Cleaning Stainless Appliances

[joe white]

My question today for the collective knowledge here at the AGF is this, how in the world do you get stainless appliances to look good? Previous to dealing with the stainless in our new home, my only experience with it was on a workbench in my shop. The doors and drawer fronts on the workbench are brushed stainless steel and I quickly gave up on trying to keep them looking nice. I found it nearly impossible to get an even and clean appearance.

Now that I have a kitchen full of the stuff I am going nuts trying to keep finger smudges and oil residue off of them. Heck, I can't even do a damp towel dry towel wipe without leaving streaks. This stuff is very frustrating for someone who is picky about the surfaces of things like this. I realize that the stainless has no finish so to speak of so we are dealing with a porous metal that will easily hold oils and smudges and not release them evenly or cleanly. Help!

[dwasifar]

Get stainless steel polish:



It's actually more of an oil than a polish, kind of like Pledge for stainless. But it will solve your problem, I ga-ron-tee.

[joe white]

Well, if you ga-ron-tee it, I guess I gotta' try it.

[H165]

NOT the liquid - use the powder.

If you're talking about seriosly polishing some All-Clad that has accumulated too much mojo, then you want green rouge:

[Dru Edwards]

I too have new stainless steel appliances and will need to clean them. What's the big difference between the liquid and power as mentioned above?

[H165]

The liquid separates (de-homogenizes) quickly and badly. You end up with sort of sudsy water at the top of the bottle and a solidified block powder-cake at the bottom. Both residuals are pretty much useless.

[thomasinaz]

My wife uses a mix of water and white vinegar in a spray bottle. She's a stainless fridge smudge hater and wipes them away with a little spray and an old cloth.

[dwasifar]

Originally Posted by H165

NOT the liquid - use the powder.
[/IMG]

NO NO NO.

Do not use Bar Keeper's Friend on stainless steel appliances! That's an abrasive, for sinks and cookware, not your fridge or microwave. It will destroy the brushed finish on appliances. It'll also haze the plastic if you slop it over onto the control panels.

[jseth]

As of last Fall, I have begun to use a vinegar and water solution along with baking soda for my household cleaning... and I'm pleased with the results... the hardest part is wiping thoroughly to remove the residue from the baking soda...

Can't say how good it feels to know there's NO POISON in my house, especially the kitchen and counters...

I have all the old cleaning stuff outside, so IF I really need it, it's there, but a 1:1 vinegar/water solution seems good for normal cleaning - I also put 20 drops or so of tea tree oil in a quart of that solution; tea tree oil is a mild antiseptic and smells nicer than straight vinegar and water.

Again, wiping surfaces thoroughly is the hardest part of using the baking soda as a "scrubbing" agent... but it doesn't scratch, and it removes odor, as well.

[joe white]

Originally Posted by dwasifar

NO NO NO.

Do not use Bar Keeper's Friend on stainless steel appliances! That's an abrasive, for sinks and cookware, not your fridge or microwave. It will destroy the brushed finish on appliances. It'll also haze the plastic if you slop it over onto the control panels.

I was thinking the same thing. Sink? Yes. Stainless appliances? Nooooo

[Willie_D]

My stainless fridge has the ice/water dispenser in the door, and the area below that is a lost cause.

[Simon Fay]

Joe, why don't you try hitting those appliances with one of your pedestal buffers. Just unbolt the buffer from the floor and voila -- you've got yourself a handheld buffer, my friend !!!

[joe white]

Simon, you know me all too well. My mind has gone there many times already and I have even considered a nice low sheen automotive urethane clearcoat.

[Neil K Walk]

Originally Posted by thomasinaz

My wife uses a mix of water and white vinegar in a spray bottle. She's a stainless fridge smudge hater and wipes them away with a little spray and an old cloth.

Originally Posted by jseth

As of last Fall, I have begun to use a vinegar and water solution along with baking soda for my household cleaning... and I'm pleased with the results... the hardest part is wiping thoroughly to remove the residue from the baking soda...

Can't say how good it feels to know there's NO POISON in my house, especially the kitchen and counters...

I have all the old cleaning stuff outside, so IF I really need it, it's there, but a 1:1 vinegar/water solution seems good for normal cleaning - I also put 20 drops or so of tea tree oil in a quart of that solution; tea tree oil is a mild antiseptic and smells nicer than straight vinegar and water.

Again, wiping surfaces thoroughly is the hardest part of using the baking soda as a "scrubbing" agent... but it doesn't scratch, and it removes odor, as well.

^ this - unless you prefer the smell of chemicals over the smell of vinegar. It works well and is cheaper - and safer - than all that stuff.

Club soda also works well on table tops. That's a trick I learned while busing tables.

[Denny B]

And all this is why my wife insists that all her kitchen appliances be good old fashioned white...