How to Clean Stainless Steel Appliances | Easily & Effectively

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

You must feel how much it irritates to clean stainless steel appliances regularly. Stainless steel appliances have a great decorative look, and they also resist rust. As a result, it is quite popular and used progressively in our kitchens. But unwanted fingerprints, grease, water drops, and even your own hot breath can leave marks on the pristine surfaces.

You cannot remove these stains entirely by wiping them with only a dry cloth. You may need some advanced formulas. We also know that dirt is always tough to eliminate and adhere to simply.

So let’s learn how to clean stainless steel appliances at home. Daily, more kitchen appliances are used, which makes household tasks much more comfortable. This material is quite elegant and very attractive, but the dirt can do conflicting results. So it is essential to learn how to clean stainless steel appliances effectively.

Contents

How to clean stainless steel appliances at home

Easy ways to clean stainless steel appliance at home

There are some very useful tips to clean stainless steel appliances successfully at home. It is essential to pay full attention to get the exact benefit of all the maintenance and hygiene tips. The following steps and tricks are used to clean any stainless steel appliance in your kitchen, such as a spoon, kitchen equipment, oven, microwave, sink, toaster or dishwasher, refrigerator, etc.

How to clean stainless steel appliances with baking soda

Baking soda is one of the best cleaners out there. It cleans effectively any stainless steel surface without damaging its chromium layer. It is a non-toxic and earth-friendly cleaning product and does not contain any harmful elements. So it is an excellent material to clean our appliances without excessive effort. From here, you may learn How to clean stainless steel appliances.

Clean Stainless Steel Appliances With baking soda

Cleaning process

  • First of all, mix some baking soda with some water and decant it into the empty spray bottle.
  • Then spray the solution on the stainless steel surface. Then rub the whole surface with a soft towel.
  • The rubbing has to be carried out in one direction only. You will see how the stains and dirt go rapidly.

Another easy way to use baking soda

  • Sprinkle some dry baking soda on the stainless steel appliance’s surface. Take a piece of sponge into vinegar and rub the stain with it.
  • The vinegar will create foam once it comes into contact with baking soda. Use more baking soda if needed.
  • The surface of the appliance should be moist during scrubbing.
  • Take some warm water and rinse the appliance. Dry it using a dry cloth to prevent watermarks.
  • Use some mineral oil to add a light coating to bring a shiny, bright finishing.

How to clean stainless steel appliances with vinegar

Vinegar is one of the great associates in household cleaning. It is used for almost everything, given its maximum degree of cleanliness. You can use vinegar for cleaning any type of stainless steel kitchen equipment, for preventing the lime appearance and making it shiny.

If you are fed up with the water drop marks and fingerprints on your kitchen appliances, then vinegar can be a great solution. Just keep aside the expensive stainless steel cleaners and pick vinegar from your pantry.

clean stainless steel appliances with vinegar

Cleaning process

  • Take an empty spray bottle and pour some undiluted vinegar into it. Now spray it on each stainless steel appliance surface.
  • Take a paper towel or soft cleaning cloth and wipe the surfaces. Try to be gentle enough while wiping that area and the direction of cleaning should be one-sided.
  • Vinegar does not cause any damage to the skin. So you can use it easily without wearing gloves on your hands.
  • When you find zero grime and fingerprints, you should go for the next step.
  • Take a water-dampened cloth or take a water-filled spray bottle and spray it on the surface again. This step will help you to remove the acid of the vinegar So that the alkaline component cannot interact with the appliance metal over time. Though the stainless steel is capable of resisting rust naturally, apply this only for an extra precaution.
  • As vinegar do not smell good like other commercial cleaners, many people do not eager to use it for cleaning purpose but do not worry at all; the scent will remove within a few hours only.

How to clean stainless steel appliances with olive oil

Olive oil is another very common kitchen ingredient that can magically make shiny your stainless steel appliance. Olive oil is applicable from the fridge to the oven, electric kettle to the grinder, and toaster to a chimney. If you have all these appliances in your kitchen, then our next cleaning solution will be very useful. You just need olive oil, a microfiber cloth, and a paper towel to make your appliance surface spotless.

Clean Stainless Steel Appliances With olive oil

Cleaning process

  • First, select your direction of the grain because you have to go from the same direction to prevent marks.
  • Take the microfiber cloth and pour a few drops of olive oil. Now wipe the appliance surface down with it. Do not forget your direction, whatever you select horizontally or vertically.
  • Once all grease and stains are removed, take a paper towel to kame this surface shiny.

