How to clean and polish stainless steel. Stainless steel is one of the most common materials in our homes for pots and pans, bathroom and kitchen. To clean and polish stainless steel in the best possible way, it is not necessary to purchase specific products or detergents. You can easily prepare your do-it-yourself detergents for cleaning steel thanks to liquid soap or dish detergent - always to be chosen ecological - citric acid, lemon juice and more. Here are some useful ideas and recipes for you.
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THEstainless steel it is one of the most common materials in our homes for pots and pans, bathroom and kitchen. For clean and polish stainless steel in the best possible way it is not necessary to purchase specific products or detergents. You can easily prepare yours do-it-yourself detergents for cleaning steel with liquid soap or dish soap - always choose ecological -, with citric acid, lemon juice and more.
Here are some useful ideas and recipes for you
Index
Ash cleansing cream
You can use the ash cleansing cream that you will get from homemade lye preparation for cleaning the bottoms of stainless steel pans that have encrustations and grease, or that need to be well polished. The ash cleaning cream also helps eliminate any traces and residues caused by burns. The advice is to use a old sponge rather rough to rub the cream of ash on the pots. Then you will have to rinse everything well and if necessary, give it a new pass with a few drops of ecological dish detergent or liquid soap.
Read also: Ash lye: how to prepare it and how to use it at home
Descaler with citric acid
THEcitric acid is a weak acid, very useful in ecological cleaning of the house to get a do-it-yourself descaler economical and effective. Thanks to the limescale remover with citric acid you can easily eliminate residues present on showers, taps, sinks and bathtubs caps and other stainless steel parts of the house. You will need to prepare a 20% by weight citric acid solution. To use, pour it into one sprinkle, apply it on the surfaces to be treated and let it act until you see the traces of limestone dissolve. As for objects, such as caps or showers, you can pour the solution into a tray or basin, in which to immerse them even for the whole day or for the night, or in any case until the limestone has dissolved. You can buy citric acid online or at a pharmacy. To prepare 500 milliliters of 20% by weight citric acid solution you will need them:
100 grams of pure anhydrous citric acid
1 graduated container
1 spoon or glass rod
1 electronic scale
Tap or distilled water
Weigh the citric acid and pour it into the measuring container. As a precaution, when handling citric acid, wear gloves. Then add water to the measuring cup until it reaches the 500 milliliter mark. Stir with a spoon or glass rod until the citric acid granules have dissolved. Transfer everything to a spray bottle or other container depending on the intended use.
READ also: 10 DIY anti-limescale remedies
Bicarbonate cleansing cream
If there are dirt residues on the pots or on the stainless steel surfaces that are difficult to remove, but you do not have the aforementioned ash cleaning cream available, rely on the bicarbonate. With simple tap water, baking soda and dish soap or liquid soap, you will prepare a homogeneous cleaning cream that will not scratch the steel. To get a small amount, to use right now, simply mix 1 bicarbonate spoon e 1 teaspoon of dish soap or liquid soap with a few drops of warm water. To prepare a larger quantity, mix until a homogeneous cream is obtained:
100 grams of baking soda
1 teaspoon of dish soap or liquid soap
Warm water
In a bowl, mix all the ingredients with a teaspoon. Add just enough water until the mixture is easy to apply and not grainy. Pass it on the surfaces to be treated with a soft sponge e rinse.
Read also:50 great alternative uses of baking soda
Acqua and sapone
Here is a grandmother's remedy to eliminate food encrustations that may remain on bottom of the pots in stainless steel. Before moving on to hand washing, proceed as follows. Fill the pot with hot water so as to cover the bottom and the parts of the walls where there are encrustations. Pour 1 tablespoon of liquid soap or dish soap. Turn on the stove over low heat for a few minutes. This will favor the detachment of residues. Let it cool, empty the pot and complete the cleaning.
Instead of soap or dish soap, you can pour it into the pot 1 tablespoon of baking soda o 1 tablespoon of soda ash (Soda Solvay). Soap and water are also suitable for cleaning steel surfaces. Pour 1 or 2 tablespoons of liquid soap in ½ liter of water, transfer everything into a bottle with sprayer and shake. Apply the liquid thus obtained on the stainless steel surfaces for them general cleaning. Wipe them with a soft sponge or microfiber cloth, rinse and dry very well, to avoid the formation of limescale caused by water residues.
Read also: Marseille soap: 10 alternative uses for cleaning the house and the person
Lemon zest and juice
If you don't have citric acid available, you can use the lemon juice per polish stainless steel, eliminate water stains from surfaces and small traces of limestone. Lemon is a precious fruit. After squeezing it, you can use the inside of the peel like a real one sponge to scrub the surfaces of the house and stainless steel objects and make them shine. The same remedy is also suitable for copper.
You can also pass the steel surfaces to be polished with one sponge sprinkled with lemon juice, possibly diluted in water. Use pure lemon juice and leave it to act for a long time as regards the surfaces on which there is clearly visible limestone. In any situation, after leaving the lemon juice to act or after rubbing objects and surfaces with the peel, always give it a good wipe with soap and water or dish soap, rinse and dry very well.
Read also: 22 food and non-food uses of lemon (including zest)
Marta Albè
For more tips on how to clean your home without chemical detergents, we recommend our book "My eco-clean house - Eco-friendly and economical do-it-yourself detergents"(Gribaudo 2014). You can find it in all Feltrinelli bookstores at a price of 14,99 euros. You can take advantage of the 15% launch discount by purchasing the book online:
- on the Feltrinelli website
- Su Amazon
Read also:
- Do-it-yourself detergents: the guide to ecological and affordable cleaning
- How to make homemade soap with just three ingredients
- How to naturally clean silver, copper and other metals
