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.
Linda
In a world where everyone wants to be paid for endorsing brands I'm willing to share my new-found best secret ever for free, because it works! That's enough reason for me! (and I want them to keep making it. I had tried several S/S cleaners with very unpleasant results. They all seemed to leave a residue behind that only amplified future drips and prints. Then a friend recommended a product her staff of her cleaning company went through by the caseloads (to her dismay!)... Windex Multi Surface grease cutter (see, Betty was kinda right). I've only really used it on my stainless steel (and surrounding plastic keypad and glass windows) and I've only used it with a micro fibre cloth. Spray it on the cloth or the appliance... no need to scrub or dry!
BglLvr
Hey, thanks! I also use a microfiber cloth to clean my cell phone screen, but I'd really like to disinfect it, lol! Any ideas / tips (besides "DON'T!")
Paula
Perfect timing! Just in time because I need to clean my new 36" Bluestar for the first time :) I am loving it btw.
Thanks Karen.
TONI
SEEMS A LONG TIME SINCE ANYONE VISITED HERE ... JUST FOUND THIS MYSELF & HAVE A RELATED QUESTION GOT STAINLESS STEEL APPLIANCES FOR THE FIRST TIME A YEAR AGO & STILL HAVE NIGHTMARE VISITATIONS FROM THE BLUE FRILLY RAVAGES OF THE PROTECTIVE PLASTIC . GOT THE MAIN BODY OF THE BLUE STUFF OFF BUT THERE IS NO WAY, NO HOW TO REACH THE 1/8 INCH REMNANTS STUCK BHIND PLACES LIKE THE DOOR EDGE OR THE WATER DISPENSER TOUCH BAR. LOOKS SO SO STUPID. HELP ??
Karen
Well that would be annoying. I'm not sure I know what to tell you though. Usually when you pull off the big sheet of plastic, you'd pull hard and the rest of it would come out from edges and corners, but now that the big sheet is gone you have nowhere to grip and pull for leverage. Which I'm sure you know, lol. Without seeing it, the only thing I can think for you to do is to take a razor and carefully slice along the edge where the plastic is. You won't get it completely out but you might be able to remove any of the stuff that you can see. Good luck! ~ karen!
TONI
THANKS ... YOU KNOW, I NEVER GAVE USING A RAZOR BLADE A THOUGHT. I CANNOT EVEN IMAGINE WHAT THEY WEE THINKING WHEN IT GOT TUCKED UNDER PARTS & GASKETS. SO DUMB !
I WILL GIVE THE BLADE A SHOT ( FIRST HAVE TO GO BUY SOME! )
AND HOPE I DON'T SLICE MYSELF TO BITS IN FRUSTRATION !!
YOU WILL NOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE IF BLOOD SHED OCCURS.
PROMISE.
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Tracy
My bags were packed and awaiting pickup. Destination: Loony Bin. Fridge crapped out and we, with much hesitation, decided to plunge into the world of stainless steel. We've always chosen white appliances because our OCD tendencies could not handle fingerprints on stainless steel. Period.com Why do the white appliances and electrical outlets y-e-l-l-o-w? I absolutely HATE that nicotine yellow color they achieve over just a few years, accck! So, I welcomed the new stainless steel fridge into my kitchen and was ready to set it on fire after one week of buying every cleaner know to man to keep those blasted fingerprints at bay. The more I used, the worse it got. Settled on a cleaner that barely worked. NOW... my life has changed with warm water and two micro fiber towels (and maybe a strong gin 'n tonic with extra lime). You...are....a....GENIUS! Applause, applause..followed by a standing ovation *♥*
Karen
Well. I can tell by your exuberance that you have indeed tried the micro fiber method and haven't just pretended to try it. You ... are now a better person than everyone else around you. good job! ~ karen
Kelly
I use plain old rubbing alcohol on a microfiber cloth to clean and polish my stainless steel appliances. It works better than anything else I've tried.
Elizabeth
Thanks for all the helpful tips about cleaning the burnt on chickpeas from my stainless steel pot. Cleaning information which came with the set had specifically forbidden abrasives. The burned on mess was about a half inch thick to start. The baking soda system got all but the layer right next to the metal off pretty easily, but several repeats hadn't gotten any further. Apparently it had become some sort of ceramic. Simultaneously with the post about adding vinegar, I had done just that. I left a thick paste on overnight, then covered with vinegar in the morning. There wasn't much foaming, but the black came right off when I rinsed.
CindyBK
Make that DOES NOT stink. LOL. I'd be a genius if I could type and proof.
