Use olive oil to remove traces of stainless steel

I am both lucky and unlucky in that I come from a long line of housekeepers. This comes in handy when I get an impossible task and have about 12 people I can call to get a miracle hack to fix the problem: Sprinkle it with peroxide! Just add salt and ice! Put some pickle juice on it! The situation is less fortunate when one of these women—mainly my mother—comes to my house and asks me why there is a stain on the windowsill that she can see 15 paces away. But overall, the pros outweigh the grievances every time, and I’m now well-stocked with old-school advice on how to clean smarter, not harder. Today I share.

One of my all-time favorite cleaning shortcuts is the one passed down from my grandmother on how to tackle stainless steel. The only way to go is use olive oil, something I learned the hard way.

I was at the end of my tether for a long time with my stainless steel appliances. I washed them thoroughly every week with a spray bottle of vinegar, then tried to buff out the streaks with a microfiber cloth. But there would always be lines. I have tried everything: glass cleaner; a drop of dish soap on a microfiber cloth; distilled white vinegar polished in the direction of the grain. And nothing.

I was about to buy some stainless steel wipes and call it a day, when my grandma stepped in before I added another expense to my shopping list. “Just use olive oil,” she said with a shrug.

She explained that once you’ve wiped down your appliances, simply pour olive oil on a rag and wipe it on the steel. All smudges, smudges and watermarks disappear instantly, with minimal polishing required. This is because the oil leaves a protective film on the steel, protecting it from stains. You end up with a beautiful shine – and you won’t have to buy extra cleaning products! It’s a win-win.

Have you always struggled to polish your own stainless steel items? Try this trick and see if it fixes your problem.

This is an updated version of an article first published in 2022.