Stainless steel: it is beautiful, shiny and can upgrade a kitchen instantly.
But there is a downside. The sleek look shows remnants of everyone who has ever touched it. Fingerprints, scratches, watermarks, stains and whatever else is in the kitchen stick out like a sore thumb, turning your beautiful, shiny fridge into a signature book for fingerprints. Cleaning stainless steel can also be difficult.
Fortunately, TODAY Home has found the amazing solution: olive oil.
It turns out that the versatile oil is an effective stainless steel cleaner and a protector for all your stainless steel. So how does it work exactly? The olive oil actually protects stains, Donna Smallin Kuper, certified home cleaning technician and author of “Cleaning Plain & Simple” told TODAY.
“Olive oil does not clean on its own, but if you put a little olive oil (or baby oil) on a clean microfiber cloth, the microfiber cloth cleans the surface and the oil leaves a light, protective film that helps to “Wipe off water stains and stains from hands and fingers. Wipe the surface with the stainless steel grain (on a stainless steel refrigerator, usually a vertical grain) for best results.”
Related: Give your regular spring cleaning routine a makeover. Here’s how you can clean every room in your home quickly and efficiently – the right way.
Smallin Kuper warns against tackling the oil easily so you do not get a greasy situation. “You can always add more to the cloth if needed,” she said.
How to clean stainless steel appliances:
Stocks:
Instructions:
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Spread a few drops of olive oil on a soft microfiber cloth
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Wipe your fridge, oven or dishwasher – anywhere with stainless steel! This will mask scratches and erase troublesome watermarks and repel stains.
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Buff with a dry cloth to round off.
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If you are serious about cleaning up, put some alcohol on a microfiber cloth and wipe it off.
Pro tip: make sure you go with the grain while cleaning stainless steel and wiping the surface. The alcohol will dissolve quickly and dry streak-free.
Say so long until scratched stainless steel!
Related: from avocado to ziti with red sauce, here’s how you can remove every stain from your clothes, furniture and carpets.
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This article was originally published on August 10, 2017.