How to Clean Stainless Steel Appliances | I’m Lovin’ It
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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!!!
- 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.
- 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)
- Wipe entire surface in the direction of the grain.
- 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
- Do NOT use anything abrasive, such as steel wool or scrubber sponges. These may scratch the finish.
- Never clean in circular motion or against the grain. Always clean stainless steel with the grain.
- Never use chlorine bleach on stainless steel. It will ruin the finish.
- Do not allow residue to sit on surface. Grime, dirt and cleaning products should be removed as soon as possible.
- 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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Hi there, I'm Cheryl!
As a wife, mom, and caffeine enthusiast, my journey has taken me from bustling mornings with my family to sharing delicious recipes, home care tips, and heartfelt decorating insights with wonderful readers like you. My love for baking, photography, and tidiness shines through every post I craft. Dive into my world and discover the art of homemaking, one tidy moment at a time. Read more...
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Thanks for the tip. Will share it with my sister and mom. This is a problem that drives us all nuts.
I love my ss appliances, ONLY WHEN THEY ARE CLEAN! Thank you for sharing this tip, I’ve never heard of affresh! Can’t wait to give it a try!! I’ll be checking the stores to see if they have it!
You have shared so many excellent tips but this one is by far the best one yet!! About a year ago we completely gutted our kitchen and I’ve struggled to keep finger prints or other grime off my stainless appliances. To get the stainless was a huge debate in my house. Thank you so much!
Wow, that’s a lot of inspiration for Valentines! Thanks Cheryl!
AGH! Stainless steel is the worst! Especially with 3 children in the house!
I have two little ones that love to touch my stainless steel appliances. I am always trying to keep up. Thanks for the posting. I will try affresh.
I have had this problem for 8 years now. It is very frustrating! I would love to try this!
Not only the kids but now the grandkids are leaving marks all over appliances. this is good news, will have to share with other family members.
thanks so much, hope I win, I can use all the help I can get to keep up with cleaning chores as I am getting on in years.
I hate all the smudges and finger prints from my little kiddos. Thanks for the chance to enter.
It would be wonderful to have a product that really works! Added both Affresh and a microfiber cloth to my shopping list.
I have got to get some Affresh!!! Thank you for hosting another wonderful Friday!
I have to try this Affresh + microfiber cleaning. I have stainless steel appliances in both my home and Airstream camper. It’s been impossible to keep them clean. Would love to win it, but I will put it on my shopping list.
Lots of trouble! I’ve tried so many different things from cheap ones to pricey ones. I’ve even tried the WD-40 that people rave about, and while it makes it shiny, it does nothing to get the prints/smudges off and it just looks greasy!
Where can you buy Affresh?
Water spots and fingerprints are the worst!
we always get so many fingerprints and crumbs on our stainless steel toaster at work; it makes me soooo mad! I would love to try affresh! (:
I LOVE the look of stainless, but it is harder to keep clean! Especially with messy little boys in the house! I’d love to try some Affresh!! Thanks for sharing!
I’ve had lots of trouble keeping stainless appliance smudge proof. Thanks for the tip about Affresh and the chance to win!
I’m excited about trying this! I’ve used many different products specially designed to clean SS and NONE of them work! Thanks for introducing me to a new option!
My oven door is stainless and smudgy. Thanks for the information on how to get it looking good.
trouble trouble trouble. grrrr and 4 kids! never ending battle !
I need this badly!! My refrigerator always looks smudged and has fingerprints everywhere! I don’t know where they all come from and I have given up (sort of). I want it to look good and not be afraid for people to look at it, it is so pretty when clean, but that doesn’t last long. This affresh sounds like a great product, would love the opportunity to try it!! Thank you!!
Great giveaway! I’m going to enter now 🙂
Thanks for hosting the party! Have a wonderful weekend!!
I have a little one, so there are constantly fingerprints all over our fridge and stove! I’d love to try this product 🙂
I also have Whirlpool stainless steel appliances and have had a hard time getting rid of smudges! I definitely want to try out some Affresh!
I pinned this giveaway, too! http://pinterest.com/pin/223772675207147791/
Thanks for the info. on Affresh. I’m going to try it. Thanks for the giveaway.
I pinned it.
Oh my gosh, I can never get our fridge cleaned off. I can’t wait to try this product!!
I also shared the giveaway on Google+
https://plus.google.com/u/0/102304687617570361339/posts/Sb45DWum6p7
Everyone leaves fingerprints or smudges…glad you are
finding something that works…because to date haven’t
had much success.
I have had the exact same frustrations, and am so thankful for this post. I definitely will be trying this.
I use a microfiber cloth and Windex with Vinegar, but I never tried spraying it directly on the cloth. Thanks for the tip!
I shared on Twitter
The fingerprints never go away on my SS appliances!
Thank you! I have a stainless fridge and stove and they are terrible to clean. It’s great to have a suggestion for something proven to work.
I pinned and tweeted this because I know a lot of my friends have SS appliances.
Thanks for the tips. I will soon be moving into a home with stainless steel appliances and they will come in handy. I have never had them before so I can’t really answer the giveaway question. I still hope for a chance to win since the cleaner would come in handy in the future.
It seems it takes a lot of elbow grease to clean stainless steel. Can’t wait to try this.
Wow thanks for writing this! I was just like you, and have tried everything. I can’t wait to try Affresh!!
I have a toaster in stainless steel finish…it never stays clean..:(
Mostly I just use a little elbow grease and a clean dish towel to clean my S. S. oven but I would love to try this product.
I just moved into our new home that hubby built for us. My stove, fridge and dishwasher are stainless steel and they are alwys so dirty looking. I even have some stainless steel polish but it just doens;t do the job.
Thanks for the chance to win this cool product.
I have absolutely had trouble cleaning my stainless steel appliances. They look great, when they’re clean, but the challenge of keeping them clean definitely makes me second guess my decision to have stainless steel sometimes. The best thing I’ve found so far is Chlorox Scrubber wipes. I will definitely be trying your suggestion!
I shared this on Pinterest also!
http://pinterest.com/pin/181058847491430024/
I’ve never been able to clean my S/S appliances to my liking, I can’t wait to try this stuff for cleaning 🙂
I was just about to do the google thing to see what to do since my current cleaner wasn’t working. I would love to try this product. Thanks
My sinks and stove look terrible!! I am ordering affresh asap!
I just pinned this too. My friends will want to know about this.
I can never get my stainless steel microwave as clean and shining as I like it to be. And how about those pots and pans I have hanging on a rack for all to see?
I shared this post on pinterest.
I shared this post , twitter.