Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. I didn’t have a dishwasher, and my mom knew that these steel wool soap pads would be key to me staying on top of kitchen chores.

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. A bucket of cleaning tools in the kitchen - New Africa/Shutterstock We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

The usage of steel wool as a household scrubbing device dates as far back as the 19th century, where mechanics would gather up loose metal shavings from the floors of their garages and use them to ...