In the past we've declared our love for flour when it comes to polishing up our stainless steel. It works ridiculously well, but one good sneeze or breeze and it can turn into a mushroom cloud pretty quick. Plus it really only works convienantly on sinks or drainboards. For upright things like prep tables, refrigerators and such, try olive oil instead!
What You Need
Materials
Soft Cloth
Several Teaspoons Olive Oil
Instructions
1.Clean: Before you get to buff and polish, take a few minutes and clean your sinks, fixtures or furniture with whatever dish soap you have laying around. It doesn't really matter if it leaves streaks; all it needs to do is get the spaghetti sauce bits and other debris off.
2. Rinse & Dry: After things are clean allow the surface to dry completely. This is a good time to check your text messages. See? It's not that tricky yet, right?
3. Apply Oil: Apply a small amount of oil to a soft cloth. We keep our olive oil in a squeeze bottle and it helps to apply only the amount we need (no, it doesn't go rancid and yes, it's the best thing ever!). Removing the lid and pressing the towel to the top and doing a quick flip will get the job done.
4. This Is The Way We Buff Our Stuff: Cleaning with olive oil is as easy, but you need to use a bit of elbow grease. What makes it work is the pressure from your arm pushing the oil around in the super small grooves of the metal. It helps distribute the slick stuff and gives everything a nice smooth coating. It will take a little longer than you think, but we're talking a minute or two, not an hour or two. When it doubt... keep buffing! You'll feel the texture change as things smooth out.
5. Flip Your Towel: Since you've really only used one side of the towel for the application of oil, flip the towel and re-buff the surface with the clean side. It will pick up any extra oil so it doesn't dull the surface. Try using a week old dish drying towel that's headed to the laundry for washing anyway!
6. Admire Your Work: It seems silly, but appreciating a job well done makes everything better. It's always nice to know that something works right without additional cleaners or chemicals in your space.
Additional Notes: If you'd like you can buy the inexpensive stuff for this trick, just make sure it's true olive oil and not a mix!
Related: 6 Ways to Clean with Olive Oil
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great tip! I would have never thought of using olive oil. *a
Actually, I recommend cleaning stainless steel with a spray bottle of distilled white vinegar and soft cloth. It completely eliminates all grease, fingerprints, food etc and leaves no streaks. And it's green, non-toxic, safe for children, pets and adults. And it's cheap.
This is a great idea. I wish I still had stainless steel to try it on!
You know, its mentioned about olive oil going rancid...I cook regularly with olive oil but I buy a new bottle every couple months. I store mine similarly to here and have never in my life had olive oil go rancid. I use it to oil my wood counter, my mom has it on her counter. What am I doing right (or wrong) that I've yet to encounter this elusive rancid olive oil??
jmorri26 - You're simply going through it fast enough. Quite often folks will pick it up at bulk retailers because it's less expensive and before they can go through it, it turns.
This works well, too, and it only requires one step: http://bit.ly/crOWol