TIPS FOR CLEANING STAINLESS STEEL

To protect your stainless-steel appliances, follow these must-know tips during daily wipedowns and deeper cleanings.

HOW TO GET RID OF FINGERPRINTS ON STAINLESS STEEL

Fingerprints on stainless steel are almost impossible to avoid, especially if you have little ones who like to touch everything in sight or budding chefs who pay no mind to the mess in the moment. Luckily, there's an easy solution to rid your stainless-steel appliances of fingerprints. Simply drop a little rubbing alcohol on a soft cloth and rub over the stains. The alcohol will zap the oily residue and grime left by a human hand.

CLEAN STAINLESS STEEL WITH THE GRAIN

Much like wood furniture, stainless steel has a grain. Always wipe with the grain to loosen and remove all the dirt from those little recesses. Going against the grain can result in less effective cleaning and may even scratch the steel. To find the appliance's grain direction, simply rub both vertically and horizontally with a soft cloth. If you feel a slight resistance, that means you're rubbing against the grain.

ADD SHINE TO STAINLESS-STEEL APPLIANCES

Make your stainless steel extra shiny with a secret ingredient: lemon oil. Just put a few drops of the oil on a clean cloth and rub it into the surface. If you can't find lemon oil, you can use olive oil as a substitute. Aim to give your stainless-steel appliances this oil treatment once a month. And remember: Don't use this method on an oven or appliance surfaces that conduct heat.

Now that you know how to clean stainless-steel appliances, you don't have to dread fingerprints. With a little bit of simple routine cleaning, some minimal elbow grease, household ingredients (vinegar and baking soda straight from the pantry), and special care items for regular maintenance, you can ensure cleaning stainless-steel appliances is a breeze and sparkling surfaces can be a real-life thing, too!