How Well Do You Know BKF? A 10-Question Quiz

November 1, 2024

So, how well do you know BKF? To begin with, did you know BKF is short for Bar Keepers Friend? You did? Okay, that’s one point for you. Below are 10 questions to test your knowledge of BKF.

1. What year was the original Bar Keepers friend discovered?
2. Who discovered the original powder?
3. In what vegetable can Oxalic acid, one of the main ingredients in BKF, be found? (Actually, it can be found in more than one veggie.)
4. In what city are the BKF manufacturing facilities and home office?
5. BKF is a family-owned business. How long has the Ser Vass family owned BKF?
6. How many products does BKF offer?
7. What is BKF’s latest product?
8. Which of these materials can you use BKF on?

• Stainless steel
• Copper
• Brass
• Glass
• Fiberglass
• Ceramic
• Tile
• Chrome
• Formica
• Porcelain
• Corian
• All the Above

9. You can use BKF for cleaning which of the following:

• Rust
• Mineral deposits
• Soap scum
• Lime
• Calcium scale
• Baked-on residue
• Tarnish
• Oxidation
• Knife marks on plates
• Dyes
• All the above

10. Where can you purchase BKF Products?

Answers

1. 1882
2.  Chemist George William Hoffman discovered BKF.
3. While cooking a batch of rhubarb, he found that his previously stained pot was clean and shining. Being a chemist, he was intrigued. So, he isolated the cleansing ingredient oxalic acid, which naturally occurs in rhubarb and other vegetables such as spinach.
4. The family-owned SerVaas Laboratories manufactures Bar Keepers Friend at a plant near West 52nd Street and Guion Road in Indianapolis.
5. After World War II, U.S. Navy veteran Dr. Beurt SerVaas found that the customers at his small plating shop kept asking him how to clean metal items. “My grandmother used Bar Keepers Friend,” he told them. Inspired to serve his customers, Dr. SerVaas purchased Bar Keepers Friend from the Gisler Polish Corporation in 1956.
6. BKF offers eleven household products, from the original powder to a Coffee Maker Cleaner, plus cleaning kits and institutional products.
7. The newest BKF product is EZ-Flush, a toilet flushing aid. This heavier-than-water formula sinks to the clog-prone area, where it helps prevent clogs by decreasing the friction between the bowl and its contents to swiftly solve disruptions to your toilets’ flow.
8. All the above.
9. All the above.
10. You can purchase BKF products all over the world. You can find them at Amazon, Target, Walmart, Kroger and more. To find any BKF product, click here: Bar Keepers  Friend — Where to Buy.

So, how did you do on our “How well do you know BKF” quiz? If you answered all the questions correctly, we want to hear from you!

About the Author

Randy Clark is a speaker, coach, and author. He publishes a weekly blog at Randy Clark Leadership.com. Randy is passionate about social media, leadership development, and flower gardening. He’s a beer geek, and on weekends (after COVID-19), he can be found fronting the Rock & Roll band Under the Radar. He’s the proud father of two educators; he has four amazing grandchildren and a wife who dedicates her time to helping others. Randy is the author of the Amazon bestseller The New Manager’s Workbook: A crash course in effective management.