Steel wool?

[Ryan Inouye]

What grades of steel wool are "safe" to clean cast iron with? I see people mention 0000, but what about the heavier grades? Thank you!

*by safe I mean won't damage it

[Russell Ware]

Steel wool will eventually rust. I recommend only using stainless steel wool scrubbing pads. It is easy enough to use a few drops of dishwashing soap when scrubbing with one.

[Duke Gilleland]

Steel wool will eventually rust. I recommend only using stainless steel wool scrubbing pads. It is easy enough to use a few drops of dishwashing soap when scrubbing with one.

Your local dollar store usually carries a generic brand of SOS soap pads. They are cheap enough for a one time use or you might cut them in half.

[Cheryl Watson]

Stainless Steel Scrubbies are durable,  and reusable.

The Soap concentrate in SOS pads, Brillo Pads etc, I find leaves behind a 'film', even on my SS cookware, requiring Dishwashing liquid to remove it, plus those dang pads start to rust in under 5 minutes when used on CI... at least mine did. 

Home Depot carries the SS Scrubbies, and I think Walmart does too. :)

[Keith Rumgay]

and the dollar store carries stain less steel scrubbies too

[Mark R. Smith]

There are various brands of the scrubbies. Make sure they are 100% Stainless Steel some also have copper scrubbies. You sure don’t want the copper laced scrubbies around you CI

[C. Perry Rapier]

You can use the heavier grades of steel wool just fine. Or I do anyway. If your steel wool starts to scar up your cast iron, backer down a notch or two and go to finer steel wool.

I went to a heavier steel wool on a big piece of aluminum cookware I was working on and it worked great. And the results were good and looked good. It even worked out some of the rough spots much sooner that fine steel wool would have.

[Cheryl Watson]

Ugh... Perry... Steel Wool grows rust...... ugh... I will stick with my SS scrubbies that keep on keepin' on.... :) :)

[Cheryl Watson]

Oh, and by the way... I bought some of those SS Scrubbies from Sams Club a few, coupla, years ago... those commercial grade type... and....

I HATE those buggers... too coarse to get the job done... so I got a bunch of those still hanging around if anyone wants them..


 :D ::)

[Jerry Cermack]

SS Wool..... ;)

https://briwaxonline.com/product/lustersheen-434-stainless-steel-hand-pads/

[Valerie Johnson]

If you use a little vegetable oil with regular steel wool pads it eliminates the rust, I use them occasionally and then just toss them when finished, Steel wool is dirt cheap.