Category: Frugal

My kitchen cleaning secret – a stainless steel chain mail scrubber

Today I am going to tell you about an inexpensive product that my friend over at PharmaFarm told me about, that has saved me so much time and hassle cleaning in the kitchen. It’s so simple and versatile – a stainless steel chain mail scrubber!

photo of a stainless stell chain mail scrubber on a counter with text "my kitchen cleaning secret stainless steel chain mail scrubber"

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How do I use my stainless steel chain mail scrubber?

I use my stainless steel chain mail scrubber in two main ways – to clean my reusable water bottles, and to scrub stuck-on food and stains from my pots and pans.

Chain mail scrubber for reusable water bottles

Photo of a stainless steel reusable water bottle with stainless steel chain mail scrubber hanging half in, half out of the bottle.

I love my reusable water bottles, but until now had not found a good solution for keeping them clean. It was tough finding bottle brushes long enough to reach the bottom of my bottles. The ones that did usually had nylon bristles and plastic handles, and some had plastic covering part of the metal between the bristles and handle. The natural bristle ones I had got moldy quick and in general I have trouble keeping them clean.

Now with this stainless steel chain mail scrubber, it is easy to keep my glass, stainless steel, or titanium water bottle clean! I put the chain mail scrubber in the bottle with a little soap and water, put the cover on, and shake for a minute. Then I pour out the soapy water, use a regular natural kitchen brush or just my hand and some soap and water to clean the bottle mouth and cover. I rinse everything with clean water, let dry, and my water bottle is good to go!

Chain mail scrubber for pots and pans

Photo of a pot that has had the left half scrubbed with a stainless steel chain mail scrubber, soap, and water, and the right half just cleaned with a regular kitchen brush, soap, and water. The left half is shiny silver and the left half had brownish yellow stains. The chain mail scrubber is hanging over the edge of the pot.
left half scrubbed with chain mail scrubber, right half not yet scrubbed

Using a chain mail scrubber for pots and pans is the primary purpose for which this product is advertised. I first heard about these scrubbers for cast iron, and they make perfect sense for that application. The scrubber uses friction of lots of small pieces of steel rubbing on the pan to scrape pieces of food off the pan. This is great for a pan like cast iron that should not soak or have soap applied.

I still haven’t gotten the knack for cooking with cast iron, but I have found this stainless steel scrubber great for scraping burned on stains and food from my stainless steel and aluminum pots and pans. When soaking in hot, soapy water didn’t do the trick, this scrubber did! I just put a squirt of my dish soap on the scrubber and scrub away. It definitely takes some time and elbow grease for the stains that have been there for a while, but I got this pot that’s been stained for years looking like new again.

photo of a pot while being scrubbed with a stainless steel chain mail scrubber, soap, and water. Chain mail scrubber and dirty bubbles are in the bottom of the pot.
the cooked on stain at the bottom of my bean-cooking pot was pretty gross – it turned my soap brown as I was scrubbing
photo of a shiny clean pot after being scrubbed with a stainless steel chain mail scrubber, soap, and water
but after scrubbing, my pot looks like new!

Why do I like this scrubber so much?

  • This stainless steel chain mail scrubber is versatile for cleaning in my kitchen. That alone is enough to make me like it.
  • It is made of stainless steel, a completely recyclable material. While I expect this scrubber to last me a very, very long time, if it does somehow lose its use as a kitchen scrubber, I can simply recycle it, and all of the elements of the stainless steel scrubber can be re-purposed into other things.
  • This scrubber is also very easy to clean. I either rinse with clean water then add a squirt of soap, rub it around in my hand, and rinse, or I put it in my dishwasher.
  • Finally, this scrubber was quite inexpensive.

Cost

The stainless steel chain mail scrubber that I purchased cost about $9. I selected this specific scrubber because I liked the round shape (when laid flat, vs. square), and the small loop size. I am happy with the size of this scrubber. It fits well through the mouth of my water bottles, and also is large enough to hold in my hand as I scrub pots and pans.

