Everyone loves stainless steel appliances because they’re beautiful. It seems every television family and celebrity shows off their stainless steel refrigerators, etc., but we’re guessing they’re not the ones that clean them. We can’t see Justin Timberlake scrubbing his fridge while singing “Bringing Luster Back.” It’s totally stuck in your head now isn’t it?
For the rest of us, cleaning stainless steel is a necessity if you want to keep it looking good and resisting rust and staining. It may be durable, but it’s a very sensitive material, so here are some tips and what to do and what not to do.
What Not To Use
Stainless steel can take a beating, but the wrong chemical cleaner can cause serious damage and even lead to rust. Do not use oven cleaners, chlorine based bleach, steel wool or abrasive scrubbing pads, abrasive cleaners or hard water.
Hard water can leave spots and stains. Abrasive cleaners and pads leads to scratching and steel wool leaves small particles behind that may rust. When it comes to stainless steel, simple is always better.
Simple Cleaning
If you’re looking to just wipe down the metal or give it a quick clean, then mixing a few drops dishwashing liquid and warm water will do the trick. Wash the surface of the appliance and then go over it again with a wet washcloth that has no soap. This makes sure all the soap is off the surface of the metal. Leftover soap leaves stains and spotting. When done rinsing, go over it with a dry towel to get all the water otherwise it can leave water spots.
Fingerprints
Little hands leave fingerprints on stainless steel appliances…sometimes big hands too. Fingerprints are unsightly and can ruin the beauty of the appliance. Spray glass cleaner into a wash cloth and wipe it down. Do not spray the cleaner directly on the surface because it leads to dripping and spots. Wipe it down with a dry towel afterwards.
Bringing Back The Shine
Time takes its toll on everything including your stainless steel appliances. One of their draws is the shine, but months of grabby hands, food and other environmental issues causes that shine to fade. No one wants s dull appliance, so liven it up with stainless steel cleaner.
This is a product designed just for stainless steel and not only provides a good cleaning, but also helps with scratches and polishing. We use Weiman, which is available at Target and Walmart. It even comes in wipes, so you just wipe down your stainless steel and then buff it with a microfiber cloth for the ultimate shine.
