With the addition of temperature effects to the game steel wool might be a nice item to add to the game. It can be used with the 9 volt battery (that everyone drops at the start of the game) to start a fire. This would give a fresh spawn a chance at starting a fire with a book to warm up at least until they can find other gear. It could also be used to clean items such as pots and pans. Another possible use might be on melee items such as the axe and shovel. Craft it with a stick and use it to clean a firearm. When vehicles come into the game it could also be used to clean up auto parts.