Stainless Steel Cleaner That Actually Works Well?!

Updated on July 14, 2009
H.S. asks from Lake Stevens, WA
18 answers

Hi Mamas! I'm hoping somebody might know of a brand of stainless steel cleaner that they would highly recommend. Right now I use Method's Stainless Steel Cleaner and a microfiber cloth, and while I've generally liked their products, I am not very impressed with the SS cleaner. No matter what I do my appliances end up looking streaky at best, for now I just try to make the streaks as straight as possible-lol ;). Any suggestions for products that worked for you would be appreciated! Thanks!

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H.M.

answers from Seattle on

Hi H.,

You got a lot of ideas, but I'll offer mine anyway. I use ZEP SS cleaner. It costs about $5 at home depot. It works really well. Good luck.

1 mom found this helpful
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C.S.

answers from Medford on

Hi H.,

Once I was watching Martha Stewart and she said that she used 409 and paper towels, ever since that is what I have used because it is so easy and quick, and with little kids and finger prints it gets dirty easy! I honestly haven't tried much else, but this works pretty good I think.

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D.B.

answers from Richland on

I have a whole kitchen full of ne Maytag Stainless Steel appliances and have been using Wieman Stainless Steel Cleaner and Polish and it does not leave streaks!! I got it at Wal Mart for junder 4 bucks I am sure! The ony bad part it that you will need to put a bath towel on the floor when you spray it! The mist when you spray it falls to the floor and makes it slippery, at least on our hardwoods, it does! You only need a litt bit as well, it goes a long way! There are wipes as well for the same price, but I figured the spray would last MUCH longer1 I have been using it for nearly a year and the can still feels full! Good Luck!

1 mom found this helpful
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M.M.

answers from Portland on

I use Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day Stainless Steel cleaner which works so amazingly well. All of my appliances turn out looking new without any streaks or evidence of cleaner residue. It is non-toxic, unlike 409 or pledge, and smells great as it is scented by essential oils. Just a suggestion. The vinegar solution would probably also be very effective at a much lower cost.

I did wanted to comment on the Bar Keeper's Friend. I use it on my all-clad cookware and love it for that, but do not suggest it for appliances. For one, it would be huge overkill for the need, and indeed messy. But as the poster said, she never tried it on appliances.

1 mom found this helpful
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B.S.

answers from Portland on

Hi H.. I tried a product called Howard Naturals Stainless Steel polish a while back and was super impressed. I read the ingredients list and found that it had a lot of oils (specifically coconut oil). One day I decided to just try rubbing a little coconut oil on my stainless refrigerator (using a paper towel) and then I wiped/polished the surface w/ a cloth to get the excess oil off. It was AMAZING what a great job this did. coconut oil has a lot of anti-bacterial properties in it so that is nice too. It was almost like I was able to "condition" my refrigerator. the Howard Naturals product works very also if you just want to buy something. I also have a black moen stone sink and the coconut oil beautifully conditions this also. I usually like to rub the oil on the appliance at the end of the day so that it isn't greasy by the next morning.

http://www.howardnaturals.com/stainless_steel_cleaner.asp

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N.I.

answers from Portland on

H.,

I use Shaklee's Scour Off and it works wonders. I have stainless steel RevereWare cookinng pots and I have burned stuff in them a couple of times and I use this and it takes it out like you wouldn't believe. I believe that it is a lot less expensive then method also. If I didn't have this I would have probably thrown the pan away but it comes out. You use it on toilets, sinks, etc like you would Ajax and Comet. And, of course, Stainless Steel. It smells great and is made from cherry pits. I can send you a small sample to try if you are interested. Let me know.

N.
SAH mom, wife, grandma and Wellness Coach

1 mom found this helpful
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J.H.

answers from Seattle on

I have had stainless appliances for the last 5 years and have pretty much tried every product on the shelf and found one that I think works the best. Try Pledge! Yup, your regular old dust cleaner. If you look at the can it says right on it that it can be used for granite, glass, stainless steel and woodwork. I use it for both my stainless and my granite and it leaves a nice streak-free shine. I would never go back to some of the expensive stainless cleaners again. Give it a try!!

