Eco-Friendly Ingredients to Clean & Polish Stainless Steel Appliances
Fresh out of your store-bought stainless steel cleaner? Don't worry. Reach in your kitchen cupboard for a solution! Several common ingredients can be used to clean and polish your stainless steel appliances without breaking the bank or harming your health. Check out these ideas:
Got stuck-on gunk? Use a paste of baking soda and hot water as a gentle, non-toxic cleanser to remove it. Let the paste sit on the surface for awhile if necessary and then clean with a damp, scratch-free sponge or microfiber cloth. Follow up with a vinegar-water spray if baking soda residue remains. (See the section on "Vinegar" below.)
Castile soap is such a versatile cleaner — you can use it to clean your appliances, dishes, and more. Add a dab to a damp sponge or microfiber cloth (my preferred tool), or use a DIY all-purpose castile spray, to clean away dirt, grease, and grime. Rinse well, then buff dry.
Sometimes rust stains develop on stainless steel appliances, especially those stored outside, such as grills. The solution? Use a paste of fine table salt and fresh lime juice. (If you don't have lime juice, try lemon juice.) To use it, dip a damp microfiber cloth into the mixture and dab it on problem areas. Let it sit for a few minutes, then gently rub the mixture on the stain until the rust is released. Rinse well with water. Repeat as necessary, letting the mixture sit longer if needed.
A simple vinegar-water spray spray not only cuts through grease, grime, and hard water stains, but also disinfects — a must for stainless steel trash cans and appliance handles and buttons that are frequently touched with sticky fingers. The trick? Be sure to leave the spray on the surface for at least 60 seconds to zap germs dead, then wipe the surface with a damp microfiber cloth, concentrating on particularly troublesome areas, such as fingerprints. Next, buff using a circular motion with a dry, soft towel until the surface is dry, shiny, and streak-free.
Note: If you have used a commercial cleaning product prior to using the vinegar spray, such as one that contains mineral oil, you may have to use the spray more than once to remove the old product from the surface; otherwise, you may end up with streaking.
Baking Soda: Scrubs Without Scratching
Got stuck-on gunk? Use a paste of baking soda and hot water as a gentle, non-toxic cleanser to remove it. Let the paste sit on the surface for awhile if necessary and then clean with a damp, scratch-free sponge or microfiber cloth. Follow up with a vinegar-water spray if baking soda residue remains. (See the section on "Vinegar" below.)
Castile Soap: Cuts Through Grease & Grime
Castile soap is such a versatile cleaner — you can use it to clean your appliances, dishes, and more. Add a dab to a damp sponge or microfiber cloth (my preferred tool), or use a DIY all-purpose castile spray, to clean away dirt, grease, and grime. Rinse well, then buff dry.
Club Soda: Adds Sparkle
Club soda (i.e., carbonated water) is about as non-toxic a cleaner as you can get, but I find it most useful for getting a nice shiny, streak-free surface, not necessarily for removing greasy smudges and fingerprints. So, you may want to use it as a final step in cleaning your stainless steel or in between heavier duty cleaning. To use it, spray or pour it on, then buff away with a dry, soft cloth until all of it is removed.
Olive Oil: Hides Scratches & Polishes
Got unsightly scratches? Olive oil can reduce the appearance of them, but it does take some patience and time to use it. Before polishing, first clean the surface well. Then add a few drops of olive oil to a terry cloth towel and briskly work it into the stainless steel surface in a circular pattern using pressure. (If you have a large surface, such as a refrigerator, you can also use a spray pump full of olive oil (the kind used for cooking) to lightly distribute the oil.) Follow up by buffing the surface dry until a nice glistening shine develops and all the extra oil is removed.Salt & Lime Juice: Removes Rust
Sometimes rust stains develop on stainless steel appliances, especially those stored outside, such as grills. The solution? Use a paste of fine table salt and fresh lime juice. (If you don't have lime juice, try lemon juice.) To use it, dip a damp microfiber cloth into the mixture and dab it on problem areas. Let it sit for a few minutes, then gently rub the mixture on the stain until the rust is released. Rinse well with water. Repeat as necessary, letting the mixture sit longer if needed.
Vinegar: Cleans & Disinfects
A simple vinegar-water spray spray not only cuts through grease, grime, and hard water stains, but also disinfects — a must for stainless steel trash cans and appliance handles and buttons that are frequently touched with sticky fingers. The trick? Be sure to leave the spray on the surface for at least 60 seconds to zap germs dead, then wipe the surface with a damp microfiber cloth, concentrating on particularly troublesome areas, such as fingerprints. Next, buff using a circular motion with a dry, soft towel until the surface is dry, shiny, and streak-free.
Note: If you have used a commercial cleaning product prior to using the vinegar spray, such as one that contains mineral oil, you may have to use the spray more than once to remove the old product from the surface; otherwise, you may end up with streaking.
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