Stainless Steel Appliances
Have kids? Then you've got fingerprints...and probably some other uncatagorized things stuck to your nice appliances like the refrigerator. Earlier I discussed how to clean your run of the mill refrigerator. The cleaning techniques in that article will work just fine on the inside of your fridge, but for the outside, things are a little more delicate. Usually stainless steel appliances can be quite spendy so knowing how to care for them appropriately is key to making them look beautiful for years to come.
If you have toddlers running around it's going to be nearly impossible to keep those precious fingers off of things in the kitchen unless it's set up in a way where you can use baby gates to block off the kitchen entirely. Unless you are completely anal retentive, just doing up keep on the appearance will keep it in good condition.
All the products that I use for stainless steel I use in moderation and with care. Because of this and depending on how bad it is, the job can take you a little bit of time to do right. You are going to need your Soft Scrub with Bleach and some Pledge Orange Oil. Use separate cleaning rags for each cleaner because you don't want to mix the two. Each one does something very different for your appliance.
Begin by simply looking at your appliance from different directions to get a good idea of the most troubled areas. Find the spots that are going to need some elbow grease. You will be using your Soft Scrub with Bleach to get those spots off. Get the rag you are going to use with the Soft Scrub wet with hot water and wring out the best you can. Drape the rag over your finger and apply a small amount of your Soft Scrub to it. Gently rub the trouble spot in a circular motion until the spot is gone. Immediately wipe away with another part of the rag that is wet but has no cleaning product on it. You will see some discoloration to the spot you cleaned but that will go away. Continue until you have all the trouble spots clean.
Once you have the build up removed from your appliance, grab your Pledge Orange Oil and a fresh rag or the rag that you normally use for oiling furniture and such around the house. Do not spray your appliance with the oil. Spray your rag only and only use a small amount. You will have to add more Pledge Orange Oil as you go, but you do not want a huge build up or coating of the oil on the appliance making it slick to the touch and oil on your hands. Slowly work the appliance over in smooth circles until the appliance is shined to your perfection. Now it's clean, new looking and you get a fresh citrus scent to enjoy.
*Keep up with spots on your appliances by keeping your oil rag handy. Use the excess oil on it to easily wipe away new spots without having to break out the Soft Scrub with Bleach.
