The Cooking Staple That Can Help Clean Stainless Steel
When it comes to things in the kitchen, stainless steel still reigns supreme; that goes for appliances too. According to Chris Hyland with EXP Realty, our long love affair with this kitchen material has not fizzled. A Houzz study discovered that 75% of participants surveyed were planning on purchasing stainless steel appliances for their kitchen makeovers, renovations, etc. Of course, those who haven't already decked out their kitchen with these appliances may not know how they are magnets for fingerprints and smudges. In 2018, the Washington Post spoke to the head demonstration chef for Sub-Zero, Joel Chesebro, who confessed that he and his wife found that "wiping those little fingerprints fell to the bottom of our task list." He says, however, that stainless steel is easy to clean and doesn't hide the fact that it's dirty like darker granite countertops often can.
How do stainless steel appliance owners clean them and keep them shiny and new? While cleaners like 3M's Stainless Steel Cleaner & Polish may be the gold standard, it's not exactly cheap. If you are looking to save a few dollars but still want fingerprint-free appliances, there's a cooking staple that can help clean your stainless steel.
Try this Italian staple
According to the Family Handyman blog, olive oil and a microfiber cloth can be your B.F.F. when it comes to cleaning stainless steel. And since it's being used to clean, there's no need to reach for gourmet oils, so save that extra-virgin olive oil for your recipes. The blog goes on to explain that you want to buff the steel with the grain, which can be in either a horizontal or vertical orientation. After you've buffed as much as possible, take a clean, dry microfiber cloth and wipe it down. They note there will be a "thin layer" of the olive oil left behind that will hinder those pesky fingerprints. And you don't need to do this very often — the blog recommends a frequency of every time you open a new bottle of olive oil. And it only takes a couple of drops to get the job done, so using whatever great cooking olive oil you prefer will be just fine.