How To: Clean Stainless Steel Appliances

We just learned a trick from a friend about how to remove finger prints from stainless steel appliance doors. Even when using soap/cleaner and water, fingerprints are difficult to wash off and usually just blur into a noticeable darker mark on your shiny new fridge or stove top. But add a dab of baby oil or mineral oil (the unscented version), wipe with a soft cloth, and those fingerprints disappear quickly. This additive can also work for removing sticker adhesive on stainless steel appliance products and other glues. Too bad we don't have any stainless steel appliances except our toaster and waffle maker.

Comments (10)

Its true about the baby oil. Its amazing. Not only does it remove fingerprints but it makes it very difficult to create new ones.
I swear by it.

posted by GlamGirl on April 22nd 2008 at 8:43am
view GlamGirl's profile

My stainless steel appliances don't seem to have this problem. I just wipe them clean with a damp microfiber cloth and all is well. I'll keep this tip in mind though, just in case.

posted by jooly on April 22nd 2008 at 9:03am
view jooly's profile

Mineral Oil works for sure. We were using that "Stainless Steel Magic" spray stuff and read the label to find out what it was.

posted by Morgante on April 22nd 2008 at 9:06am
view Morgante's profile

WD40 works great too! A service repair man clued me into this one!

posted by modmom on April 22nd 2008 at 10:38am
view modmom's profile

I use a damp Mr. Clean Magic Eraser which does the job.

posted by mdeathstar on April 22nd 2008 at 10:46am
view mdeathstar's profile

Bartender's Friend works really well.

posted by Taureg on April 22nd 2008 at 1:05pm
view Taureg's profile

I've heard that a little vinegar and water gets stainless steel sparkling, but I haven't tried it yet.

posted by harlie on April 22nd 2008 at 1:57pm
view harlie's profile

club soda works....thats what i use as a bartender...plus it gets stains out and keep fruit fresh...

posted by evilaril22 on April 23rd 2008 at 4:43am
view evilaril22's profile

I like Mrs. Meyers lavendar stainless steel spray. It prevents new fingerprints too, perhaps it has something to do with having some mineral oil in it as you other posters have suggested. If I can switch to baby oil that'd be great, Mrs. Meyers is expensive.

posted by foodiegirl on April 23rd 2008 at 8:12am
view foodiegirl's profile

What about scratches, scuffs or chemical stains on Stainless steel? Cleaners won't remove damage to the actual surface. There is a product called Scratch-B-Gone that anyone can use to repair and restore the surface of any genuine, non-coated Stainless steel appliance, sink or grill, and then blend in the repair so that it matches the color and tone of the surrounding areas (no bright spot left afterward). Many manufacturers and appliance or grill distributors are starting to carry it, or you can visit http://www.scratch-b-gone.com for more information, before and after photos, video demonstrations, testimonials, etc.

posted by riyford on June 10th 2008 at 4:07am
view riyford's profile