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Home Maintenance  /  August 16, 2016

How to Clean Stainless Steel Appliances

We all know that cleaning stainless steel appliances with steel wool is a really bad idea. But did you know that you can get better results if you clean with the grain? There is a really good chance that you had no idea that steel had grain similar to wood. When you hire a cleaning expert from Handyman Connection of Boise, you do not have to worry about these little details. But if you want to try cleaning your stainless steel appliances yourself, then there are some steps you should follow.

Find The Grain

It is entirely possible that each part of your stainless steel appliances has a different grain. The door on your oven may have a different grain than the body, but the grain is there. If you look closely at your stainless steel appliance, you will be able to see faint lines that go either vertical or horizontal. Those are the grain lines of your appliance, and you should clean with the grain to get the best results.

Dish Soap And A Soft Towel

It is common sense to use a soft towel to clean your stainless steel appliances, but not many people know that using dish soap as a cleaning agent will get the best results. Apply a small dab of dish soap to your cleaning towel, and then slightly moisten the towel. Start cleaning the surface of your stainless steel appliances by wiping with the grain and removing all of the spots and smudges. Don’t be shy about applying a little extra force to problem areas. Your stainless steel appliances can handle it.

Polishing The Surface

You can either use baby oil or stainless steel polish to give your stainless steel appliances that long-lasting shine. Apply a little of either to a dry, soft towel and start wiping with the grain. After you have gone over the entire surface of the appliance, go back over with another clean, dry towel to wipe up any excess.

Some Helpful Tips

If there is dish soap residue left over after the initial cleaning step, then use a clean, dry towel to wipe the residue away. Do not leave the dish soap on the surface of your stainless steel appliances as it could leave a small stain.

It is critically important to use dry towels at every step, and it is also important to only use a couple of drops of the cleaning and waxing solutions. You will get the results you need with only a couple of drops, but you could be making extra cleaning work for yourself if you try to use any more.

Be sure that the kitchen is nice and cool when you are cleaning your stainless steel appliances. The hot sun could affect the results you get, and humidity may also make the cleaning difficult. Choose a day when the temperature is cool, or be sure to have the air conditioning on while you are working.

When you hire an appliance expert from Handyman Connection of Boise, you will get your appliances cleaned and they will get inspected as well. An expert will be able to point out areas in need of maintenance and repair, and give you a reliable quote for the work. The faster you catch problems with your stainless steel appliances, then less you will pay to have those problems corrected.

 

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