks spotless, but I IMPLORE you not to inspect my baseboards, or get too close to my vegetable drawer, which may or may not contain cucumbers that have been in there for so long that they've evolved and developed cognitive thought. STAY BACK, FOR THEY ARE VERY CRAFTY. My walls are another problem, seeing as T is hitting that delightful two-year-old stage where they discover their inner Picassos and must express themselves only on beige, tan and white surfaces, and NEVER ON A PIECE OF PAPER. (How does he keep finding hidden crayons? HOW? And better yet, why do I keep leaving expensive eyeliner pencils lying around?) As a result, there has recently been a rash of waist-high scribbles (and smudged handprints, to boot) all over our home, and it's taken me FOREVER to get them off the walls. I've stood there with a bottle of all-purpose cleaner and a roll of paper towels, endlessly scrubbing. And scrubbing. And scrubbing. And finally stopping only when I was certain that scrubbing any longer would give me a repetitive-stress injury. NOT FUN.

Imagine my delight, therefore, when I was contacted by BlogHer to review Mr. Clean Magic Erasers. I was all, um, hello, free cleaning supplies? And money, you say? Sign me up! I must admit, however, that at first I was concerned that it'd be difficult to write about a cleaning product without sounding like a Stepford Wife, or Laura Linney in The Truman Show.You know, someone who looks like this:

I needn't have worried; the Magic Erasers are INCREDIBLE. For starters, they have a mild, non-abrasive side (which is perfect for quick, easy cleaning jobs like my counters) in addition to the standard erasing side (ideal for tackling the inevitable future CrayonPalooza '08 on my living room wall).

Furthermore, the Magic Erasers that I received also contained foaming cleanser for the kitchen and bathroom, as well as Febreze, so (along with the soft scrubbing side and the tough erasing side), you really have four cleaning processes in one (highly effective) product. And do you know how appealing that is for someone like me, who…yes, appears to have an imprint from a ribbed sweater on her bum, since she is sitting on her laundry because it's easier than putting it away? (Hint: VERY.) I was intrigued, and immediately put the Magic Erasers to work.

The first task I tackled was my white stove top. And by "white stove top," I of course mean, "stove top that I'm pretty sure was pristinely white at some point, but it's hard to tell under the Jackson Pollack-like spatters of last night's dinner." I ran the Magic Eraser under some water, squeezed it a few times to activate the foaming cleanser, and got to work. It quickly cut through the grime, and I was instantly impressed.

Next, I took another Magic Eraser to the bathroom, where I scrubbed my sink and walls with the soft, non-abrasive side. (Apropos of which, I must point out that I truly appreciated the fact that there is more than one Magic Eraser per package. Considering that I found them useful all over my home, it was nice to have a separate one for the bathroom area.)The tiles looked noticeably brighter, which is no small feat, considering that they were likely installed during the Roosevelt Administration. TEDDY Roosevelt. (My building is OLD, yo.) As an added bonus, the room began to smell faintly of citrus from the Febreze in the Magic Eraser as I cleaned. Instant air freshener!

At this point, J returned home from golfing, and (seeing me cleaning voluntarily, and probably concerned as to my mental state) inquired as to what I was doing. As I wowed him with the powers of the Magic Eraser, he took one from me, and used the soft side to clean his golf clubs. He swears that they've never been cleaner.

The next stop was my bedroom door. I have NO idea as to the origins of the diagonal marks on the bottom (tribal etchings? Elf graffiti? Help me out here.)…

…but the Magic Eraser COMPLETELY removed all of the scuffs and smudges.

At this point, I was truly amazed. Kitchen, bathroom, golf clubs, Mystery Bedroom Door Marks…The Magic Erasers had breezed through everything.

And so, I thought, what better way to cap off my review than by seeing if it could handle my arch nemesis…The Ivan Drago to my Rocky Balboa, the Heidi to my Lauren, the Corey Haim to my Corey Feldman: Crayon on the wall.

Since my earlier experience, however, I've gone to great lengths to ensure that the crayons are out of my son's reach, so there was actually no scribbling on the wall at the time. It seemed that drastic measures had to be taken, and so I colored on the wall myself.

(I KNOW. But I had to see if it worked!)

I proceeded to draw a rabbit in a hat.

And WHY did I draw that? Because I figured it would be poetic and oh-so-apropos if the Magic Eraser could make a rabbit in a hat disappear. (And yes, with that, it's official: I have the sense of humor of a 74-year-old man. Fetch me my lumpy wool sweater and butterscotch candies, children!)

I took the Magic Eraser, said a few quick prayers, and ….

My suspicions were confirmed: The Magic Eraser wiped away all traces of my drawing.

I learned a few things from my field test with the Magic Erasers, chief among them that coloring on the wall is actually quite fun, and I should probably invest in a little blackboard paint for T's bedroom so we can both indulge our secret passion. But perhaps even more importantly, I was bowled over by the Magic Eraser's effectiveness, and what a versatile product it really is. It readily tackled simple cleaning issues in my kitchen and bathroom, as well as tougher tasks like J's golf clubs, my bedroom door and, um, my wall drawing. And the fact that I was able to get my place looking spotless with just ONE product, and not 16 separate sponges, cleansers, and scrubbers? Well, the lazy girl in me (who, by the way, is STILL sitting on her chair full of folded clothes), thinks that's just priceless.

Want more Mr. Clean Magic Eraser Cleaning tips and reviews from fellow bloggers that (presumably) don't involve an almost-28-year-old woman coloring on her wall? Check out BlogHer's special tips page here!