Stainless steel isn't nearly as hard to clean as I thought it was. It turns out the BEST way to clean it is by using no cleaners at all. Just grab yourself a microfibre cloth or two and get rubbing.
The looney bin, in fact, has a whole ward devoted to those who have tried to clean stainless steel with the wrong product. It's right next the the ward filled with women who tried to convince their husbands The Golden Girls was a great show. Good intentions all around, but the end result is the same. Looney bin.
For years I struggled with keeping my stainless steel appliances clean and in fact ruined both of them in my attempts. I used abrasives and sponges and things that could clean the bottom of an elephant's foot, but maybe weren't the best things for stainless steel.
But I was desperate. There HAD to be something strong enough to cut through the dreaded fingerprints. Do not do what I did. Do not use dish soap, steel wool or glass cleaner on your stainless steel appliances. It's a very, very bad idea.
When I got my new Blue Star range and glass front refrigerator I was determined to learn how to clean them properly.
When my stove arrived I actually emailed the Blue Star representative in my area to ask him HOW to clean it so I'd end up as the owner of a sparkling appliance and not the resident of an institution. Was there a secret spray I didn't know about? The latest and greatest killer chemical that would make you grow a second chin but ALSO obliterate the smudges on my stove? Because I was O.K. with that.
The answer he gave me was embarrassingly simple and I wish I knew about it 15 years ago.
TO CLEAN STAINLESS STEEL ALL YOU NEED IS A MICROFIBER CLOTH AND WARM WATER.
That's it. 2 microfiber cloths if you want to do an especially impressive job.
Since originally writing this post I've switched to The Ultimate Cloth which is even BETTER than microfibre. It's Mirafibre. You can literally clean your windows with nothing but water with it.
Observe the prints below.
I made those prints special for you. Please don't enter them into any database.
That little squiggly mark to the bottom right is a scratch, not a print. No idea how it got there.
To clean the prints from your stainless steel, dampen a microfiber cloth with warm water and rub with the grain of the steel.
Once you've gone over it with a the warm damp cloth, dry it with another microfiber cloth.
Done.
The prints are gone, it was easy, there were no chemicals and no special supplies other than the microfibre cloths which you can grab just about anywhere. I'm not sure if you can get The Ultimate Cloths anywhere, or only on Amazon which is where I got mine. I imagine some local speciality stores might have them.
If this WASN'T enough oven cleaning for you I have a bigger challenge for you, with even bigger reward. You can learn how to remove your oven door and clean between the glass in window in this post.
So there you have it. Smudge free appliances in no time at all, leaving lots of time for other things like dancing, watching television, dirtying up the appliances again and of course ... visiting people in the looney bin.
Jessica
Karen,
What are you using to clean the cast iron grates? Yours look great! (Although I'm sure you made sure they were clean for the pictures so they weren't a distraction to the finger prints). I've been using water and a sponge but some of the more messy spills leave little bits and they are difficult to get off. Did you season the grates?
Jess (fellow New Blue Star owner)
Karen
Hi jessica - I have a hunch mine look great because my Blue Star is so new, lol. When did you get yours? I've only cleaned the grates once! I just cleaned them with hot soapy water. And I try to wipe up spills, flow overs and that sort of thing when they happen. ~ karen!
Jessica
I've had it for three weeks now. Just finished the kitchen remodel a few weeks ago. Loved everything about the blue star!
Did you see the tip about foil lining the drip tray for easy clean up?
larry shriver
Jessica, I read somewhere that if you put your stove grates in a sealed plastic bag, along with some ammonia, and leave the bag out in the sun for a while, it will loosen the burned-on junk so that your grates are easily cleaned. Obviously, this is a Summer-time project. Good Luck, Larry
debra
Try a very thin layer of car wax. Makes stainless steel appliances much easier to keep clean--doesn't even let the fingerprints stick :-)
Sheryl
I've been praying that stainless finally dies the long-over-due death it deserves. I love some of the colorful stoves out there but I'm never paying $10,000 for an appliance! Guess I'll just get black again. I think the glass tiles will be just as dated as the avocado fridges soon too.
Holly
Thanks Karen! I've never, ever, never been able to get the bottom of my above the stove SS microwave clean. I decided it wasn't really stainless after all. But today I finally got it clean and shiny! However, on the dishwasher and the oven door I used Carol's soap trick, when the damp cloth failed, just using a squirt of Dr. Bronner's liquid on the damp microfiber, rinsed the cloth out, wiped with the damp one and followed up with the dry microfiber cloth. Now they're all clean and shiny!
Karen
Yay! ~ karen
Melody
Great - now how do you clean those stupid, stupid sealed cooktops? Couldn't get anything but that with electric now.
