The Best Stainless Steel Cleaners
This Old House Reviews Team
Many appliances are made from stainless steel, which easily picks up fingerprints and smudges. This review examines the best stainless steel cleaners on Amazon.
Most modern kitchen appliances, such as refrigerators, microwaves, and toasters, are made from stainless steel. While easy to clean, stainless steel requires frequent maintenance, as it frequently picks up fingerprints and other smudges. To help you select the cleaner that’s right for your kitchen, the This Old House Reviews Team researched the best stainless steel cleaners on Amazon. Here are our top five recommendations.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00Q8VI480
Weiman Stainless Steel Cleaning Wipes
What We Like: For those looking for a quick, convenient way to clean stainless steel products, these wipes will do the trick. They come covered in a pH-neutral solution that works on all types of stainless steel surfaces and appliances, including grills, countertops, trash cans, microwaves, and range hoods.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01JZX6K1U
Therapy Stainless Steel Cleaner & Polish
What We Like: Made with natural coconut oil, this plant-based cleaner is an environmentally friendly option for cleaning your stainless steel appliances. After cleaning and shining your appliances, it leaves a protective barrier that helps fight off future fingerprints, dust, oil, and smudges for days.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B087JWMDL7
Hope’s Perfect Cleaner and Polish
What We Like: Stainless steel sinks can be tough to clean, but this product does the work for you with its water-repellant formula that removes rust stains and water spots. It both cleans and polishes for a one-stop solution to maintaining your kitchen sink.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003QYVMTU
CLR Spot-Free Spray Can
What We Like: Packaged in an aerosol can, this cleaner works simply by spraying onto your appliance. You follow up the spray with a cloth to wipe the area. This cleaner removes dirt, dust, fingerprints, and smudges from all stainless steel surfaces and appliances in your kitchen, including grills, fridges, and dishwashers.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076FN7QS8
Nano Towels Stainless Steel Cleaner
What We Like: If you’re tired of purchasing more stainless steel cleaner every few months, this cleaning towel is the solution for you. It’s reusable, cleaning your steel appliances for years to come. It only needs water to eliminate smudges and fingerprints, and once you’re done using it, you can hang it on a hook from the built-in loop.
Buyer’s Guide
From microwaves to stoves, stainless steel is a common material in the kitchen. Read our guide below to learn how to choose the right cleaner for your appliances.
Appliance or Surface
Not all stainless steel cleaners work on all stainless steel appliances and surfaces. For example, some liquid cleaners have an abrasive formula that can scratch delicate items, such as cookware. Check the label on your stainless steel cleaner to determine if it’s the right fit for the items you need cleaned.
Application
Stainless steel cleaners come in many forms, including:
- Pre-soaked wipes
- Sprays
- Liquids
- Reusable towels
- Creams
- Powders
Each form is just as effective as the next one, so it comes down to personal preference. For example, maybe you are environmentally conscious and want a reusable option.
Scent
Some cleaners have powerful smells, especially if they’re made from harsh chemicals. Too harsh of a scent can cause headaches, especially if the cleaner is used in a small area. If you’re sensitive to smells, look for a cleaner with an odorless formula, weak scent, or floral or fruity scent.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you clean stainless steel?
Check the instructions on your cleaner to determine the best way to use it. Generally, stainless steel cleaners are applied onto the surface or onto a cloth or paper towel and gently rubbed. Once the surface is clean, wipe the product away with a new cloth.
How do you remove scratches from stainless steel?
The method for removing scratches from stainless steel depends largely on the size of the scratch. Small scratches may be fixed by rubbing a small amount of non-abrasive compound into the surface. However, larger scratches may require a scouring pad and more elbow grease. Even then, you might not be able to fully eliminate them.
How do you maintain a stainless steel finish?
Find a product that’s specifically designed for maintaining stainless steel finishes. Some cleaners may also polish your steel, cutting down on the number of products you need. Alternatively, some household items, such as baking soda, vinegar, and flour, can be effective at maintaining polished stainless steel.
Why Trust The This Old House Reviews Team
This Old House has empowered homeowners for more than four decades with top-notch home improvement content in the form of television programs, print media, and digital content on its website and social media platforms. The This Old House Reviews Team focuses on creating in-depth product and service review content to help inform your purchasing decision for just about any item or resource that you might need for your home. The This Old House Reviews Team has written over 1,000 reviews on products in the home space, from cordless drills to kitchen trash cans, lawn mowers, and dining room decorations.
We recommend products in each review using an intensive research process, spending hours combing through the best available models on Amazon. For a product to make our list of top picks, it must hold a solid sales record on Amazon, have consistently positive customer reviews, and offer unique features, among other factors. After narrowing down our list of recommendations, we conduct additional research and sometimes in-person testing to ensure that the products meet our standards. Once we conclude the research phase, we craft a well-rounded, user-friendly article that includes our recommended products and additional information to help homeowners like you make the right purchase.
The This Old House Reviews Team provides overviews of select products that are top-selling on Amazon and/or popular in consumer searches. Our team evaluates the products based on industry research, consumer reviews, pricing data, hands-on testing in select cases, and other objective criteria unique to a given product line. Unless otherwise noted, these product reviews are intended to help inform buying decisions for DIY or other non-pro users only. Editor’s picks are made by members of the This Old House Reviews Team.