CindyBK
Great instructional. We are redoing our kitchen and stainless will be everywhere and not only do I leave my own fingerprints OCCASIONALLY, my dh leaves them everywhere. Plus I tried this on my SS sink that is giving me fits. This sink, Kohler, has a lot of water spots. Never had this problem in other houses, but ... now I do. The microfiber seemed to wipe off spots that a regular rag wipe-down didn't deal with very well. I'm happy. My offering to you in return, on the subject of sinks, is that a hunk of cheap netting, wadded up, makes a great scrubbie. Sometimes I will tie the piece (maybe 15x15in???) in a knot. Gets stuff off better than a sponge or rag and does stink in just a few days.
Karen
Good idea Cindy! And I happen to have netting EVERYWHERE for some reason, lol. ~ karen!
Leigh sanford
I take a gallon jug half distilled hot water and half vinegar with 1 tbsp of alcohol and 3 drops of dawn and 5 drops of peppermint essential oil or eucalyptus essential oil and 10 drops of vitamin E oil shake well put in a spray bottle it last forever and isnt to greasy and cleans and shines great and nothing toxic like the store brands or wd 40 and when I wash my microfiber clothes I only wash them in 1 tbsp of oxy and baking soda and rinse with vinegar I've been using this about 5 years now my customers and family loves the recipe it works great it's a must try trust me
Pam'a
That ookie sensation you get from handling microfiber is because its (micro)fibers are dragging against tiny rough bits of your skin. I put on a little hand lotion and it seems to help.
Debbie
Worth a try! Thanks for explaining. I'll try it.
Bobbi
I had a pan that was destined for the landfill. My mom told me to add a couple of tablespoons of cream of tartar to enough water to cover the bottom of the pan. Just let it sit on the counter overnight. The next day, the entire burned mess SLID out of the pan. Crazy.
Debbie
Thank you for that tip! I will definitely try it! I have cream of tartar, thinking I would need it as a newly married wife. That was almost 28 years ago and I still haven't used it! I hope it doesn't go bad!
Dana Woolliams
Ha! I also have the same box of cream of tartar I bought about 25 years ago.
Julie
Yes ladies...it *does* go bad! About four years of full potency.
Tracy van der Berg
I use the spray hand sanitizer with any clean cloth. Works like a charm. Discovered it accidentally during hard lockdown, when I ran out of cleaning products.
Karin in NC
Ooooh! Would that tip (the Cream of Tarter) work on my stovetop grates as well? They are so grimy. I'll have to try it! Thanks!
Robin
Put your grungy stove bits in a plastic bag and add a cup of ammonia. Close it up and let it sit for several hours or overnight. Then, wash and wipe off all the yuck... no scrubbing needed.
Kim from 3 peanuts
Great tip...we have a lot of stainless steel and 3 kids so they get fingerprinty. I had a housekeeper that used to clean my stainless fridge with wd-40. I know it sounds CRAZY but it works beautifully and actually repels prints. I dare say it is even better than your method because it keeps it looking good for a a long time in between cleanings. However, I am sure there are some chemicals in it I'd rather not know about.
Julie
YES..WD-40 is all I have ever used after I bought a bunch of "stainless steel cleaners"—NONE worked. My cleaning fairy likes Bosch, but I always have WD-40!
D Peterson
check out this tip for stainless steel
https://gramma-d.blogspot.com/2017/05/cleaning-stainless-steel.html
Nancy
I totally agree with Betty. People are going to be barfing one day about all this granite and stainless steel. It's Every Where. When I had stainless steel, I always used Windex and with the grain. Back to good ole white for me. (My second to last house had black appliances, how horrible). I buy microfiber cloths at the Dollar Tree. And I wash and dry them with everything else! I never noticed them not "working"? My new husband has discovered them for cleaning the wheels of his car (who knew wheels need to be cleaned?) and he can't stand the texture either.
Melissa
What color of white paint did you use to paint those bricks? They look great!
Karen
Thanks Melissa - That's Benjamin Moore's "Cloud White". I've used it all over my house. ~ karen!
debbie bashford
good to know!
Nanette
Now about that scratch... I've removed fine scratches in my stainless sink with really fine (320 grit or above) sandpaper. Just make sure you are going in the direction of the brush of the stainless. A wood working store usually carries ridiculously fine grit sandpaper.
Peter Oster
Best place for fine grit sandpaper is auto stores, especially those that cater to auto body repair. The black wet/dry paper gets down to 3000 grit, finer than that you move to actual diamond paper.
Barbie
I've been using the stainless steel cleaner for years and it does a good job....wonder if I can get the residue off now...and just use warm water and the microfiber cloth? Hmmmmmm
dana
The name of this post brought back the awful smell of the spray we had to use to clean the stainless at the concession stand at the theater that I worked at in the late 80s. That spray would take our breath away. As soon as it was spotless here came another Butterfingers customer. Before we could leave at night the manager would do a check of the stainless servers and countertops. Thanks for the memories, Karen. ;0