Stephanie
Bar Keepers Friend works beautifully on glass cook-tops. Love it. Great to shine up your sink too.
Judy Lawrence
Do you use the liquid or the powder? I think there is foam product, too.
Stephanie
I much prefer and use the liquid version.
Carol
Many years ago I had not only SS appliances but also SS countertop and backsplash. The fabricators told me the best way to clean the stainless steel was wash it with clean, hot soapy water then immediately wipe dry with a clean cotton tea towel in the direction of the grain. I found it worked really well and that's all I've ever used to clean stainless since..... ~ Carol
Nancy Blue Moon
No stainless appliances here yet..but I did learn a lot about using microfiber cloths today..Thanks, ladies..
gabrielle
There's a great deal on microfibre cloths right now at Home Depot - my husband picked up a huge stack for about $10 (this in Canada BTW), and he doesn't spend money on anything! NOW all I need are stainless appliances :2(
Christine Hilton
I got that stack for a Christmas present! If l were twenty years younger l would be looking for a third husband! BTW,l always used a teeny bit of Orange Glo on stainless and it worked great.l have graduated to black stainless and l love it! Doesnt show a thing!
Olga
Hi Karen, this is your real mother speaking. Please come closer to your speakers so you can hear me... There is nothing wrong with using Windex on your stainless steel appliances as long as you keep wiping it in the direction of the natural metal grain, that seems to be the only thing that has being magically removing greasy fingerprint on my fridge since like 90's.
Jane
Harvest Gold. Along with a colour I love to call 'Gang' green, and that hot prickly looking Cherry Red, and then there was Copper. But honey. That was the 70's, not the 90's. You likely were not born yet...
kari
Next post please.... How to launder and keep microfiber miracle cleaning cloths working properly.
Sherri
Kari, wash on gentle cycle with your usual detergent, BUT NOT IF IT HAS FABRIC SOFTENER IN IT. Be sure NOT to add fabric softener, but do add white vinegar (about 1/2 cup for a medium load or 1/3 cup for a small load) in the final rinse. They can drip dry or you can dry them in your clothes dryer on delicate (lowest heat). Just in case you missed the first couple of warnings, NEVER USE FABRIC SOFTENER ON MICROFIBER!
suzanne
This is gospel! No softener or dryer sheets! The warm water and micro clothes clean windows way better than windex as well. We have 4 70lb dogs and a few goats who love to visit our sunroom so this is a weekly chore for me.
judy
darn! I wondered why my microfiber cloths didn't seem to work well anymore, I bought a huge bag of then from I think it was Costco but I never see them in stock anymore. the bag was fairly pricy-don't remember the price- make that darn something much nastier-darn, darn and double darn!
Anita
"don't enter them into any database" OMG. LMAO. where is the maniacally laughing emoji for this? I need this for your posts!!!
Liz
I was expecting you to post the olive oil fix or some chemical cocktail, but so thrilled that it's microfiber!!! I went totally chemical free in my home about 5 yrs ago using Norwex. Love love
Robyn
💚 Norwex! Yes!
Sandy
That sucks about the scratch. I would have gotten all rage'y, like when you get that first knick or dent on your brand new car.
Feral Turtle
Those cloths are great. I bought one last year at Home Sense and it really works well. An excellent post Karen....Poor Betty, bless her! But I am in love with your replacement, so just keep her!
Jeanne B
How can it be that easy! I have tried a lot of different things and the only thing that has worked so far is Barkeepers Friend. My biggest struggle has been with the front of the dishwasher, it's truly amazing how disgusting it gets. I will definitely be trying this tonight, microfiber cloths are the greatest.
Lynn
Hey Karen,
I discovered these cloths a few years back & they are nothing short of amazing!!! Not only do they work on stainless but just about any other surface. I have not used glass cleaner or pledge in forever. Bathroom mirrors, stainless, windows, pretty much any surface!!! AMAZING!!!
http://www.judesmiraclecloth.com/
SuzanneLH
That's them! Thank you, thank you, thank you! They still feel a little creepy, but not as bad. Mine are 15 years old!
Theresa
For that cooked on mess in the bottom of a pot, pan, or baking dish........add enough water to fully cover the gunk and add a dryer sheet and let sit over night. The gunk will wipe off with a paper towel. Sounds strange but it works like a charm.
Ev Wilcox
We got microfiber cloths when both of our very young granddaughters had to wear glasses. I have used them sparingly for other things, too. But I have washed them with other laundry several times. Is that a no-no? Yikes!
Need some information here!
Becca
For non heebie jeebie micro fiber cloths. Wash (without softener) hang to dry.
Robyn
I boil my Norwex microfiber cloths to clean them and keep them free of detergent residue.