Stainless steel kitchen appliances provide a futuristic feel to your kitchen with its shiny, chrome-like appearance. However, these steel surfaces easily catch grease from fingerprints and oils from skin, leaving cloudy-white patches on the surface. Here's our 3-step guide to cleaning your steel kitchen appliances:
What You'll Need
You don't need a lot of cleaning tools to clean and polish your kitchen appliances. All you'll need is a mild degreaser, as well as a lint-free cloth to wipe the solution over your appliances. Vinegar or dish soap works well to remove fingerprints, and clean the surface.
- White vinegar OR
- Dish soap
- Microfiber cloth
- Olive oil - for polishing
How to Clean Fingerprints off Stainless Steel: A Step-by-Step Guide (with Pictures)
Step 1: Prepare Your Solution
The first step is to prepare your cleaning solution. Both vinegar and dish soap can be used to remove fingerprints off stainless steel appliances due to their degreasing properties. For vinegar, it will be easier to apply the solution on stainless steel appliances by placing vinegar in a spray bottle.
For dish soap, you will only need a few drops of liquid dish soap with degreasing properties on a damp cloth to clean stainless steel appliances. You may add a sprinkle of baking soda, but this is unnecessary if you're only cleaning fingerprints off stainless steel appliances.
Step 2: Clean Stainless Steel Surfaces
Take a microfiber cloth, and apply your chosen solution to the stainless steel appliance. Wipe the soft cloth over the stainless steel surface, and go in a circular motion to prevent streaks, and keep wiping until the fingerprints are completely gone.
For the vinegar solution, spray a small amount on smudged areas, and use a dry cloth to wipe the solution over the surface. This solution is best used on stainless steel sinks and countertops that may have soap scum and hard water spots as well, as vinegar will dissolve these stains.
For the dish soap option, use this method for your stainless steel fridge as it is a mess-free way to clean upright stainless steel surfaces. Use dish soap in minute amounts as a stainless steel cleaner so you no longer have to rinse the surface after cleaning stainless steel appliances.
Step 3: Wipe Dry with a Clean Cloth
Wipe away any residue with a dry cloth to complete the cleaning process, and use the cloth to buff out the stainless steel to keep it shiny. It is a good idea to polish your stainless steel at this point, as it creates a fingerprint-resistant stainless steel surface.
Polishing Your Stainless Steel Appliances
Use a neutral, non-sticky oil such as olive oil or baby oil to polish your stainless steel appliances. Simply apply 1-2 drops of oil on the surface, and use a clean cloth or paper towel to spread the oil around the surface in an even layer. The surface should be shiny and smooth, but not greasy. Avoid adding too much oil as it may make your stainless steel appliances sticky.
You may also use a commercial stainless steel cleaner and polisher to keep your surfaces professionally shiny. A commercial cleaner and polisher should remove grime from the surface, while adding a protective layer on top as well to seal the surface from moisture and dirt.
Cleaning Up Your Kitchen
When it's time to clean up your kitchen, call on Luce to tackle the grime! Our cleaning services are second to none when it comes to removing stains and dirt from your home, and our experienced cleaning professionals can bring back the shine to your kitchen appliances!
Contact us today, and bring back the shine to your stainless, fingerprint-resistant steel surfaces!
