How To Clean Stainless Steel

2010-05-28, isabellencm

Gleaming stainless steel appliances look lovely in the kitchen, but the downside is the ever-present fingerprint marks and smudges (especially around refrigerator and oven door handles). There’s no getting around the extra effort it takes to keep these appliances shining, but here’s how you can get rid of those pesky smudges easily.

Stainless Steel Appliances In The Kitchen

First do a quick wipe of the appliance (focusing on the hot spots like doors and handles) with a gentle liquid dish detergent & water mix, dry with a clean towel. After washing you’ll likely see the smudges and marks still hanging in there. You can buff out each smudge with a lint-free towel and some pressure, but try one of these items instead to bring back the shine and quickly remove those pesky fingerprints and smudges:

Olive Oil (just a dab will do)
Mineral Oil (Baby Oil)–Just a dab will do
Club Soda (especially good for removing streaks and heat stains)
Rubbing Alcohol
Vinegar (great for polishing too)

Directions For Use:

Apply directly to a lint-free cloth and wipe down surface, follow up with a clean dry cloth to bring appliance to a mark-free shine (microfiber cloths are nice to use for this but a clean towel works fine too).

More Tips For Cleaning Stainless Steel:

Avoid using cleaners or cleaning tools that are abrasive since they can mar the surface (even some soft-scrubbing creams can cause damage).
When cleaning the surface, wipe down the appliances along the grain of the stainless steel for best results.
Don’t clean stainless steel with bleach (diluted or otherwise), this can damage the finish.
Don’t forget to open the refrigerator or oven door, you’ll likely see a mess of smudges along the edge of the door.

Taking just a few minutes each day can keep your stainless steel appliances gleaming and looking brand new.