We just renovated our kitchen and I now have a full suite of stainless steel appliances. Within a short time they looked smudgy and covered in fingerprints. I’ve looked at the manufacture’s recommendations and Googled for cleaning suggestions but so far no idea has worked well.
So, Dopers, how do you keep you stainless steel appliances looking clean?
What you’re going to do is a two step, two product process. In my years of cleaning houses I never found anything that both sanitized AND polished these appliances. To sanitize, I used a non-ammonia window cleaner and hot water, rubbing any stubborn gunk or fingerprints w/ a sponge or soft cloth and then wiping dry immediately to avoid streaks; this will make it clean and maybe shiny. But to polish it and keep it from getting as much stuff and fingerprints stuck to it, you’ll need the dedicated appliance polish spray from any of the DIY stores. It’s an oil-based spray usually and you’ll apply it w/ a dry cloth that doesn’t fuzz. It will repel ‘soiling’ until it wears off, then you’ll sanitize and polish again.
You can use the polish to clean as well; but it will take longer, use more of the pricey stuff, and not actually be sanitized which is a dealbreaker for my kitchen.
Cleaning these appliances and their matching trash can persuaded me to never own them.
Just get used to it.
Stainless steel is known for this. I can’t see any reason (except for fad) that people like it.
I know stainless steel is known for it, but I also know that people manage to minimize the fingerprints.
As for why, all style is a fad, and I like how the appliances look, which is why I bought it. I don’t mind dealing with the issues, as long as I have a way to do it.
Thanks, nawth chucka. That’s helpful.
Best way to minimize the prints is to avoid putting your hands on the flat, brushed steel bits. Handle the appliance by the handle as much as possible, including when you close it (many people are used to opening things by the handle but closing them with an open hand on the door); idem when using any knobs (I do know some people who seem to be unable to turn a knob without putting the other hand on the surface around it). My brother Ed’s fridge magnets fulfill a secondary purpose of holding in place a large picture which doesn’t show fingerprints when someone pushes on it.
We also just completed a major kitchen remodel. I never realized Bosch made appliances and now we have a kitchen full of them.
My gf loves the new kitchen, and spends her free time cleaning and recleaning everything. I’ve caught her just looking at the stove with a beatific grin on her face. She has purchased several different brands of cleaning/polishing products but hasn’t noticed one being better than any other.
Wow!
That’s worth a lot.
I don’t have SS appliances, but I do have an ingenious suggestion. Mount a box of disposable gloves at the entrance to the kitchen. No one may enter or touch anything without gloves.
You’re welcome! 
I allowed myself to be talked into granite countertops, and they’ve been a royal pain in the patoot to keep clean. They disguise dirt extremely well - even stuff stuck to the surface. Spousal unit never thinks to run his hand along and feel for sticky bits, and I’ll come along later and find solidified gunk that takes a lot of work to remove. Oh, how I miss my formica…
I use window cleaner and the metal polish my husband uses on his car, so pretty much what Nawth Chucka said. The metal polish has emollients in it that keep fingerprints from happening for awhile. I found the appliance sprays I tried didn’t work as well. YMMV.
I just used olive oil, whatever type I’ve got. A few drops onto a polishing cloth and wipe over. If I’ve used a bit much oil, I wipe off with a clean cloth. Simple, easy and cheap!
How does he get the magnet to stick to the stainless steel? I thought that was a drawback (or, perhaps, and advantage) of stainless steel appliances.
He… puts the magnets on the fridge… and they stick.
Are you sure you’re not confusing steel and aluminum? I’ve found more troubles getting magnets to stick to the colored appliances (when the surface happens to be plastic), but never had problems with the ones that are steel. I just bought an induction hob and there is only one set of steel cookware I already had which doesn’t work on it, the rest magnetize like champs.
Magnets only stick to he sides of my SS fridge. Not to the front. Magnets not sticking to SS is a drawback.
Shrug, my own fridge is SS and magnets stick to its front with a satisfying clump.
Most SS fridge doors have an underlayer of conventional steel with a thin layer of SS foil bonded over it. The magnets are sticking to that underlayer. Early SS fridges didn’t have that feature; the whole door was SS through and through. This was changed after *many *customers complained about not being able to festoon their fridge with magnetic crap.
You’ll find few fridge sides, stoves, or dishwashers have that inner layer.
My cleaning person swears by using Limeaway to remove any water spots. My water dispenser users tend to dribble water down the front of the fridge. I don’t know what else she uses for routine cleaning / shining.
One *major *one word of caution: It’s very, very easy to scratch the surface with any kind of scrubbing pad. Even the plastic ones, e.g. ScotchBrite. It won’t be obvious you’re doing damage while you’re scrubbing. Then you’ll wipe off the cleaning solution, whatever it is, and survey a splotch 4" across of damaged finish with all kinds of scratches not aligned with the nice brushed finish. Don’t do that.
This right here.
First clean it with windex. Then a lint free cloth with a few drops of olive oil. But you’ve really got to commit to polishing it to avoid streaks. Rub with the grain, not across it.
Thanks, folks. This is very helpful.
I love my appliances, don’t care about using magnets, and don’t plan on wearing vinyl gloves :). Just want to be able to occasionally clean it up right.
One of the big reasons commercial kitchens use stainless steel is because it is easy to spot when something is not clean; it does not hide fingerprints, it spotlights them. Those shopping for new appliances should keep this in mind.
Your fridge isn’t stainless steel then.
Clean SS with any good cleaner - windex, 409, whatever. Then use stainless steel cleaner, which will remove some grease and smudges but not more copious or goopy ones (hence the first cleaning), but contains mineral or citrus oil that stays behind, giving the metal a clean, polished look.
You can use SS cleaner by itself if you don’t get food, grease, multi-finger-prints etc. on the metal. It’s important to rub the cleaner in well, then polish it off, a bit like wax, to get the most even finish.