When we first moved into our studio, an old house built in 1939, it needed a lot of TLC.
One of the first projects we took on was restoring a large cast iron stove, and I don’t know how we would have gotten rid of all the rust without steel wool! The coarse steel wool pads were the anti-rust champions! After seeing the amazing results of my scrubbing, I had to see what else I could do with steel wool.
What is steel wool?
Steel wool is made from thin threads of low-carbon steel, which are gathered together into a ball. It makes a useful abrasive, and is often used to refinish furniture, scrape off old paint, and even in the kitchen as a steel wool soap pad. But that is by no means its only use! Steel wool makes an affordable and effective workhorse inside and outside your home.
In addition to rust removal, here are ten other useful uses for steel wool pads:
- To sharpen your scissors, cut a piece of fine steel wool a few times. It’s amazingly effective, and you won’t believe what a difference it makes!
- Clean your shoes by rubbing a damp piece of steel wool over any dirty rubber. (I’ve used a magic eraser for this in the past, but steel wool works faster!)
- It is excellent for sanding. More pliable than sandpaper, but still abrasive to wood surfaces, fine grade steel wool is more comfortable to grip and molds more easily around awkward shapes. You can also use finer-grade pads for burning.
- Tighten a loose screw by winding some super-fine steel wool around the screw threads before putting the screw back into the hole. The steel wool will tighten it and hold the screw in place.
- To remove crayon wax from a wall, gently rub steel wool over the area and the crayon will rub right off! The same method will work for cleaning heel scuff marks on vinyl floors.
- If you have a problem with mice, stick some steel wool in nooks and crannies that mice can fit into. They cannot chew steel wool and will leave the area.
- Before bathing your dog or doing the dishes, stick a small piece of steel wool around the drain. The soapy water will go right through, but everything else will be left behind for you to clean up quickly later.
- It’s great for cleaning pots and pans, especially those heavy-duty stainless steel pans that get grease and grime!
- Use a little grease-cutting dish soap to clean surface rust off your car’s chrome rims. They will be fine in no time. (If you are planning to use steel wool to clean other metal surfaces, test one of the pads on a section of the material you want to clean. Fine grade steel wool is best).
- You can use a 9-volt battery and some steel wool to start the fire! It’s a great item to have in your emergency kit.
Steel wool notes:
- Always remember to wear gloves when working with steel wool to prevent the fibers from sticking to your skin. And keep in mind that the fibers can make a bit of a mess if you’re not careful.
- Steel wool is similar to sandpaper in that the larger the grain, the more abrasive it will be. For scraping, use large grain steel wool. For polishing, buffing, and delicate finishes, use smaller grits.
How do you use steel wool?
