If anyone who has ever owned stainless steel appliances, they all know how difficult it is to clean them. I love their look but they are a #$%%# to clean! So you may wonder what I use to get them looking brand spanking new! Ok, I have tried a few cleaners, like Guardsman Stainless Steel Wipes, some natural ones like Ecomist's Stainless Steel Cleaner - but I found that they just don't do the best job. I have tried Windex on some steel appliances and it worked but I notice it will eventually lose its ability to make the appliance look spotless in time. Manufacturers don't recommend Windex or glass cleaners on stainless as well, but at one time I didn't know this. It was all I had back then. Some cleaners have odours and I would recommend using gloves - especially the aerosol forms of stainless steel cleaners like WD40 or Weiman's.
I am not sure what provoked me to try this, but one time while at a client's, who's house should be featured in Better Homes and Gardens, I was cleaning her natural stone counter tops. The manufacturer gave her mineral oil - just simple mineral oil - to wipe over the stone to give a bit of a sheen and to keep it conditioned. Stone anything is pretty hard to wreck but it can be it can sometimes be dull looking. (**Bleach can stain it, as well as red wine - so be careful! Did I mention wet iron skillets - be sure to dry them!**) The countertop was black with natural lines of grey running through out. In some places where there was a lot of use - areas near the sink and stove and that required a lot of wiping down, these areas had become a lighter grey shade. The manufacturer provided her mineral oil to gloss them up. I found it did the trick and restored them close to their original shade of black.
While wiping along the edges of the counter top I happened to swipe the surface of the stainless steel dishwasher too. Hmm, I noticed a real sheen on the area I had hit. I thought, maybe I'll try and do a little larger area. So with a dry cotton cloth and an little of the oil, I gave spot on the dishwasher a larger swipe in the DIRECTION of the grain. Wow, it was looking really good. So with a little more oil applied to the dry cloth - taking a chance on all of them, I swooshed over all the appliances - microwave, refridgerator and wine fridge and hood range - unbelievable - just like new! Everything looked finger print, smudge mark, liquid drip free!
My client was impressed and she continued to use the oil when she needed it in a jiffy to touch up her kitchen before company came. She did however mention that if you use too much oil the surface will smudge easily and had requested that I use less the next time I visited. I would suggest going over the appliances again with a clean dry cloth to get any excess oil off. So, this began my love affair with mineral oil and stainless steel.
I have looked for mineral oil in the grocery store - I am sure it is there but somehow, I haven't seen it. The bottle my client had came from the countertop suppliers - I haven't had time or remembered to ask her who they are or where their shop is located. But I have found a substitute - BABY OIL works just as well - I gather baby oil is pretty much mineral with a powdery scent. Baby oil comes with me to all the houses I do that have stainless steel appliances. I would suggest that if you attempt this make sure you test it out in an inconspicuous area first - not all stainless steel surfaces are the same - not sure of the differences, but some manufacturer's coat their products with their own sealant - as I had found out with one lady's fridge - it was like strips of a clear substance had started to peel off? I am not sure what that material was and at the time I didn't know about the mineral oil. I wished I had, because I think the oil would have fixed the surface of her refridgerator. With repetitive cleans, the fridge's surface sort of healed itself but it was frustrating that it took so long to make it look like new again.
I would recommend that if there is excessive debris and sticky gunk, as in 3D matter, on the outside of the stainless appliances that you wipe the excessive material off with a cloth soaked in warm water so that the surface is technically free of any dirt. Dry the surface and THEN APPLY the oil to a dry clean cotton (cotton works best - especially flannel) cloth. Working in the direction of the grain and voila, the surface will be like it was before you brought it home!
Who knew that baby oil, and if in a pinch - olive oil too, would work so well? Baby oil is great on stainless steel. Happy Cleaning!
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