There were many options to choose from and I am sure many are very good. This is not a paid advertisement for a specific product. However, I can say that I like this stainless steel chain mail scrubber and I would recommend it.

Do you have any uncommon uses for common kitchen (or other household) items? Share with us in the comments below!

Shower scum cleaner

Back before I was so environmentally conscious and adopted the more natural lifestyle, I just wanted a clean shower. And I had a lot of trouble finding a product that let me get that! I bought specialty shower cleaners, all purpose cleaners, and I scrubbed and scrubbed, and I never felt like my shower was clean. There always felt like a tacky soap residue on the shower walls and glass door. That is – until I discovered the cleaning power of vinegar + Dawn dish detergent.

Dawn dish detergent, 5% white vinegar and spray bottle for shower cleaner

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.  See my Disclosure Policy for more information.

Last year I wrote about basic cleaning with natural soap versus synthetic detergent. Basically, natural things like dirt and sweat can be effectively cleaned with natural soap (like castile soap), and synthetic things like bike chain grease need to be cleaned with a synthetic detergent. Conventional soaps, shampoos, and body washes fall into that second category; they need a detergent cleaner. After trying many synthetic cleaner mixes without success, I came across a very simple cleaner recipe: white vinegar + Dawn dish detergent.

In retrospect, this makes perfect sense. Do you remember those ads for Dawn where the people are cleaning oil off ducks who were contaminated after an oil spill? The makers of Dawn know this stuff is good for cleaning that icky synthetic residue.

Synthetic soap cleaner: vinegar + Dawn

The recipe for this soap scum cleaner is very simple. Just two ingredients, plus a spray bottle (I reused the bottle from an old cleaner) and a sponge or cleaning brush.

5% acidity white vinegar and Dawn dish detergent

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Pour equal parts vinegar and Dawn in a spray bottle. Attach cover.
  2. Slowly and gently turn the bottle upside down, right side up, and repeat several times to mix the ingredients.
spray bottle with vinegar+Dawn

How I use vinegar + Dawn shower cleaner

To use vinegar + Dawn shower cleaner, I spray all over the shower walls, door, and bottom of the shower. I let this “soak” for about 5 minutes, then I use a wet sponge or cleaning brush to wipe down all shower surfaces. I work from the top down, and rinse/re-wet the sponge or brush as needed. Finally, I rinse everything with water.

I have found that the easiest way to tell if the surface is clean and clear of soap residue is by touch. When I run my fingers over a clean surface, it is very smooth. When there is soap scum on the surface, it feels a bit tacky or textured. Any time I feel areas like that, wipe over that area again (if there’s still vinegar + Dawn on my sponge; otherwise I spray a little more solution then wipe.

tub with vinegar + Dawn shower cleaner in a spray bottle next to a cleaning brush

When do I use this shower cleaner?

I use vinegar + Dawn dish detergent as a soap residue cleaner when I am cleaning a shower (or sink) that has had conventional soap, shampoo, or body wash used in it.

What do I use to clean the shower if I have used natural soaps?

Vinegar + Dawn seems to work on all soap residue that I have encountered. That’s probably why detergents have become so popular – they work on everything. However, for the natural soaps, I have found a natural cleaner. When the shower has had only natural soaps and shampoos like I now typically use, I use this all natural soap scum cleaner.

Cost

How much does this cleaner cost?

My spray bottle holds 26 fluid ounces, so with this recipe it holds 13 ounces each vinegar and Dawn, and cost 13x($0.03125+$0.09989) = $1.70 to fill. Based on how long I’ve been using this bottle and how much is left, I estimate one bottle lasts me at least 4 years. Cost per year is only $1.70/4=$0.43, making this a frugal cleaning product. While this product (the Dawn part) is not natural, I use only a little at a time and only a little each year, so I don’t feel too guilty using it.

Have you found any effective soap or synthetic soap residue cleaners? Please share in the comments!