Stainless Steel Cleaning and Maintenance Tips

REDWOOD CITY — Maintaining your stainless steel appliances can be challenging, but with the right tools and techniques, you can obtain good results. Consider the following tips for cleaning and scratch removal:

Cleaning stainless steel

Most commercial stainless steel cleaning products either contain harsh chemicals or are made with mineral oil. A Greener, more affordable option for cleaning your stainless steel appliances is baby oil. Not only is baby oil environmentally friendly, you probably already have some at home, so you’ll save money.

Before applying baby oil to a stainless steel appliance, you’ll need to prepare the surface. Moisten a towel with warm water, apply some dish soap and wipe down the stainless steel surface. This will remove any grease and oily buildup that has accumulated on the surface.

After allowing the surface to dry, it’s time to apply the baby oil. Don’t use too much; otherwise, you could wind up with an oily film. Also, be sure to clean along the grain of the stainless steel—in most cases, this is horizontally from left to right, so double-check that you’re moving in the right direction. When correctly applied, baby oil will provide a shiny, protective coating to your stainless steel appliances.

Removing scratches from stainless steel

If one of your stainless steel appliances has scratches, you’ll be glad to know there’s an inexpensive way to remove them. For less than $10, the Rejuvenate® Stainless Steel Scratch Eraser Kit provides a simple way to repair a scratched stainless steel surface. The kit consists of three scouring pads (coarse, medium and fine), an applicator tool, a microfiber towel and a lubricant.