I tried essential oils to clean stainless steel perfectly | Homes & Gardens

Nov 11, 2024

I found it works better than commercial cleaners on even the most stubborn grime, and smells great too

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I'm a sucker for essential oils and when I realized you could use them for cleaning, I tried my homemade spray on pretty much everything. The most impressive result for me came on my stainless steel items.

From melting away grubby marks on my stainless steel appliances, to finally getting a streak-free finish on my large, prone-to-grease stovetop stainless steel backsplash, I now rate essential oil as a vital cleaning ingredient.

Here are my top cleaning tips after learning how to use essential oil to bring sparkle to my stainless steel items and what you need to use it at home, too

They say Mother Nature is a force to be reckoned with and the older I get, the more I realize nothing could be truer. Every natural cleaning supply I have tried in my home has blown commercial cleaners out of the water. And, not only are DIY cleaning solutions beautifully effective, but they are cheaper and better for cleaning your home without harming the planet.

Essential oil is no exception. When Karina Toner, operations manager and professional cleaner with Spekless urged me to give it a go for one of the many cleaning articles I have written here at H&G, I was blown away by its powers.

Karina explains, 'I love the DIY route! You’d be surprised how many kitchen staples can turn into effective cleaners.'

I couldn't agree more. Plus, l love how good essential oil makes everything smell. I use geranium essential oil to make my bathroom smell like a luxury spa, so I am thrilled at its powerful cleaning properties.

Geranium essential oil is my go-to. I love how luxurious it smells and the aroma isn't clawing, or overwhelming. Think spa-smell and that's what geranium wafts of. You can't go wrong with it in my opinion. If the floral scent isn't for you however, this brand has 33 other fragrances to choose from and they are all 100% pure.

If you're not sure which scent you'll like or haven't got any essential oils already at home, this little pack of six is budget-friendly and has a number of fragrances you can use alone or blend to find a combination you like. Each 10ml bottle is 100% pure essential oil, resealable and includes eucalyptus, lavender, lemongrass, sweet Orange, peppermint, and tea tree.

I make my own cleaning sprays including this essential oil one, pictured in my home. I label mine up so they don't get muddled up.

Simple mix two cups of water, as little as five, or as many as 20 drops of essential oil and a drop of dish soap to make your stainless steel cleaning spray. I found five does the job but 10-20 works better on grime and the smell is more potent, and lasts longer.

Give your bottle a swirl to mix well. I prefer this to shaking, which makes it foam a bit. Apply on the area you wish to clean, then buff in circles before wiping with your microfiber cloth.

Learn how to clean microfiber cloths to ensure their longevity.

I swear by microfiber cloths for all sorts of cleaning tasks. They are super absorbent, last for years, and wash and dry well. Skip the laundry softener though, as that will reduce the absorbency.

My stainless steel appliances were left spotless

I tested my cleaning spray on my stainless steel backsplash, my greasy extractor hood, and the stainless steel elements of my toaster, kettle and my most used, best air fryer. The results were amazing and made a big difference to how put together and clean my kitchen looked.

Swipe for the before image of the grubby stainless steel elements of my toaster and kettle:

Swipe for the before image of my grubby air fryer sides:

Swipe for the before image of my greasy stainless steel extractor hood:

Swipe for the before image of my streaky stainless steel backsplash:

It's a 10 out of 10 for me. The results across multiple stainless steel appliances, all of which are used daily and prone to grime, fingerprints, dust and grease, were cleaned up nice and quickly after I used my essential oil spray on them.

No excessive elbow grease was required apart from the middle section of the toaster, which had scorch marks from the heat. Apart from that, everything else was cleaned in a few swipes of my microfiber cloths. And, my kitchen smelled luxurious and wafted of geranium all day.

I highly recommend adding essential oils to your essential cleaning supplies list.

Next, delve into the cheap essential oil dryer hack that saw me ditch dryer sheets for good.

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Punteha was editor of Real Homes before joining Homes and Gardens as Head of Solved. Previously, she wrote and edited lifestyle and consumer pieces for the national UK press for the last 16 years, working across print and digital newspapers and magazines. She’s a Sunday Times bestselling ghostwriter and founding editor of independent magazine, lacunavoices.com. Punteha loves keeping her home clean, and trying her hand at DIY, spending weekends personalizing her newly-built home and tackling everything from plumbing to tiling.

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