Stainless steel appliances are eye-pleasing, sleek and darned near a cliche.
But that ubiquity means a lot of people are wrestling with the same problem: how to keep stainless steel clean, ward off scratches and keep a notoriously touchy surface factory-fresh.
“It is a surface that req
uires a certain amount of attention,” said Celia Kuperszmid Lehrman, deputy home editor at Consumer Reports. “A good way to understand that is to go to the appliance section at a store and look at the appliances. And you’ll see they often do have fingerprints all over them.”
If there’s one silver lining to this, it’s that manufacturers of appliances and household cleaning products have heard the concerns and fired back with waves of cleansers, coatings and stainless steel alternatives.
When approaching stainless maintenance, think loosely of your car, said Scott Bennett, kitchen and bath designer at the midtown Kansas City Home Depot.
After all, a lot of the current wave of stainless cleaning products can act a bit like a car wax, Bennett said. One product he recommends is Stainless Steel Magic, which he said minimizes fingerprints and gives a polished look. Simple Green’s Stainless Steel One-Step Cleaner & Polish is another winner, he said, and both cost just a few dollars.
Also similar to car maintenance, stainless steel responds better to dedicated stainless cleaning products, Bennett said.
“If you just take a damp cloth and wipe it down, you’ll have streaks, and you’ll do nothing to prevent fingerprints.”
Others say it comes down to personal preference.
Jeff Adams of the Mop Bucket, a Kansas City cleaning-supply store said he prefers nonammonia glass cleaner or a water-based stainless cleaner.
“It’s not going to give you a great shine, it’s just going to clean it and remove smudges,” he said.
Whatever you use, don’t overdo it, he said. Fingerprints, smeared surfaces and grease buildup come largely from using too much stainless steel cleaner.
Consumer Reports has found few differences among cleaners and recommends consumers pick the least expensive option available, Kuperszmid Lehrman said.
As for the cleaning issues, she said, “I think you’re just going to have to ask yourself how much is a smudge going to bother you?”
Care tips
• Dusting with a soft cloth will add a quick shine to stainless steel.
• Never spray cleaners directly on the appliance surface. Apply the cleaner to a cloth and then wipe the surface down.
• Always go with the grain on stainless steel surfaces.
• Do not use cleaners with abrasives, steel wool or thinners.
• Use a dedicated stainless steel cleaner
Lowe’s, www.lowes.com
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