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Here’s Day 2 of my series of making your own cleaners. Today it is how to make your own stainless steel cleaner.

Did you check out yesterday’s post on how to make an All-Purpose cleaner? I use that cleaner in our bathrooms, as well as our kitchen. Today is a more specific cleaner. I love the look of stainless steel in my kitchen. I love it even better when it’s shiny and streak-free.

What You Need to Make Your Own Stainless Steel Cleaner

Upon researching on the internet, vinegar seems to be the most popular choice when it comes to cleaning stainless steel. As I have been working with essential oils for most of my cleaners, I wanted to continue on in the same fashion.

When I used the all-purpose cleaner on the stainless steel I found that it always left it streaky – especially on the refrigerator which due to the size was more noticeable compared to the stove or microwave.

Once I tried vinegar on my refrigerator, the streaks went away. Many cleaning suggestions online suggest olive oil to polish it. So why not combine the 2 together? That, with some essential oils, makes a great stainless steel cleaner and polish.

The best thing about this recipe is that it only uses 3 ingredients. That’s right – just 3! It can’t get much simpler than this. You barely have to measure this too – it’s equal parts of vinegar and olive oil, topped up with essential oils.

I make most of my cleaners in glass, 16oz spray bottles. I find that it is a good size. It’s big enough so that I am not having to replenish it every week despite using it daily, yet it’s small enough to not take up so much room under my sink. A funnel makes it easier to pour the vinegar in.

Why Vinegar?

The acid in vinegar is known to be a natural way of cleaning dirt and grime. It also kills bacteria. It has many uses for cleaning your home.

However, you want to make sure that you do not use vinegar on certain surfaces – specifically stone (granite and marble – countertops as well as tile) and hardwood. The acid in the vinegar will strip away the finish on these items.

Why Olive Oil?

Olive oil is known to polish stainless steel and leaves it nice and shiny. It gets rid of smudges and makes it stain-resistant.

Why Essential Oils and Which Ones?

Yes, there are some who simply clean their stainless steel with vinegar and nothing else. However, I’ve come to learn that essential oils can complement the vinegar.

Citrus oils can help cut through grease, as well as cover up the smell of vinegar (which eventually goes away, anyway). I love the smell of lemon essential oil – it leaves things smelling so fresh and clean.

How to Make an All-Natural Stainless Steel Cleaner

• Using a funnel, fill up your glass spray bottle with vinegar and olive oil – use equal parts of both.
• Add 6-10 drops of lemon essential oil
• Gently swirl to combine

The number of essential oil drops that you use will depend on the scent that you prefer, which is why I provided a range. The more you add, the more lemony the scent will be and the less you add will smell more like the vinegar. It’s entirely up to you. I’d recommend starting with the least amount, taking a sniff and seeing if you like it.

How to Use the All-Natural Stainless Steel Cleaner

As we know that oil and water (or in this case, vinegar), don’t mix, be sure to shake your cleaner before using. Simply spray your appliance and use a soft cloth to wipe. You want to wipe everything up – you don’t want to leave it wet. Make sure that your final wipe is with the grain of the stainless steel – this is how you prevent streaks. For the longest time, I thought the grain on my refrigerator went vertically, but it actually was horizontal. I never really paid attention and just assumed it was up and down.

Use a nice soft cloth, like a microfibre cloth. Be sure to buff it at the end – you want to do this with a dry cloth. Step back and see how nice and shiny it is!

I use this on all stainless steel in my kitchen – the fridge, stove, dishwasher, microwave and even the toaster!

Now I’m happy that not only are my stainless steel appliances are clean, but they are also streak-free and smell nice!

Like the label on my bottle? It’s made using a waterslide decal. Be sure to check out my blog post on how to make those.

Be sure to come back tomorrow when I share with you one more cleaning product that will come in handy both in your home and perhaps your workplace.

Want to remember how to make your own stainless steel cleaner? Be sure to save this to your favourite Pinterest board.