Stainless steel appliances add a touch of class to most modern kitchens. In the past few years, stainless steel appliances’ popularity has increased tremendously. But there are some drawbacks to stainless steel appliances. It attracts fingerprints, water spots, smudges, and other annoying smears and it becomes a tedious task to clean stainless steel appliances.
Simply wiping the refrigerator down with a cloth might get rid of some stains, but most of the streaks, especially fingerprints and water spots can be a little trickier to remove. The following are some easiest ways to tackle these stains.
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How to clean stainless steel appliances naturally
Following are some natural ways to clean your stainless steel appliances without using chemicals.
🟢White Vinegar and Mineral Oil
Apply some amount of white vinegar on the stainless steel appliance using a soft cloth or directly spray onto the steel surface.
Let is just rest there for some time and then simply wipe it out. For harder stains, you can apply the white vinegar as many times as necessary. Now dab a cloth into some mineral oil and softly polish the newly cleaned steel surface.
Avoid using food-based oil, including olive and vegetable oil as they can turn rancid.
This technique works well as vinegar helps to get rid of grime while mineral oil gives a shiny polish to stainless steel surface.
🟢 Dish Soap
Mix 1 teaspoon of dish detergent with 4 cups of hot water. Dip a microfiber cloth in that and wipe the surface. Rise the cloth with hot water and repeat the procedure.
Then dry the surface immediately with a clean soft cloth.
🟢 Plain Water and a Cloth
Yes. You read it right! Plain water and cloth!!! You’d be surprised how much our daily cleaning housework can be got done using just pain or warm water and a simple lint-free soft cloth.
This is one of the safest options you can opt for cleaning your stainless steel appliances. Just wipe out the steel surface with a damp cloth and later don’t forget to towel dry as the water can leave the deposits on the stainless steel since it contains minerals.
If your plain tap water is hard, you can use the filtered or distilled water to clean your appliances.
Microfiber cleaning cloths also give an excellent result for cleaning stainless steel appliances. There are some special polishing clothes available in the market which are finer than that of microfiber.
🟢 Club Soda
You can directly spray club soda onto the surface of stainless steel appliances and gently wipe it with a soft cloth. This procedure not only cleans the fingerprints and food residues off the surface but also provides it a pleasant shiny look.
🟢 Baking Soda
In order to remove the grease and baked-in food, mix some warm water with baking soda and make a paste of it. Softly rub it on the stainless steel surface using a sponge or microfiber soft cloth.
Wipe it out with a wet cloth and later towel dry the surface.
Other Best Ways to Clean and Shine Stainless Steel Appliances
✔ Glass Cleaner for Fingerprints
Fingerprints are one of the major complaints about stainless steel appliances. It can be a headache especially if you have children at home. Though the fingerprints can be easily removed by using any common glass cleaner.
Spray the glass cleaner on the soft microfiber cloth and apply uniformly in a circular motion to remove the fingerprints. Repeat the procedure if required. After removing the fingerprints, wipe out the steel surface with a soft dry towel.
Tip: Spraying the glass cleaner directly on the stainless steel surface is not recommended as the spraying liquid may leave its drip marks or residue.
✔ WD-40
Using WD-40 is another weirdest way to clean your stainless steel appliance. this is mostly used in a garage or for commercial purposes.
You can directly spray WD-40 onto your steel appliance and then wipe away the surface.
Polish the fingerprint area with a paper towel, and then wipe away any residue that might be left once you are happy with the results.
Now get a new paper towel and drip a few drops of water onto it. You can then shine the refrigerator until it looks gleaming.
This product also adds a protection layer on the surface to prevent the fingerprints.
Caution for WD-40 : Please note, this is a petroleum-based product and should be used with care on or around the surface where the food will be handled.
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✔ Commercial Stainless Steel Cleaners and Polishers
If your stainless steel appliance has heavy staining, scratches, and streaks, you can choose to go for the commercial stainless steel cleaners and polishers available in the market.
Even though this option can cost you a few bucks, it is a good option to minimize scratches, rusting, and grime from the surface. These products polish the surfaces with a striking, long-lasting shine.
Ensure to read the manufacturer’s instructions and directions for using the product. Also, try testing a minor spot before covering the entire surface of your stainless steel appliance. lastly, don’t forget to rinse thoroughly and towel-dry the surface.
The Do’s & Don’ts for Cleaning Stainless Steel
From the above discussion, here are a few proven Do’s & Don’ts for cleaning methods that should be sufficient for general cleaning.
The Do’s of Cleaning Stainless Steel
✅ For general cleaning, a soft cloth dampened with warm water will be sufficient.
✅ In order to get rid of fingerprints, glass cleaner is the preferred option.
✅ To avoid the streaks after cleaning, wipe in the direction of the grain.
✅ For hard stains and grime, take the help of a commercial cleaner. But always read the instructions and direction to use the product and first to the spot-test using it.
✅ After cleaning always towel dry to prevent water spotting.
The Don’ts of Cleaning Stainless Steel
⛔ Avoid using scouring powders, brushes, and steel wool in order to avoid scratch marks and rusting thereby damaging the finish.
⛔ Dodge the abrasive cleaners as those will leave a scratch marks on the stainless steel surface and fade the finish.
⛔ Chlorine and ammonia contained cleaners and bleach damage as well as stain the stainless steel appliances.
⛔ If your tap water is hard, it can be harsh for the stainless steel surface and leave stains or spots. Use filtered or distilled water instead.
And you can also buy following stainless steel cleaners…
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[Best] Top 10 Refrigerators in India (2020) : Buyer’s Guide & Reviews