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.
Fabrication
Baking soda and vinegar is the best.. mix with water
Anna
Amazing, non-toxic, citrus-based, mechanics hand cleaner in the orange bottle. Use one hand to keep it on a clean cloth and rub it on stainless steel and use your other hand to prevent your jaw from falling when you see the rust stains disappear. A hint from the Better Homes and Gardens website. I put it on a cotton dish cloth and buffet. Smoke disappears and it prevents new things from appearing. This is a wonderful way to chemically dissolve the hardest baked-on layer of old food, leaving the metal alone. Lots of powder, a little water to make a paste, then add vinegar and let it foam.
Mia
Amazing, non-toxic, citrus-based, mechanics hand cleaner in the orange bottle. Use one hand to keep it on a clean cloth and rub it on stainless steel and use your other hand to prevent your jaw from falling when you see the rust stains disappear. A hint from the Better Homes and Gardens website. I put it on a cotton dish cloth and buffet. Smoke disappears and it prevents new things from appearing. This is a wonderful way to chemically dissolve the hardest baked-on layer of old food, leaving the metal alone. Lots of powder, a little water to make a paste, then add vinegar and let it foam.
Leigh sanford
I take a gallon jug and use half distilled hot water other half vinegar 1 tbsp alcohol 3 drops of dawn about 10 drops or a little more vitamin E oil 5 drops of peppermint essential oil or and 5 drops of eucalyptus essential oil maybe a few drops of orange oil depending it doesnt leave it greasy or sticky and very shiny and finger prints dont really stick the vitamin e oil helps with that and when I wash my microfiber clothes I only use 1 scoop of oxy baking soda and rinse with vinger I've been using this recipe for about over 5 years my customers and family loves it it's not toxic like the store brands or wd 40 its fresh and clean and no residue left behind and you dont have to do it everyday you can use a dry clothe the next few days so it really saves and is convenient trust me it's worth a try
inlarkspur
I gave away a huge pile of microfiber clothes because my husband hung them out on the line to dry.....in a field that had recently been weedwacked. The cloths are magnets for little bits of weed and then they put scratches on your stainless! I sat with tweezers forever and gave up.
I once read that WD-40 was great stain remover; frustrated (this is before OxyClean) by some fruit stains in a nice cotton dress, I tried the WD-40 and the result was a dress covered in oil stains! Haha. the joke was on me, and that dress looked GOOD on me, too!
Melissa O
Ironically, the WD40 works great on stainless steel. I use it to clean my oven hood, stove, fridge & garbage can.
Laura Bart
Hey Howdy stainless masters! I think I've got the cleaning thing down splendidly but, my current issue is with the BIG mistake I made buying a black stainless four-door refrigerator/freezer (named her Elsa.) Elsa scratches dang easily. The scratches do not buff out or fade. Permanent Supreme Court Judge appointments in my doors. I detest the look especially after polishing the whole thing to a sparkle with the microfiber cloths. If anyone has an idea of handling scratches on black stainless - puuleeeze share before I put paisley decals on the offending areas.
Elizabeth
I figured out this method works for the dreaded glass cooktop as well, kinda by accident when I grabbed my last cloth - a micro cloth, to get rid of the streaks after washing it.
Also, for grease on the cooktop , rub a cut lemon on it ( or lemon carcass after your squeezed the juice out) and then wipe.
Brenda
Thanks - and second the recommendations for Jude's Magic Cloth - they are magic!
And now if someone could tell me how to get my glasstop stove clean, I'd be so thrilled.
Le Ann Johnson
I use a. Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. Were it squeeze out most of the water then lightly go over your stainless steel and rub WITH THE GRAIN!! Dry with the grain too. Looks brand new. No scratches. No gunk.
Karen
Hi Le Anne! You do have to be *very* careful with magic erasers. They're very abrasive. They work great and I LOVE them! But they can definitely scratch stainless. The mirafibre won't. ~ karen!
