Best Methods To Clean Your Stainless Steel Appliances
Stainless steel appliances have become a popular choice in most modern kitchens. Not only are they tough and rust resistant, but they also have a sleek and shiny look that blends in with every kitchen style. Whether you have just one or multiple shiny appliances, fingerprints and other stains are the price you have to pay for owning them. On one hand you want to keep them as shiny and as new looking as possible, and on the other hand you want to reduce the amount of effort you put into keeping them clean. The real question then becomes, what is the most effective way to clean them?
Stainless Steel Cleaners
There are a wide variety of cleaners available on the market today that you can purchase at your local Wal-Mart or grocery store that is meant for cleaning kitchen appliances. What most people don’t realize is that most of these cleaners contain chlorine which is a chemical element that can permanently damage stainless steel. This is why it is important to verify that the cleaner does not contain any chorine by checking its ingredients.
Once you have confirmed that your cleaner contains no chlorine, you can then apply the cleaner gently using a soft cloth or towel onto your appliance. Once you have removed all the grease and fingerprints, you can then use a microfiber meant for cleaning stainless steel appliances such as the Pro Chef Kitchen Tools Microfiber Cloth to wipe it down. The gentle cleaning action of this cloth will insure you to keep the steel as shiny as it was when it was new.
What most people do not realise is that using these sorts of harsh chemicals are not necessary as you do not need to take such drastic measures to keep your appliances clean. People have this notion that the more industrial grade cleaners we use, the cleaner our appliances will be. This is far from the truth as using these toxic cleaners have more disadvantages than it has advantages.
Water Or Vinegar
If you do not like spending money on unnecessary things, particularly on industrial cleaners that are detrimental to the environment, the next best alternative might then sound very obvious to you. You guessed it, using warm water and a dash of dish soap applied with a soft cloth onto the stainless steel surface is a matter of fact the best method to clean your appliances. You can also substitute the soap with vinegar as it works just as well.
Scrubbing with this cloth will remove all the unwanted dirt and grease from your appliances. Once the surface is clean, a microfiber cleaning cloth meant for cleaning stainless steel appliances such as the infamous Pro Chef Kitchel Tools Microfiber is all you need. You can then wipe down your appliance with this cloth in order to remove all the unwanted streaks and marks.
Unlike conventional microfiber cloths that are designed to have more absorbency, these cloths are constructed with a waffle-weave texture that is designed to absorb moisture more quickly resulting in a streak-free polished finish. Since overall absorbency is less important on solid materials like stainless steel and glass mirrors, the fibers are shorter and the ends are split in a different way to give a perfect smear free finish.
WD-40
Although using WD-40 sounds a little odd, according to Compact Appliances it works great in cleaning your appliances. If you have a bottle of WD-40 lying around in your garage, you can spray it onto your microfiber and then wipe away. Applying WD-40 directly will eliminate the additional steps of using soap and warm water and will give you an amazing shine. WD-40 also provides a layer of protection to help prevent fingerprints. This method has proven to be more useful for removing fingerprints rather than dried up grease or other things that require more heavy duty scrubbing. It is important to note that you should be careful as WD-40 is a toxic substance and should not be sprayed onto any surfaces that will be in direct contact with edibles.
Window Cleaner
Fingerprints are one of the most visually unappealing things to see on a nice and shiny kitchen. If you are worried about WD-40 being too toxic to be used in the kitchen, you can try using a window cleaner like Windex. Spray the cleaner on the microfiber cloth and apply evenly in a circular motion to remove the fingerprints. It’s not recommended that you spray directly to your appliance, as you may end up with more drip marks and splatter residue, leaving you with more work than you initially anticipated.
Removing Scratches
Since stainless steel is an alloy, it tends to scratch relatively easily as it is not hard like iron. Removing scratches from your appliances can be tricky task. For deep scratches, the best method is to use fine sand paper dipped in water and gently rub it in the direction of the grain. And yes, much like wood, stainless steel also has grain. Since one sheet of steel will have the same grain, it is important to go in the same direction of the grain while working on removing your scratches.
It is important to remember that sand paper has different grit values. You should never guess what grit to use on your appliances. You should always contact the manufacturer to ask what grit is best to use for the specific type of stainless steel that was used in building your appliance.
If the scratches on the fridge are not deep, there are various other methods that you can use to get rid of them. The most effective method is to apply whitening toothpaste over the scratches gently with your fingers tips and rub it in. Afterwards, you can take a wet towel and wipe it down. Since this process will leave streaks of water on the appliance, it is best to then use the microfiber cloth as mentioned above to remove any unwanted smearing.
Protecting The Finish
After you have cleaned your appliance and wiped it down with the cloth, you are now ready to apply a coat of oil to protect the finish. You need to apply the thinnest possible coat of oil in order to make sure it doesn’t look too oily. You can apply the oil by putting a dash of olive oil or baby oil on a soft piece of cloth and wipe in the same direction as the grain in long broad strokes.
Careful Cleaning
Whatever method you end up choosing to clean your appliances, it is important to keep in mind that the steel sheets that are used are usually quite thin and can get damaged easily. If taken care of, stainless steel can last a very long time. It is up to you to maintain the surface in order to maximise its life as much as possible. It is also important to only use cleaning materials and products specifically manufactured for cleaning stainless steel.
Cleaning your stainless steel appliances at least twice a month will prevent lasting stains. By doing so, not only will you increase the longevity of your appliances, but you will also boost the aesthetics of your kitchen and home.
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