1 mom found this helpful
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D.C.

answers from Portland on

So this one isn't so readily available in stores but is works awesome. We had some salesman come into our business selling cleaning products. My husband usually always gives them about 3 minutes to prove themselves. Well this guy did. It leaves absolutely no streaks. I use it to clean my windows and stainless as I was having the same issues you were. I have even used it on my white window sills where my 3yr old decided to color with a pen. Its Biodegradable, non-toxic, not tested on animals, organically derived. I have a 32oz bottle and have never had to reorder so I am not sure how it really works. The number on the bottle is 1-800-760-7544. Its called Kleen Warrior All purpose cleaner and degreaser.

Good luck

1 mom found this helpful
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S.S.

answers from Seattle on

I recently bought Barkeeper's Friend for my new stainless steel pots and pans and it works like a dream. Not sure how it would work on appliances, but my understanding is that it is for everything stainless steel... You can get it at Bed, Bath and Beyond, Fred Meyer and Lowes.

1 mom found this helpful
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J.C.

answers from Seattle on

Now THERE's a surprise worth waiting for!!!! Congratulations!!--- I've only used vinegar( diluted half and half with water ) or --- baking soda on a nearly dry sponge-- followed by a damp cloth to ''rinse -- then a dry cloth to 'polish' --- more hand-work- but purely natural, cheap and so forth---

I'll be watching!!!! ( maybe someone knowthing way better)

Blessings,
J.
aka- Old Mom

1 mom found this helpful
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S.R.

answers from Seattle on

All of my SS appliances recommend 409, which works great - especially on the cooktop which gets greasy. Windex works too if you buff it until it's dry.

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E.A.

answers from Seattle on

The thing that I've found that works the best is Windex.

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A.D.

answers from Portland on

Hello. I just saw this on HGTV on one of the design shows. Use a little bit of olive oil on a cloth & it will take away fingerprints, etc. & not leave streaks. Best of all it is safe & all-natural.

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J.K.

answers from Seattle on

My brother owns a commercial metal fabrication company and recommends Windex for cleaning stainless steel. It has to be original, blue Windex. :)

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D.R.

answers from Medford on

Hi H.,

If you live in an area where hard water is a problem, then if you have ever used plain or soapy tap water to try and clean your stainless steel, there is a possibility that the mineral content in the water left behind a film that is nearly impossible to remove. There are very few cleaners that can remove this build-up without scratching the surface. We have two large commercial coolers with stainless steel doors and spent hours trying to clean them before we discovered that it was mineral build-up. We found that Bring-It-On cleaner worked best. At $18 a bottle it's a bit spendy but when we factored in the time it saved us it was worth it to us. We found it at http://www.BringItOnCleaner.com.

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M.P.

answers from Portland on

I also use baking soda sprinkled on the surface and then rubbed with a damp cloth. Then cleanly rinsed the surface. I hadn't thought to use vinegar. I'll try that, perhaps along with the baking soda.

If you're talking about polishing a stainless steele sink, I've read to thoroughly clean it and then wax it with a high grade auto wax. I haven't tried that yet. But I did do something like that years ago with an Amway product and it worked. I've also cleaned and waxed my very old counter tops and been pleased with the shine.

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S.T.

answers from Portland on

Instead of the microfiber cloth, you might try regular cotton terry cloth rags. The key is to not use any fabric softener or dryer sheets when you dry the cloths. Otherswise the softener/dryer sheets will leave streaks.

I use a spray bottle filled with half vinegar half water and it seems to work well on nearly everything.

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K.C.

answers from Bellingham on

We use a product called Sprayway Stainless steel polish and cleaner. It does a really good job about taking out the streaks. It is oil based, but I'm not sure what the other ingredients are in it (they aren't listed). I just says there are no ozone depleting chemicals. May not be as green as Method, but we have found it to work very well (and I'm pretty picky about my stainless steel!) Hope that helps. Good luck!

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