Key points
- Grinding materials such as steel wool and melamine scraper made of stainless steel devices.
- Sour solutions such as vinegar stainless steel devices over time.
- Food oil effectively cleans stainless steel and can even leave a sticky gap.
Stainless steel devices can create noble and clean aesthetics in any home, but only if they are properly looked after. While there are many tools and solutions that can clean and protect stainless steel, there are many others who cannot do the work and can even make their devices worse than before.
To ensure that you use sticks on the right products, we asked professional cleaning staff to tell us exactly which tools and solutions you avoid if you clean stainless steel devices.
Meet the expert
- Karen Larkin is the founder and owner of Belle Home HouseCleaning.
- Debbie Lovett Is the owner of Plan: B Cleaning.
- Taylor Riley is a cleaning expert and partner at Gemsmart Commercial Cleaning.
Steel wool and scary pillow
First and foremost, every cleaning expert says that they stay away from common cleaning tools such as steel wool, Scheucholden and Rauen brushes to clean their stainless steel. What is the common characteristic among them? They are abrasive.
Experts stay away from abrasive cleaning tools when working with stainless steel, as they can scratch the surface and damage the finish.
“[That] Make it more susceptible to clean for rust and more difficult in the future, “says Debbie Lovett, the owner of Plan: B Cleaning.” Instead, use a microfiber cloth or a soft sponge as a much safer option. “
Would you like more cleaning and organizing tips? Register for our free daily newsletter for the latest hacks, expert advice and much more!
Melamine sponges
If you have thought about using a magical eraser to clean your fridge doors, our experts say again.
“Avoid some abrasives on stainless steel,” warns Karen Larkin, the founder and owner at Belle Home HouseCleaning. “Not only Scrub pads, but also melaming rubber and the pink stuff.”
While Melamin sponges are certainly effective cleaning tools, they are also considered grinding material and can leave fine scratches anywhere in your stainless steel devices.
Although you temporarily lift dirt and dirt, you will blunt the surface over time and your devices look worse for wear.
Bleach and chlorine
Just as Larkin and Lovett shy away from abrasive tools when dealing with stainless steel devices, they also quickly avoid hard chemicals such as bleach and chlorine.
“These products will color stainless steel and can cause long -term corrosion,” says Lovett.
Fortunately, there are many effective alternatives with which you can clean your stainless steel devices, including a simple combination of scarf soap and warm water.
Lemon and citrus cleaner
Lemon is a natural cleaner with which you can clean different objects and areas in your house, from the microwave in your kitchen to the stained clothing in your washroom.
Despite its strengths, our experts advise to use lemon and other cleaning agents based on a citrus when they tackle stainless steel.
“The acid in these cleaning staff is slowly eating on the protective layer, which leads to mattness and coloring,” says Taylor Riley, cleaning expert and partner at Gemsmart Commercial Cleaning.
Like Lovett, Riley recommends warm water and mild shoring soil as an alternative solution. “Or, even better, a special stainless steel spray,” he says.
Die
Like lemon, food oils are another frequent addition to many DIY cleaners because they can polish objects such as wooden furniture and offer protection for cast iron pans. Some cleaning experts also use cooking oil to polish stainless steel devices, but according to Larkin, the disadvantages outweigh the professionals.
While a light olive oil polel can temporarily give your stainless steel devices a fresh and shiny finish, purely that you do not effectively clean the material. In fact, it will probably do the opposite and leave a sticky gap, emphasize the fingerprints and attract more dust and dirt, which makes your device even dirty than before.
Vinegar
Sour solutions such as vinegar are a fan favorite of many environmentally friendly cleaning agents, because they are crushing and lifting the congenital ability to shred and raise stains from hard water, rust and soap foam.
However, when it comes to stainless steel, Lovett and Riley say that it is best to avoid vinegar, as it can cut more than just unwanted gunk and debris.
“Although vinegar is ideal for dissolving structure, it can remove the protective layers on stainless steel and leave stripes,” says Lovett.
“Stainless steel is all about protection,” added Riley. “As soon as you take off or scratch the protective surface, open the door to permanent damage.”
Glass cleaner
As a last warning, experts Lovett and Larkin recommend that they keep glass cleaners far from their stainless steel devices.
Many glass cleaners use ammonia to cut fat and dirt, but instead of leaving their devices polished and shiny, the sharp solution can actually leave a streak, cloudy shine on stainless steel.
With every use, glass cleaner stainless steel slowly and corrode and corrode the finish of your devices permanently. Instead, they achieve better cleaning and cause less damage by using a simple soap and water solution and a gentle microfiber cloth.