This Everyday Ingredient Can Also Polish Brass And Copper Cookware

We all have that cabinet under the sink that is practically a graveyard for bottles of home and appliance cleaners. It seems you have to buy a new kind of spray for every surface and type of stain you might find in your kitchen. If only there was an ingredient that you already had that could get the job done ...

Olive oil is truly the gift that keeps on giving. You can use it for dipping bread as an appetizer, enhancing the flavor of sauces and dressings, and yes, even as a kitchen polisher. Particularly for brass and stainless steel appliances, olive oil can gently remove any sticky kitchen residues by letting it sit on the dirty area before wiping it all away. Not only does this remove dirt or leftover food grime from your more delicate metal cookware, but it can also aid in the seasoning process. 

Keeping pans like woks seasoned is key for both even cooking and not distributing any metallic flavor particles — so by using olive oil to polish the surface, you're essentially gently exfoliating the metal while preserving the built up seasoning. This eliminates the need for harsh chemical cleaners both for your cookware and for other stainless steel surfaces like stovetops and sinks. The oil leaves a smooth shine — no streaky lines here! — all without any artificial ingredients. We're not saying use your expensive stuff, but olive oil is your polishing secret weapon.

It's important to note that while olive oil gives that 'clean' effect, we refer to it as a polisher for a reason. It's best to gently wipe down most surfaces with a mixture of water and soap before going in with the olive oil to avoid spreading any bacteria or leaving patches of dirt. But, once you've done a light base cleaning, olive oil will give you that accessible finishing touch without having to buy a million bottles of polish. 

To start, you'll want to add a small amount of oil to a cleaning cloth — microfiber is best — and then buff with the grain of the surface you're cleaning. Once the olive oil has soaked in, you can wipe everything down with a dry cloth to see the finished product. For brass in particular, it's actually best to mix the olive oil with a tablespoon of lemon juice. This helps prevent discoloration in the brass as you clean it. Buff similarly in circles, then clean with a bit of warm water to remove any paste. 

The results will be a brightly polished brassy shine without any eyesore cleaning streaks or residue. You can also use a two-ingredient mixture of olive oil and salt to remove those pesky water stains for your wooden table tops, or even revitalize smaller tools like wooden spoons, so long as you scrub carefully.