How to Clean Stainless Steel Appliances Naturally

Are you tired of grimy fingerprints marking up your beautiful stainless-steel appliances? Skip harsh, store-bought chemicals and opt for a homemade, natural stainless steel cleaner instead. The following tips are all you’ll ever need to keep your appliances looking shiny and new.

Clean Stainless-Steel Appliances Naturally

Vinegar is the key to cleaning stainless steel naturally. It contains a mild acid, known as acetic acid, which cuts through oily fingerprints and food grime without smearing it around. At the same time, vinegar is perfectly safe to use around children and pets. In fact, it’s an ingredient in many recipes!

Vinegar is all-natural, nonabrasive, and acts as an effective sanitizer. It’s also inexpensive and easy to find. You probably already have a bottle on hand, so you can get cleaning without making a trip to the store.

First, gather your supplies:

• Spray bottle
• Three soft cloths
• Water
• White vinegar
• Lemon juice (optional)
• Natural dish soap
• Olive oil

Then, follow these directions:

1. Fill a spray bottle with equal parts water and white vinegar. To make the vinegar solution smell better, you can add a few drops of lemon juice.
2. Shake the bottle well and spray the stainless steel surfaces you wish to clean.
3. Wipe your appliances with a soft cloth, being sure to follow the direction of the grain. Use a gentle touch—there’s no need to scrub too hard because vinegar should effortlessly cut through the grease.
4. Once all fingerprints and grime have been removed, wet a second cloth with water and apply a few drops of dish soap. This extra step removes the acidic residue that vinegar leaves behind to ensure it doesn’t interact poorly with the metal over time.
5. Rinse out the soapy cloth and wipe the stainless steel again to remove any lingering soap.
6. Finally, apply a small amount of olive oil to a third soft cloth and wipe the appliances one last time to gently seal the grain.

What NOT to Do When Cleaning Stainless Steel

Before you make your natural stainless steel cleaner and get to work, keep the following precautions in mind:

• Don’t reuse an empty cleaning bottle. If you don’t already have vinegar in a spray bottle, you’ll need to buy one specifically for this purpose. Vinegar is an acid, and mixing it with unknown chemical cleaners could be dangerous.
• Don’t forget to label the spray bottle. Making a quick note in permanent marker ensures no one mistakes the vinegar mixture for plain water.
• Avoid prolonged contact with your skin. Vinegar may be non-hazardous, but it can dry out your skin and irritate your eyes. If you’re worried about these issues, wear rubber gloves while cleaning stainless steel appliances with vinegar.
• Never use steel wool or scouring pads on stainless steel. No matter how grimy your appliances are, these abrasive cleaning products will only make things worse by leaving scratches behind.

Schedule Kitchen Appliance Repair

You may want your appliances to look beautiful on the outside, but more importantly, they must work on the inside. Trust Mr. Appliance® for kitchen appliance maintenance and repair. We are a leading home appliance repair franchise with locations across North America. Contact us today to schedule the services you need.