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• Effective and low-consumption finishing strategy for multifunctional stainless steel mesh and sponges. • Superhydrophobic coating with micro/nano structures is rationally constructed without organic solvents. • Rational water-based aza-Michael addition reaction coating strategy realizes on-demand special wettability. Superhydrophobic porous materials are widely used in oil-water separation due to their water-blocking and oil-passing properties. However, the preparation of most superhydrophobic porous materials is generally energy-intensive and must be performed using organic solvents. In this study, we describe a straightforward and cost-effective strategy for fabricating superhydrophobic coatings on nanosized soil particle-modified stainless steel mesh (SSM). The coating is prepared via the aza-Michael reaction of stearyl acrylate and melamine-urea–formaldehyde (MUF) resin catalysed by methyl cyclodextrin in water. Superhydrophobic meshes with water contact angles (WCAs) exceeding 150° are obtained, exhibiting extraordinary water repellency. The superhydrophobic mesh also effectively prevents surface contamination, creating a self-cleaning surface that is both waterproof and dustproof. Most importantly, the superhydrophobic mesh presents excellent oil separation performance for oil-water mixtures of various compositions, maintaining extremely high separation efficiency (>98%) even after 80 cycles. Additionally, we successfully apply this strategy to the preparation of superhydrophobic melamine sponges with excellent oil adsorption capacity (17.6–44.2 g/g). This innovative study provides an effective strategy for designing biomimetic superhydrophobic surfaces and is a promising development in the field of environmentally friendly oil-water separators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]