Filipinos love cooking as much as they love eating food. However, post-cooking woes such as tough stains on your cookware and burnt food inside the oven are also a common sight in the kitchen. Removing such leftover grime is hard without a proper steel wool. This chore is not just a matter of cleanliness but also practiced to prevent health hazards.
While leaving the pans soaked in soapy water should do the trick, using a steel wool will save time and leave your cookware smooth and glistening. We've got your back if you don’t know what works best for you. And so, we have prepared a buying guide and a 10 best list to help you keep that grime off your pots and make your kitchen sparkly clean.
Quick List - Top Steel Wools
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Steel wool is a familiar tool in most households when it comes to washing cookware. It has an abrasive property made by pulling metal rods and stripping the metals to form strands and filaments. This feature eases cleaning for most surfaces- especially pots, kitchenware, and kitchen tops with tough dirt and grime.
The known materials to make steel wools are steel, stainless steel, bronze, and aluminum that differ in roughness, durability, cost-effectivity, and cleaning ability. Since manufacturers have started to innovate the way they make their steel wools, consumers can now choose from a variety of steel wools to clean different surfaces.
From cleaning windows to metal products, even to ward off rats, steel wools are one of the most versatile tools to have in anyone's pantry and cupboards.
Steel wools differ in terms of grit, wool grade, and material. These factors are downright confusing if you are trying to get your steel wool online. To ease your selection process, we have prepared a buying guide to help you decide quickly and determine what's the most suitable option to address your needs.
The steel wool's grit determines its roughness. The grit types have two major classifications- coarse and fine. Meanwhile, its wool grade indicates the thickness of the steel fibers. It is typically seen in the packaging and ranging from 0000, 000, 00, 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4.
You can also look into the care instructions or directions for use to verify which home items are compatible with the steel wool's grit and wool grade.
Extra-coarse, medium-coarse, and coarse-grit wools are excellent for tough stains and burnt grime due to their high abrasion made by loose and slightly thick metal strands. Their wool grade ranges from 1 for medium to 4 for extra coarse.
However, be careful in using these on smooth surfaces, glasses, non-stick wares because they can leave permanent surface damage.
The finer-grit spectrum of steel wools includes fine, extra-fine, very fine, super-fine, and micro-fine. These are material-friendly grits are characterized by smaller steel strands and work well in cleaning most smooth surfaces with minimal damage.
Their wool grade is classified as 0000# for super-fine to 0# for fine-grit. Aside from kitchen use, woodworkers also prefer this grit type as a substitute for sandpaper.
The size of your steel wool does make a big difference. A large steel wool is suitable for a wider surface for quick cleaning time while smaller ones are great for tight nooks and crannies, and gives your hands more control. When it comes to its shape, generally, steel wools come in balls, pads, and rolls.
A steel wool ball is perfect for cleaning cookware, stovetops and kitchen counters. Its rounded contour allows for reaching corners that a regular sponge cannot reach. On the other hand, steel wool pads are great for cleaning large areas such as windows, hard floors, and panels due to their width and length.
Meanwhile, you can cut steel wool rolls into your desired size for several other purposes. These include cleaning pipes, blocking critter holes, and buffing shoe scuff.
You can also into the attachments made for using steel wools such as handles and soap infusion. These innovations have tripled the cleaning efficiency of the steel wool and offer more comfort for its user. Steel wools that come with handles allow for maximized gripping and dexterity in stripping off caked grease and food debris, bringing a comfortable cleaning experience and grease-free hands.
Other types are soap-infused steel wools that lessen the need of consuming extra soap— a thrifty option for consumers. With these extra features, all it takes is a vigorous rub to bring out the suds, and all that's left is a sparkly clean surface.
Some steel wool manufacturers offer bundle packs that can help you save a few pesos while enjoying the same quality and quantity of the product. Meanwhile, buying a single pack is perfect for trying different brands until you've decided on your go-to steel wool. It is also suitable for small kitchens with limited cabinet space.
Products | Image | Click to purchase | Key features | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 3M Scotch-Brite Stainless Steel Ball | ![]() | Tough Cleaning Partner From a Trusted Brand | |
2 | Brillo® Steel Wool Soap Pad|Lemon | ![]() | Soap-Infused Steel Wool Pads With Lemon Scent | |
3 | Clorox S.O.S. Steel Wool Pads | ![]() | All-Around Steel Wool for Saucepans and Pots | |
4 | Penguin Steel Wool | ![]() | Large Coarse Pads for Cleaning Walls, Countertops, and Floors | |
5 | Stainless Steel Ball Brush with Long Handle | ![]() | A Grease-Free Cleaning Experience for Your Hands | |
6 | 12-in-1 Pack of Fine Steel Wool | ![]() | Budget-Friendly Steel Wool Pads in Bulk | |
7 | Steel Ball Brush with Small Handle | ![]() | Steel Wool With Easy-to-Control Handle | |
8 | Hitech No. 0000-Grade Super Fine Steel Wool | ![]() | Flexible and Super Fine Grit for Gentle Scrubbing | |
9 | Hitech No. 1-Grade Steel Wool | ![]() | Versatile Medium-Grit for Both Cleaning and Home Improvement Projects | |
10 | Red Devil Coarse Steel Wool | ![]() | For Heavy-Duty Needs Such as Paint Stripping and Rust Removal |
Many households are already familiar with Scotch-Brite as one of their go-to and trusted cleaning tool brands. With its high-quality materials, this brand has made its way to most homes and cleaning tool kits. This stainless steel ball can remove combinations of tough dirt, burnt grime, and grease on cast iron cookware, ovens, and charcoal grills.
