Does It Work? Kaboom!

I often see items on those "As Seen on TV" ads that I can't resist trying for myself, for two reasons:

A. I can report about it here.
B. I might actually find a product I can use to save either time, money or both.

Such was the case with Kaboom!, a spray-on tub and tile cleaner pitched on TV by bearded pitchman Billy Mays, the guy who yells a lot and makes everything look like you just can't live without it. Kaboom! was initially sold for about $10 (or the low price of TWO bottles for $15!, according to Billy Mays). I bought my bottle for $3.98 at Wal-Mart.

As it turns out, I had a shower at home covered in soap scum, and the bottle of my usual homemade cleaner of vinegar and lemon juice was empty, so on a whim I purchased Kaboom!

I brought the purple bottle home and read the instructions. It says you are supposed to apply with a damp sponge, wait 1-3 minutes and then rinse. I sprayed Kaboom! on my filthy shower, spread it out with a damp sponge, and waited all of a minute. Yes, I was being impatient. For a brief moment I wondered if I should be handling such a powerful cleaner without the benefit of rubber gloves, but Billy Mays doesn't use gloves on the commercial. If it's safe enough for Billy, I should be just fine, I reasoned.

I then wiped off the product with a soaking wet sponge, and then used a squeegee to remove the excess liquid from the clear glass walls of my shower. I stood back and looked at the results. It was crystal clear and clean, with virtually no effort. No scrubbing, no elbow grease.

So, does Kaboom! work? Yes, it does.

Disclaimer: This review was not endorsed or paid for by Kaboom! or Billy Mays. I don't even know those people. However, if they want to send me some more Kaboom!, I won't turn it down!