The $3 Cleaning Gem I Use in Almost Every Room of My Small Apartment

When I moved into my first apartment, my mom put together a care package for me of things she knew I’d need. And while this included items like a food processor and a good colander, it also had a box of steel wool soap pads. 

I didn’t have a dishwasher, and my mom knew that these steel wool soap pads would be key to me staying on top of kitchen chores. What I don’t think she anticipated is that it’d also become essential in all other areas of maintaining my home as well. Read on to find out how I use steel wool soap pads to clean areas beyond the kitchen. 

My mug often has coffee stains on the inside, and I’ve found that scrubbing it with a soap pad has been a great method for keeping it clean and ready for a fresh brew. 

The obvious use for these soap pads is to use them to clean dishes and utensils — and I do, daily. But the same premise that makes them work for that also makes them a great choice for handling grease buildup on pots and pans. While I’d never use it on a cast iron, I have cleaned nonstick cookware and stainless steel appliances with them (including my stovetop moka brewer).

My sink’s faucet area is constantly getting rust and calcium deposits. Steel wool soap pads are great at eliminating this, along with hard water stains and soap scum in bathrooms.

I live in a studio apartment — essentially a concrete box with no outdoor space — but when I visit my family, I love to play with their grill. Steel wool soap pads are an excellent way to scrub stuck-on bites of burnt meat and grease right off the grill.

I use scissors constantly, which means they need to be sharpened regularly. I’ve used steel wool soap pads to transform them from dull to sharp — and it’s so easy to do. Just wipe down the scissors with the pads.

Cleaning the oven is a nightmare, and those cleaning chemicals have the worst smell. But a great hack for cleaning the oven is to use these steep wool soap pads to wipe down those burnt sticky bits that got stuck inside and keep things looking fresh and clean (and avoid any oven fires!).

Dealing with a mouse problem? You’ll want to use these steel wool soap pads to plug up any tiny holes in the wall that mice and bugs can get through. It’s a lot cheaper than an exterminator, who’d also tell you to start blocking off points of entry immediately.

Scuff marks happen on my floor sometimes, and let me tell you something: The landlord of my rent-controlled studio apartment is not about to get those floors professionally cleaned (even though I’ve lived in this apartment for over 15 years!). I use steel wool soap pads to work on scuffs on the floor and get into the little nooks and crannies. It’s also perfect for tackling grime on the grout between the tiles in the bathroom.

I love to make these pads last as long as possible, so one way I stretch their use is by stashing them in the freezer in a storage bag. This keeps them from rusting or drying out and extends their life. Once I’m ready to use one, I just grab it from the freezer, leave it out to defrost for a few minutes, and get to work. 

You can also cut a larger pad into smaller pads (in half or quarters) so that you replace them less frequently. An added bonus of this is that smaller pieces are good for scrubbing smaller areas, sort of like precision cleaning!