It is a single-pack item but you can easily buy a second steel ball for cleaning outdoor tools, floors, or your walls. Compared to generic brands, it can last up to six weeks or more with proper use, storage, and care. That sounds like a great deal to ease your tough cleaning duty!
These soap-infused steel wool pads from Brillo have been eliminating countless greases since 1909. You'll save up on extra liquid soap since the steel wool is already infused with Brillo's soap with an anti-rust formula. You can use it on your greasy cookware, glassware, utensils, kitchen, and floor surfaces—wherever a build-up of dirt is present.
This pack comes with 10 pieces of pads with a lemon scent. Don't worry about hard soap residue causing any trouble on water systems as the detergent in the pads is biodegradable for a guilt-free cleaning experience.
This soap-filled pad from Clorox is designed as a pot-cleaner. Its product name, S.O.S stands for "Save Our Saucepans" is a testament to its original purpose. Since then, it became one of the popular pot-cleaning tools on the market.
The lemon-scented soap is paired with the fibers of the steel pads- offering uninterrupted cleaning. No need to reach for additional dishwashing soap. Moreover, these are not just for cleaning pots and pans, they can also work on porcelain surfaces and even car tires, patio furniture, and golf clubs.
With many steel wool options and products now available for the growing consumer population, some manufacturers have decided to make products with a bigger size and more quantities in a single bundle. One of which is this product from Penguin that comes plenty in a 16-piece box.
These 'giant' pads are great for cleaning large areas such as floors and walls, and counterspace, for example, left-over grimes in your kitchen. Not only that, but this steel wool is also great for polishing and smoothing surfaces. That means it can be with you in metal and woodworking projects.
Not everyone is willing to get some elbow grease when cleaning tough kitchen stains. This steel wool brush is a handy tool to keep those sticky grime and grease off your hands. This is also great for multi-taskers in the kitchen that needs their hands grime-free for other house duties.
Its long handle will allow better grip and control while removing tough stains in nooks and corners. When the original steel wool has had enough use, you can get another steel wool ball as a replacement. Just take note that the seller will be sending a random color.
Having a highly-functional cleaning tool without straining your wallet is always a great choice. One example is this 12-in-1 pack of fine steel wool. You can use it for cleaning iron cookware including iron pans, pre-seasoned cast iron skillets, dutch ovens, griddles, and iron waffle makers.
To use, simply scrub the residue using warm water. No need for soap or other detergents with harsh ingredients. The steel wool is handcrafted for extra strength and is made of high-grade, restaurant-quality stainless steel. It is lightweight and easy to use whether for your home or when camping.
Everyone is familiar with how hard it is to comb through tight spaces where grease build-ups are plenty. While some prefer cleaning tough dirt with steel wools and their bare hands, this cleaning tool comes with an easy-to-grip handle to keep your hands away from the abrasive steel.
You can now use the full power of your hands for hard-to-reach corners without worrying about scratching your fingers. When the steel wool gets worn down, you can always replace it with a ball of new steel wool to continue the job.
This superfine 0000-grade steel wool from Hitech will do great for your gentle cleaning experience. This grit type will not damage the delicate surfaces of glassware, porcelain, vinyl, and similar surfaces at home. Its grit can substitute your old fragile sandpaper to shine, polish, and buff some of your rough-surfaced items.
It comes in a 16-pad pouch that will cover most of your cleaning needs for several months. Aside from the kitchen, you can also use it for woodwork projects, DIY works, cleaning windows without using detergents, and removing rust.
This type of steel wool's abrasiveness is just right for most home cleaning and home improvement needs. Perfect for people who love to do DIY projects without the extra harmful coarseness of higher-grit steel wool variants.
Another good item from Hitech, this pack brings you 16 pads that will last for several rubbing and scrubbing needs. It offers an easy and inexpensive fix that comes with heavy-duty properties for your cleaning chores and prep work in lieu of sandpaper and bulkier tools.
Cleaning rust in big machines, heavy-tools, and dirty car parts such as rims can be daunting, and no amount of soap can soften the thick build-up of dirt. This 3-grade steel wool from Red Devil is heavy-duty and has a coarse grit- perfect for such a clean-up task.
Its coarseness is suitable for aggressively stripping-off deposits of rust that can be hard to remove. If you have paint stripping jobs or machinery cleaning projects, this steel wool's grit can be a great help to remove old paint and even the surface. Do not forget that this isn't friendly to smooth-surfaced items.
For most of us, a clean home contributes to peace of mind and a happy household. If you're looking for new cleaning products to try, have a look at some of our recommended household items to keep your home clean.
Cleaning your home is easy when you have proper cleaning tools and cleaners in your hands. Most diseases are at bay and your family's health must be prioritized at all times. Start by keeping your cookware, kitchen, bathroom, and garden tools clean and grime-free with a handy steel wool. Make sure to get one with the right grit or wool grade that is compatible with your intended use.
Author: Harvey M. Tolentino
No. 1: 3M Scotch-Brite|Stainless Steel Ball
No. 2: Brillo®|Steel Wool Soap Pad|Lemon
No. 3: Clorox|S.O.S. Steel Wool Pads
No. 4: Penguin|Steel Wool
No. 5: |Stainless Steel Ball Brush with Long Handle
View Full RankingThe descriptions of each product are referenced from content available on manufacturer, brand, and e-commerce sites.
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