I Put My Grandmother’s Trick for Cleaning Stainless Steel to the Test, and Now I’m Never Using Anything Else

I am both lucky and unlucky in the fact that I come from a long line of professional housekeepers. It comes in handy when I get an impossible stain and have about 12 people I can call to get a miracle hack to solve the problem: Douse it with peroxide! Just add salt and ice! Put a little pickle juice on it! The situation is less fortunate when one of these women — mainly my mom — comes to my home and asks why there is a speck on the windowsill that she can see from 15 paces away.

Of course, overall, the perks outweigh the grievances every time, and I am now well-stocked with old-school tips on how to clean smarter and not harder. Today, I’m sharing one of my all-time favorite cleaning shortcuts for cleaning stainless steel I learned from my grandma, using just olive oil.

I was at my wit’s end for a long time with my stainless steel appliances. I’d clean them carefully each week with a vinegar spray, then would try to buff out the streaks with a microfiber cloth — but there would always be lines and residue afterwards.

I tried everything: glass cleaner, a drop of dish soap on a microfiber cloth, distilled white vinegar buffed in the direction of the grain, and nothing worked. I was about to buy stainless steel wipes and call it a day, when my grandma intervened before I added yet another expense to my shopping list: “Just use olive oil,” she said with a shrug.

My grandmother explained that after you wipe down your stainless steel appliances, you can simply dribble a few drops of olive oil onto a microfiber cloth, and wipe it across the steel with the grain. All the streaks, smudges, and watermarks instantly disappear, with minimal buffing required.

The plant-based oil leaves a protective film over the steel, protecting it from smudges. You’re left with a lovely sheen — and you can use what’s already in your pantry, without needing to buy any extra cleaning products. It’s a win-win!