The 1 Surprising Thing You Can Clean With Parchment Paper

We put a trending TikTok hack to the test.

If you are even a part-time home baker or semi-regular home cook, you likely have a roll of parchment paper in a drawer or cabinet. But you might be surprised to know it can actually do more than line a sheet tray or en papillote that fish filet.

Recently, on TikTok, I stumbled across a simple-but-surprising way to get this job done. Earlier this year, TikTok creator Sidney Raz posted a viral video of cleaning his bathroom faucet with a ball of parchment paper. No water or cleaning products in sight.

The difference before and after was nothing short of amazing—it looked like a totally different faucet. I was curious right off the bat.

Stainless steel fixtures don’t just look modern—they’re also more resistant to corrosion and wear than other materials, making them a great addition to any kitchen. The only annoying thing? Stainless quickly puts imperfections like fingerprints and hard water deposits on display, so you have to stay on top of your cleaning regimen to keep them looking clean and shiny.

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In reading the post’s comments, I found a few possible explanations for why this seems to work. Some people suggested that parchment paper is a little bit abrasive, so it’s great at rubbing away residue. Others said it contains silicone—unlike wax paper, which uses actual wax—which basically transfers to the dull surface to make it shiny. The creator, Sidney Raz, added his own take in the comments. He claims the paper is shining the surface more than anything, rather than actually cleaning it.

No matter the explanation, I had to try this hack out for myself. My kitchen faucet wasn’t super dirty, but I spotted a few less-than-glimmering spots, including a section of mineral deposits at the bottom.

I grabbed a ball of parchment paper and rubbed away at it, but was disappointed that I didn’t notice any difference on the top part of the faucet, near where the water comes out. To be honest, It didn’t look any shinier than when I started. Bummer!

The Spruce Eats / Ashley Abramson

However, the bottom of the faucet was a totally different story. The ball of parchment paper both removed the mineral deposits and increased the shine of the metal—so it made me wonder if the hack works best if you’re working with a really dirty faucet.

If this one doesn’t work wonders for you, the TikTok comments held a few more stainless steel cleaning hacks: Somerecommended using wax paper, which is bound to leave the surface super shiny; others suggested trying a dryer sheet, brown lunch bag, or newspaper. You can even use a dollop of olive oil or baby oil to enhance the shine. Either way, time to say goodbye to dirty and cloudy stainless fixtures—no expensive specialty cleaning supplies needed.

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