When to Use Olive Oil for “cleansing” (and When Not)
From vodka to wax paper to drying lint , many basic household items have special, secret uses. And according to multiple blogs and TikTok, olive oil is no different. There are claims that it can be used to clean other oil stains, polish stainless steel appliances, and refresh leather. It seems counter-intuitive to apply oil – a famous coloring agent that has sparked many blogs about how to remove it – on anything you’re trying to clean, so I’ve tested some of these supposed hacks. Here’s what I found.
Fat spots
If you’re into skin care, you may be familiar with oil cleansing, based on the idea that like attracts like, and using an oil-based cleanser will draw other oils out of your pores. Is it true in the kitchen? Not really!
I gave up cleaning the stove for a few days to see if the oil would actually rise, well, different oil, and it didn’t. There were a few crumbs and a bit of dust that the oil picked up, giving me a false confidence to start, but by the time I smeared the oil-soaked sponge into a real mess, it was clear it was stupid. . I again applied the oil to the sponge and rubbed it three times , but the oil did not wash off the stove. You can see it in my “after” photo on the top right.
Stainless steel
Recommendations for using olive oil on stainless steel are all over the place and are based on the fact that the oil polishes and fills in small scratches and then leaves a mark that enhances shine and protects against stains.
This actually worked great for me. The stains were gone, the shine increased, and it was easy to do with just a few swipes of a microfiber cloth. Make sure you rub the oil into the steel in the direction of the grain.
Leather
Using oil to brighten leather is a hotly debated tip, so I decided to see what it was like by applying some oil to a very small area of an old leather chair using a soft cloth. This instantly improved the look of the material, hiding scratches, restoring some color, and overall making it look newer. Victory!
However, I read that prolonged exposure to oil is bad for the skin, as the oil can seep behind the fabric and hide inside the pillow, so I came back with soapy water, then rinsed it with plain water and dried it. carefully with a dry cloth. The results have not disappeared after such a thorough cleaning – the chair still looks great. I give it 10/10.
Vinyl
This is where I kind of started doing freestyle. I’ve never actually seen a recommendation to use vinyl polish oil (although I’ve since found it recommended for polishing both vinyl flooring and records ), but it seemed leathery enough that, to be honest, I wanted to see what would happen. The answer is not very good.
While the oil did remove some of the dirt and stains, I’m not sure soapy water can’t do the same. What’s more, while record collectors swear that oil can buff out scratches on vinyl, the scratch on mine (which I pointed out above) was completely unaffected by my efforts. Wack.
Cabinets
In general, it is recommended to polish wood with olive oil throughout, as the oil can improve the appearance of scratches and nourish the wood. I tried it on a wooden box and found it to be true, but as far as cleaning was concerned, there was no difference between the box I oiled and the one I cleaned with plain water and a melamine sponge.
However, the oil enhanced the shine more than the water and sponge, so if that’s what you’re looking for, this is a good option. However, this only happened after I walked over it again with water; the residue left by the oil was too thick and mottled.
Notes
Olive oil does what its fans claim, for the most part: it makes things shiny, fills in (small) scratches, and makes things look newer or less used than they are. However, it doesn’t do much to “clean” so be skeptical when you see any posts that advise you to “clean” with it.
After my experimentation, I came back with soapy water to wash out everything I had smeared. If your goal is to achieve maximum shine and create a barrier that prevents scuffs and marks, oil is fine, but having residue on high-touch surfaces will only lead to more mess. By all means, polish the steel and brush the wood, but wash it lightly afterwards.