Not every cleaning product can inspire a love song -- but nothing's quite like Bon Ami.
The Kansas City-based company is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year. It still features the retro chick logo chirping that its brand of gentle cleaners "hasn't scratched yet!"
Bon Ami has stuck with all-natural formulas since 1886. That eco-friendliness makes it part of a modern trend.
This summer Procter & Gamble offered Tide detergent and Downy fabric softener in vintage packaging at Target stores. Over the past few decades, other brands have ventured into the green cleaning niche.
Between the nostalgia and environmental factors, Bon Ami has developed a cult following. The company received strong feedback from customers through letters, Facebook postings and even a love song on YouTube, spokeswoman Carolyn Beaham West said.
"When I say I work for Bon Ami, people are like: 'Oh, my grandmother showed me how to use that,'" she said.
The company's products now include dish soap, liquid and powder cleansers and an all-purpose cleaning spray. For its anniversary, it brought back an 1886 original: the cleaning cake. A household staple in the 19th century, the cake is rubbed with a damp cloth, which is then used to polish away dirt.
The company's market share decreased with the introduction of chemical cleaners. But once the green movement started in the 1960s and '70s, some consumers started shifting back to gentler alternatives such as Bon Ami.
