The new stainless steel appliance such as ovens, dishwashers, fridge etcetera come with a pristine gleam. It improves your kitchen’s appeal until grime, dirt, and water stains put the risk of rusting. Cleaning products for stainless-steel appliances usually come with hefty price tags and they also contain harsh chemicals. However, such products often fail to provide what they’re supposed to. The truth is that cleaning stainless steel is a very easy process that doesn’t include any expensive products. In this article, we will discuss how to clean stainless steel. It will help you to keep the brand-new look of your appliances intact
Important Considerations
As compared to other alloys, streaks and fingerprints are more visible on stainless steel. Moreover, you also have to remember that stainless steel has different types. It means that you might need to practice a different routine for each stainless steel appliance. Keep on reading to find out how to clean stainless steel without damaging it.
How to Clean Stainless Steel?
Stainless steel adds a character of sophistication and elegance to your appliances. But you have to ensure that you clean it regularly in order to keep it from the dull and grey look. Keep the following points in mind to keep the shine and elegance of your stainless-steel appliances from any damage.
Things to Avoid
- Never use hard brushes or steel wool to clean stainless steel. it’ll make it even more vulnerable to staining and rusting by scratching it
- Avoid cleaners and bleach that contain chlorine because it dissolves the shining surface
- Abrasive cleaners or products with harsh chemicals are also not advisable to use as they dull the finish and scratch the finish
- When you’re cleaning your stainless-steel appliances, consider using filtered or distilled water as the tap water can be damaging because of impurities
- Never leave tap or dirty water on the surface of stainless steel. Additionally, the cleaning product residues can also damage by leaving permanent stains
Things to practice
Most people don’t read the instructions and user manuals that they receive with their stainless-steel appliances from the manufacturer. It’s not a good practice because the instruction manuals contain all the necessary and precautionary measures. It allows you to learn how to clean the stainless steel of that particular product. The manuals also provide you with information regarding the most suitable cleaning products and also the ones to avoid because no one could guide you better than the manufacturer. The following are the tried and true cleaning methods that you can use to clean almost all stainless-steel appliances.
- Consider using the glass cleaners if you just need to clean fingerprints and water stains
- If you’re doing general and regular cleaning, using a soft cloth with warm water is more than enough
- Always wipe the stainless-steel surface in all directions in order to avoid the leaving streaks
- Use a soft towel to keep the surface from water spots after cleaning
- Always read the instructions and use only the recommended and branded cleaners for general cleaning if needed
The Best Stainless-Steel Cleaners (DIY)
As mentioned earlier, commercial cleaners with harsh chemicals might not be the best fit to clean stainless steel. The good news is, there are plenty of other easy ways you can use to make safe stainless-steel cleaners on your own.
Note: We recommend you to perform a simple spot test before using any of the following DIY Stainless Steel Cleaners.
Baby Oil and Dish Soap
It’s a hassle-free method to create a simple and safe stainless-steel cleaner and it requires the following:
- Baby Oil
- Dish Soap
- Warm Water
- Microfiber Cloths
Take one teaspoon of dish liquid soap and dilute it in one-fourth warm water. Take the microfiber cloth and dampen it with the liquid soap solution. Now, you’ll need to understand the grain direction of the stainless steel you want to clean. Take the dampened microfiber cloth and clean the surface with the grain. It’s better to clean with the grain direction as the solution gets deeper into the surface and provides optimum shine. Use the second microfiber and wipe the residue away. In the third and last step, you just need a microfiber towel. Drop a few drops of baby oil on the surface and polish the steel with the grain and that’s about it.
Proper maintenance and care will help you to keep the brand-new look of your stainless-steel appliances intact.
Olive Oil and Vinegar
It’s yet another easy way to clean your stainless-steel appliances within a matter of minutes. Here’s a list of things that you will require:
- Olive Oil
- Distilled White Vinegar
- Microfiber Cloths
In this method, you also need to find the grain of the steel that you need to clean. Use a microfiber cloth dipped in vinegar to remove grime, grease, and dirt. Leave the appliance for a little time in order to let the vinegar dry. Use another microfiber cloth dampened in olive oil and rub in on the complete surface with the grain. Not only this simple process will clean the steel, but it will also bring back the lost shine easily and quickly
Furniture Polish and Lemon Oil
You can also use this technique if you have all the following ingredients with you:
- Furniture Polish
- Lemon Oil
- Microfiber Cloths
Dampen a microfiber cloth in lemon oil and rub it on the steel with the grain gently. Make sure that you apply it on the complete surface evenly. Use the second microfiber cloth and dap a very little furniture polish on it. We recommend you not to apply furniture polish directly on the stainless steel because you might not be able to apply it evenly. Polish the complete surface with the grain gently until it shines.
Warm Water and a Microfiber Cloth
If you don’t want to try any chemical on your stainless-steel appliances, you can also simply use water and a microfiber cloth. You can use this combination even on a daily basis and it will surprise you with the results. not only is it a risk-free method but it’s also costing you almost nothing. We recommend you to use distilled or filtered water instead of a plain one.
Follow the polish lines to wipe the grime and dirt away with a microfiber cloth dipped in warm water. Additionally, use a second microfiber cloth to dry the stainless steel.
FINAL WORD
Stainless steel appliances are very easy to maintain as they’re reliable and durable. But it’s important to clean them regularly to keep the stainless-steel appliances actually “stainless.” A little care and maintenance can help you to keep the shine and beauty of stainless steel from damaging. You can use specially designed solutions but they’re very expensive. Whereas the best practices along with the DIY cleaners mentioned above can bring the same results without costing you much. We hope that you will find this information helpful and it will help your stainless-steel appliances with a brand-new look for a long time.