My old foreman swore by steel wool for soot stains and I argued for years

Dave from my first crew in Denver always said to use fine steel wool on ceramic glass panels. I thought he was crazy because it felt scratchy. Tried it on a customer's stove in Lakewood last month and it worked perfectly. Anyone else had a boss give advice that sounded wrong but actually saved you time?

3 comments

3 Comments

grace_white13d ago

And that's exactly the thing, @linda500. I read an article in some old handyman magazine my grandpa had that said the same thing about toothpaste and foggy headlights. It's the mild abrasive that does the trick, not the fancy chemicals. With the steel wool on the ceramic glass, I figured Dave couldn't be that wrong since he had been in the trade since the 80s. I sprayed a little water on it first, then took the finest grade steel wool I could find and it just lifted the soot right off without a single scratch. Made me realize sometimes the stuff that looks backwards works the best because it's been tested by decades of people who knew what they were doing.

linda50029d ago

Oh man, you just reminded me of my uncle who swore by using toothpaste to clean foggy headlights. I thought he was pulling my leg but it actually worked better than the store-bought kits. It's funny how the old school tricks always have a secret to them. Sometimes the hacks that sound the worst end up being the best.

bennett.noah29d ago

Did you try it with the cheap white paste or the fancy gel kind? Because I feel like my grandpa's Colgate trick only works with the basic stuff.