Make a second pass over the rubbed areas with a clean soft cloth to remove excess oil and boost the shine.

Dip a clean soft cloth in the mineral oil and gently rub down one face of the appliance at a time in the direction of the grain to erase any streaks or prints and lend a lustrous shine.Once the steel is clean, immediately wipe up any errant liquid with the microfiber cloth (the cleaner can leave streaks if left to air dry). If you still see stains or buildup, spray additional homemade stainless steel cleaner on the problem area and use the microfiber cloth to vigorously wipe in the direction of the grain.Repeat the process of spraying and wiping to clean the entire appliance. Be sure to wipe around knobs, levers, and other grooves and recesses. Moving in the direction of the grain, wipe down the sprayed area with a microfiber cloth (avoid abrasive scrubbers like steel wool, which can scratch) to dust, grit, and loosened grime.You’ll want to avoid cleaning against the grain, which will leave streaks of cleaner. Determine the direction of the “grain” (i.e., the pattern of lines) on the stainless steel-either horizontal or vertical.Start using the cleaner and mineral oil on all your stainless steel surfaces! Photo: Avoid olive or other cooking oils, which will go rancid with prolonged exposure to sunlight. STEP 3: Prepare polish.įill a small bowl with one to two ounces of food-grade mineral oil (available from brands like UltraSource) to polish the metal after using your homemade stainless steel cleaner. Secure the spray head back onto the bottle, then gently shake to combine. Mildly acidic essential oils such as lemon oil are safe for use on the tough metal. To offset the pungent scent of the vinegar during application, add in 10 to 20 drops of your favorite food-grade essential oil to impart a temporary fragrance. STEP 2: Add essential oil to spray bottle. NOTE: Check your owner’s manual to ensure that appliances and fixtures don’t have an oleophobic (oil-repellent) coating, which can be stripped by the vinegar solution. RELATED: 10 Handy Household Uses for Vinegar (You’ll need more or less vinegar depending on the surface size to be cleaned: One to two ounces will cover a standard toaster, but you’ll use up to 32 ounces when cleaning a typical fridge.) Stainless steel is non-reactive to acids, so it won’t be damaged by the vinegar-based homemade stainless steel cleaner, and the six percent acetic acid content in cleaning vinegar is best suited to cutting grease and grime (plain white vinegar has five percent). Remove the head from the spray bottle and add in at least 16 ounces of food-safe all-natural cleaning vinegar such as Heinz Cleaning Vinegar, which is made with grain and water.

Mineral oil stainless steel polish