Jill Hill
OMG Karen! You have discovered Ultimate Cloths. I have been using them for over a year now and they are simply the best! Did you know that the company is based in Burlington? The website is Ultimatecloth.ca and they have fantastic sales. You can buy the cloths on-line. Check out the anti-bacterial cloths for cleaning bathrooms and kitchens (there is a video on the website). Amazing. They are all I use now and my house looks amazing. No more chemicals. Honest-I don't work for the company :-)
Karen
They ARE?? I had no idea they were a Burlington company! ~ karen
Amy
You worry about fingerprints on your appliances? That's hilarious! When I'm cleaning mine, it's tomato sauce, or meat juice or grease... I'm sure your cute little trick with water and a cloth work great for fingerprints, if I ever have time to worry about fingerprints on kitchen surfaces, I'll keep that in mind.
Robyn
Is that a moose peeking behind your rolling pin crock?
Nora L
Hi, Karen, microfibre cloths are great because of the way they eliminate the need for chemical cleansers. But now that we know about microfibres accumulating in the environment and potentially causing harm to various life forms, I wonder if these cloths are also part of the problem. After all, they have the same name! Do you have an update on that since your original article? Thanks for your great, helpful, fun ideas and humour.
Nora
Sabina
But what about the grease? I don't know if I can resist the urge of a good scrubbie :-/
Karen
These mirafibre cloths will get rid of grease. :) - karen!
Debbie
For years, when reading your recommendations for cleaning, I’ve often thought I should share one of my go-to cleansers, but never have...
Although I do use the specialty micro/mira fibre on all my windows, mirrors and s/s appliances, sometimes I use this first, to really clean the surface.
I love UNIVERSAL STONE. It’s not cheap, but it goes a long, long way. Just dampen the sponge that comes with it, rub and foam it up and start cleaning... it cleans and polishes metals (even jewelry), gently removes marks on painted surfaces, cleans away grease and water/lime stains. I could go on and on...
It’s free from toxins, it’s biodegradable, safe for children and pets.
TRY IT!!!!
https://www.universalstone.ca/
Papelle
I find a good quality microfibre like Norwex works much better- for everything - than the cheap ones. They are much thicker, last longer, and don’t give me that creepy “reach out and grab ‘ya” kind of feeling. Less likely to shed fibres in the water system too.
Tracey
Great tip, thank you! I have one more step that makes it so you don’t have to do the multi step cleaning very often at all. Turtle Wax. I polished all my stainless steel appliances with it. No build up ever. A light wipe with a soft towel, or those great micro fiber towels you spoke of and DONE! Happy 2020 Everyone!
Mary
I notice that you purchased a blue star range. I am one step away from the looney bin with my LG stove that is only two years old. The oven is crap and either under cooks or burns. The flames are at the back and so is the thermostat. It doesn't take a genius to figure why the poor thermostat doesn't help in regulating the temperature. So we are searching for a new range. Currently I'm leaning towards a GE Profile 30 inch gas range so I'd be interested in your decision making tree for purchasing a Blue Star....unless you have been given it for promotional purposes.
Karen
Hi Mary! You can read all about why I chose a Blue Star in this post. https://www.theartofdoingstuff.com/the-kitchen-renovation-the-stove-i-chose/ I still love it! The only thing I warn people about is the fact that the door gets really hot when the oven is on. ~ karen!
Chris
Great article - as a stainless steel owner myself...I also have a squiggly scratch on the front top of my stove - took me a while to figure out, but it is exactly where my metal belt buckle hits when I stand at the stove...pretty sure that was the culprit.
Sondra
Alcohol in a spray bottle works on stainless steel, granite countertops, windows (not as well if windows too greasy in kitchen areas). I have a black and s/s Viking 48" cooktop that I just spray and wipe and the s/s is nice and shiny clean. Those grates and drip pans which are all black are another story and I've tried everything I can think of without resorting to a blow torch and destroying them all together!