Next Time You Open a New Bottle of Olive Oil, Grab Your Microfiber Towel First

In addition to being indispensable in the kitchen, olive oil is a key character in a lot of hacks; treating kitchen burns, smoothing hair strands, and fixing creaky doors to name a few. But cleaning? Believe it! The latest hype around olive oil is all about its magical qualities when it comes to getting rid of finger smudges and other stubborn household stains.

This makes perfect sense—oil-based cleaning products are already being widely used, so why not go right to the source and use olive oil for cleaning? Just to be clear, we're not talking about the expensive stuff, known in the culinary world as sophisticated "finishing" oils. On the contrary—a simple bottle of your everyday oil will do just fine for cleaning. Next, you'll need a microfiber cloth to pour the oil onto—and a good cleaning plan.

The plan would be to make a list of all your household areas that could use some of that olive oil cleaning magic; stainless steel appliances are your first point of interest. Notoriously hard to polish and clean, those pretty, stainless fridge and oven doors will take well to olive oil gently smoothed over them in a circular motion, getting rid of grime and dirt.

Next, take to your leather chairs and cushions—the oil will eliminate tiny scratches and return your leather goods to their lush, lustrous like-new state. Then, it's the cast-iron pan's turn—scrub them with olive oil and coarse salt to get rid of persistent residue.

And lastly, if it's a weekend project you're into, take out the silverware and polish it gently with olive oil—adding a protective coat that will preserve shine for longer. Depending on your availability and time limits, these household rituals can be done every time you pop a fresh bottle of cooking oil—that way, maintenance is much easier to remember.