How to Clean Stainless Steel Appliances and Make Them Sparkle

Stainless steel appliances are considered an upgrade in new home purchases, and for many people, they’re also an upgrade in life. These appliances have a beautiful and elegant finish, but dirt, sticky fingers, and the daily wear and tear from a busy kitchen can quickly detract from that beauty.

And while it may be hard (but not impossible) to remove scratches from stainless steel appliances, cleaning them is relatively easy. A little warm water and a microfiber rag can go a long way. Read on for some easy tips for cleaning stainless steel.

When to Clean Stainless Steel

You should do a basic cleaning of your stainless steel appliances at least once a week to keep them looking clean, new, and shiny. This might seem like a lot, but it’s an easy and quick task to add to your standard cleaning routine. Plus, regular cleaning can help prolong the life of the stainless steel.

In addition to weekly wipe-downs and quick cleanings, you should do a deeper cleaning of your stainless steel appliances about once a month using the tips we’ll discuss below.

How to Clean Your Stainless Steel Appliance

There are a handful of ways to clean your stainless steel appliances, depending on your supplies and how deep of a clean you need. We’ll discuss three great cleaning solutions you can make, usually without buying additional products.

1. Water and Soap

If your stainless steel appliances have grease, fingerprints, dust, or other surface debris making them look old and dirty, dish soap and water are great options to get them as good as new.

1. Add a half-gallon of warm water to a bucket and 5–10 drops of liquid dish soap, depending on how dirty your appliances are.

2. Submerge a clean microfiber cloth in the solution, mix, and then wring out the cloth.

3. Wipe down all surfaces on your stainless steel appliances, applying pressure to particularly dirty areas.

4. Soak a clean rag in warm water, wring it out, and wipe all cleaned surfaces to remove any remaining soap.

5. Dry the surfaces with another fresh microfiber cloth.

2. White Vinegar

White vinegar is highly acidic, making it a fantastic way to cut through grime on your stainless steel appliances and clean copper and other metals you might have in your home. You can even use vinegar to clean and remove rust spots from metal surfaces.

1. Mix a cup of white vinegar with warm water in a spray bottle.

2. Liberally spray your stainless steel surfaces with the solution. For heavy soiling, sprinkle some baking powder over the vinegar and let it sit.

3. If you have rust spots on your metal appliances, let the vinegar sit on the surface for a few minutes, and then lightly scrub with a bristle brush or an old toothbrush.

4. Dry the surfaces with a clean, dry microfiber cloth.

3. Olive Oil

Olive oil is a perfectly safe, all-natural coating you can add to your clean stainless steel refrigerators, ovens, dishwashers, and other appliances once you’ve cleaned them with one of the above methods. Olive oil will provide a nice sheen and can really make your appliances look new and shiny once again.

1. If you haven’t yet cleaned your appliances, use a few drops of liquid dish soap in a half gallon of warm water. Clean and dry surfaces using two different microfiber cloths.

2. Dip a fresh microfiber cloth into a small cup of olive oil.

3. Apply the olive oil over the surface of your appliance using a circular motion.

4. You can remove excess olive oil by using a clean section of the microfiber cloth and gently rubbing it in a circular motion. Continue until there is no visible residue.

Tips for Keeping Stainless Steel Appliances Clean

Using the stainless steel cleaning methods above is a great way to remove grease, grime, dirt, and fingerprints, but preventing your stainless steel appliances from getting dirty in the first place makes your cleaning job that much easier. There are a few things you can do to help keep your appliances looking new, even between cleanings:

• Avoid fingerprints. As best as possible, try not to touch the stainless steel surfaces of your appliances, and keep kids out of the kitchen if you can. Fingerprints leave oil and other material that can quickly make the metal look filthy.

• Do regular cleaning. Between your deep cleanings, dust and give your appliances a quick wipe-down at least once a week. Regular cleanings will keep everything fresh until you can get in there and scrub away any build-up. Pay particular attention to appliances that are exposed to grease and steam.

• Remove rust spots quickly. Despite what most people think, stainless steel can rust, so be prepared to remove rust spots from your metal as soon as possible. You can also use homemade solutions to remove rust from metal surfaces.

• Hire a professional. For the best results, you can hire a house cleaner near you to get your appliances and the rest of your house a deep clean. This will make upkeep much easier.