Natural and effective methods to clean stainless steel

  1. Use only water and a cloth

Are you surprised? Just warm water and a piece of lint-free cloth can help you drive your regular routine cleaning. It is a completely risk-free and simple cleaning attempt. Just damp the fabric into warm water and wipe down the appliance surface.

The plain water can leave deposits on the surface, so you need to wipe it immediately with another dry cloth. This step is critical, but a microfiber cleaning cloth can do it amazingly because it is exceptional to absorb excess water without leaving any marks. If you want, you can also buy some special polishing clothes to get a more excellent result than a microfiber cloth.

  1. Use of club soda

Club soda is also a simple solution to get rid of unwanted fingerprints and other stains from the home appliance surface. You have to just spray club soda directly onto the appliance surface and wipe it with a soft microfiber cloth to give it a beautiful shine. Do not forget to wipe in the same direction.

  1. Use of lemon oil furniture polish

Again take a piece of soft microfiber cloth and pour a few drops of lemon oil furniture polish. Now rub the fabric on the stain gently. We do not recommend you to apply this polish directly on any of your home appliances because it may not be spread evenly.

  1. Use of dish soap along with oil

In this method, you can use both baby oil and mineral oil. Find the direction of the grain before you start cleaning. Arrange two lint-free cotton cleaning cloth, some regular dish soap, and mineral oil or baby oil.

Pour a few drops of dish soap onto the cloth and moisten with a small amount of water. Wipe down the appliance’s surface. You may need to give some extra effort for removing the stubborn grime and fingerprints. When you complete your cleaning, dry the rubbed area with another clean cloth.

Now take another cotton cloth and pour about two drops of oil onto it—Polish the surface following the grain of the steel. Your old stainless steel appliance will shine like brand new!

  1. Take help from some commercial cleaners

Plenty of brands and varieties of commercial cleaners specially designed for stainless steel are available in the market. If you fail to arrange the ingredients of the above-listed cleaning methods that fail to remove too many stubborn stains and grease from your stainless steel appliance. Then you can take help from commercial cleaners. However, these cleaners are available but quite expensive also.


However, if you need to use a commercial cleaner, then collect it from the nearest supermarket that suits your appliance the most. Follow the terms of use mentioned on the bottle. Most of these cleaners and polishers are good enough for removing hard stains, fingerprints, and grease. They are also suitable for polishing surfaces and can provide long-lasting shine.

FAQ about Cleaning Stainless Steel Appliances

What is the best cleaner for stainless steel appliances?

Some of the best and most popular commercial stainless steel cleaners are:

  • Therapy Stainless Steel Cleaner & Polish – it is the best natural cleaner.
  • TriNova Stainless Steel Cleaner and Polish– it is an overall best cleaner.
  • Weiman Stainless Steel Cleaning Wipes – It is best for the wipe.
  • CLR Stainless Steel Cleaner– it is the best aerosol cleaner.

Can I use Windex on my stainless steel appliances?

Most of the Windex is made from detergent, solvents, fragrance, and in a few cases, ammonia. Sometimes ammonia can cause a reaction with stainless steel and leave a purple spot permanently. However, Windex is very useful in cleaning stainless steel. Try to find ammonia-free Windex or any other mild commercial cleaning product and make shiny your stainless steel appliances.

Does vinegar damage stainless steel?

Vinegar is a very common and natural household cleaning product. It is used for cleaning various household items. Though it is slightly acidic but not harmful to stainless steel at all. In fact, it can also speed up the removal of stains from your stainless steel appliances.

What should you not use on stainless steel?

Steel brushes can damage the surface of your appliances. It can make a scratch; as a result, your appliance will be prone to rust and stains. Never use wool to wipe because it can deposit water on the surface. Besides this, abrasive cleaner and bleach also can damage the stainless steel.

What is the best natural cleaner for stainless steel?

White vinegar is one of the best natural cleaners to clean stainless steel appliances. Just pour it into a spray bottle and spray directly on all appliance surfaces. Now wipe it with a soft cloth or paper towel.

Wrapping up

We hope the above-listed cleaning tips will help you to clean the stainless steel appliance in your kitchen. All of them are very easy and simple to apply, and you can follow anyone among them regularly to make your home shiny like the first day. Lack of proper maintenance of your daily used appliances can lead to breakdown before their actual expiry. So be aware of keeping your home appliances clean regularly.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Cleaning Insider
Logo