How to Clean Stainless Steel Appliances | I’m Lovin’ It

Stainless steel appliances are known for their beauty and ability to be a clean surface that resists corrosion and rust.  Unfortunately,  stainless steel appliances are also know to be the source of great grief in many home kitchens, due to their ability to show every fingerprint, smudge and bit of residue left behind from daily use.

(my 16 yo took this picture and insisted I use it! lol)

HOW TO CLEAN STAINLESS STEEL APPLIANCES

I’ve had Whirlpool stainless steel appliances in my kitchen for 5 months now.  If you own stainless steel appliances, you may be in the same boat I was in…… losing a battle……..a battle against fingerprints and smudges.  The grimy streaks were winning!

I whined to my friends about the smudges all over my pretty new appliances.  I asked everyone I knew, including Mr. Google, how to clean stainless steel appliances.  I got a slew of answers, from window cleaner to alcohol and baby oil, to simply pure water and numerous specially formulated cleaners.  I tried, a clean dish cloth, paper towels and cloth diapers. 

Nothing was working.

I vented my frustrations one day when I was on the phone with Jim,  product manager at Whirlpool, when he told me something that changed my life! He said he uses affresh™ Stainless steel cleaner and a microfiber cloth.  Jim told me he sprays the cloth with  affresh™ Stainless steel cleaner then wipes down his appliances and has had great luck with that method.

To be honest, I doubted it was going to work, but figured what did I have to lose?  I already had a bottle of affresh™ Stainless steel cleaner and a clean microfiber cloth.

As soon as we hung up the phone I headed to the kitchen to give it a go.  To my amazement it WORKED!!!

1. If appliances have visible grime and food, take a clean microfiber cloth and a little warm soapy water to wipe down surface (always wipe with the grain of the stainless steel).  Then take the same cloth, rinse it well and wipe down surface again, removing soapy residue.
2. Use a dry microfiber cloth and to spray the affresh™ Stainless steel cleaner on the cloth, NOT on the appliance (I usually just give it 2 squirts – don’t saturate the cloth)
3. Wipe entire surface in the direction of the grain.
4. Flip microfiber cloth over and buff surface using a little elbow grease until shiny!

I still have to clean them daily, but I have to tell you, I recently hired a cleaning lady to help me out a few times a month and when she walked into my kitchen she said “your appliances look AMAZING! how do you keep them so clean?!”  ….TRUE STORY!

5 DON’TS  WHEN CLEANING STAINLESS STEEL

1. Do NOT use anything abrasive, such as steel wool or scrubber sponges. These may scratch the finish.
2. Never clean in circular motion or against the grain.  Always clean stainless steel with the grain.
3. Never use chlorine bleach on stainless steel.  It will ruin the finish.
4. Do not allow residue to sit on surface.  Grime, dirt and cleaning products should be removed as soon as possible.
5. Do not expect stainless steel to look beautiful on it’s own.  It’s going to take a little elbow grease and good daily maintenance to keep it looking shiny.

Not only am I still using the affresh™ Stainless steel cleaner on all of my stainless steel appliances daily, but I REALLY think the key is to use a microfiber cloth (I keep two that are only used on my appliances) and to spray the affresh™ Stainless steel cleaner on the cloth, NOT on the appliance.  I’m now winning the battle with the fingerprints and smudges……and the BEST part….my appliances are clean AND streak free!! (so many other methods would remove smudges, but then left streaks).

I talked to the people at affresh™ and they said they’d be happy to hook up some TidyMom readers with their Stainless steel cleaner!

Giveaway!  3 (three) lucky TidyMom readers will win 2(two) 16 oz bottles of affresh™ Stainless steel cleaner + 1 microfiber cloth

Giveaway has ended.  Congrats to Julie B and Meredith H

How to enter:  Simply leave a comment on this post telling me if you’ve had trouble or success with keeping stainless steel appliances clean.  (as always,  if you are reading this via email or rss reader, you must click over to the blog to enter)

For an extra entry:  You can share this post on pinterest, twitter, google+ or facebook and leave a comment letting me know you shared it (one extra entry per person)

Giveaway sponsored by affresh™. – I was not compensated for this post, but I do have a working relationship with Whirlpool – I truly use and love this product and wanted to share!

Official Rules: No purchase necessary. Open to US residents only.  Must be over 18. Giveaway will end on Feb 13, 2013 at 5:00 pm CST. Three (3) winners with a valid entry will be selected at random using random.org. Winners will be notified by email and will have 48 hours to claim their prize or another winner will be selected. TidyMom and affresh™ are not responsible for lost or undelivered emails.  Prize: 2(two) 16 oz bottles affresh™ Stainless steel cleaner – value ($6.99/bottle) and 1(one) microfiber cloth

WHERE TO BUY affresh™ Stainless steel cleaner

you can purchase affresh products online from Whirlpool and Amazon, or at your local Best Buy, Home Depot, Walmart, and Target.

I’m Lovin’…….affresh™ Stainless steel cleaner

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