Oh, stainless steel. More and more kitchens have those sleek stainless steel cabinet doors and appliances – beautifully chic, but unfortunately you see everything on them: every little finger, grease splatter, and water droplet leaves a trace on those shiny surfaces. I know it all too well – just cleaned the kitchen cabinets, my son comes in with chocolate spread hands and grabs the stainless steel fridge door... hello greasy fingers! And that faucet? After every dishwashing, it’s covered again with white dry spots from the water. Fortunately, with a few smart tricks you can quickly make your stainless steel (RVS) cabinet doors, appliances, and faucets shine again, without streaks. Here is my cleaning plan from A to Z for a radiant, spot-free kitchen.
Step 1: Degrease and clean
First of all, all grease stains, dusty layers, and any food residues must be removed. Stainless steel can handle quite a bit, but you want to avoid scratches. So:
- Use a mild soapy solution or cleaner: Often warm water with a drop of dish soap is enough to tackle grease. If you have a good all-purpose cleaner at hand, like a Fabulosa multi-surface cleaner or even diluted cleaning vinegar, you can use that too. Spray or rub your cleaner on the surface. Let it work for a minute on stuck-on bits (don’t soak everything at once; preferably work in sections so nothing dries out).
- Use a non-scratching sponge or cloth: My golden duo is – you guessed it – warm soapy water + the Scrub Daddy sponge. That sponge is soft in warm water and loosens grease and dirt without scratching the steel. If you don’t have a Scrub Daddy, use a microfiber cloth or a soft side of a sponge. Apply light pressure over the stainless steel doors and faucet. Don’t forget corners, handles, and the bottom edge of the cabinet doors (a lot of dirt secretly accumulates there!).
- Tackle heavy deposits: Still see stubborn stains, like baked-on grease around the stove or light limescale around the faucet base? Here come our secret weapons. For grease or deposits on stainless steel surfaces: a bit of The Pink Stuff cleaning paste on a damp cloth can work wonders (it’s mildly abrasive, so it removes baked-on stuff – it even removes early rust spots if you see them). Rub gently on the stain and then rinse well. For those who prefer a liquid variant: a Fabulosa Cream Cleaner is also great; it smells like lemon and removes dirt without scratching. Note: do NOT use steel wool or aggressive abrasives on stainless steel (scratch alert!), and no bleach/chlorine either: they can damage the metal and cause stains.
When everything feels clean and the stains are gone, rinse once more: wipe the stainless steel surfaces with a clean damp cloth to remove all soap and cleaner residues. This prevents streaks later. (Soap residues left behind can themselves cause streaks or dull spots, so get rid of them!)
Step 2: Clean stainless steel without streaks
Now comes the trick to really make that steel shine as if it’s new, without hazy streaks. The secret lies in drying and polishing:
- Dry immediately after: Grab a dry, lint-free cloth (microfiber works ideally) and rub the stainless steel surface dry. Do this in one direction, preferably with the 'grain' (most stainless steel surfaces have a direction in the brushed texture). By drying immediately you prevent droplets from drying and leaving rings. You’ll see: many streaks disappear like snow in the sun.
- Polish with a bit of oil: This is a golden grandma tip: a few drops of oil on a cloth give stainless steel a beautiful shine and remove streaks. You can use special stainless steel oil, but a drop of regular baby oil or olive oil works too. I put a little on a soft cloth and rub the fridge door and faucet afterwards. Not too much, just a few drops! You’re basically polishing a very thin layer over the steel, making it shine again and new fingerprints less visible. Bonus: your kitchen smells subtly fresh (especially if you use scented baby oil) and your stainless steel feels less rough. (Recently I caught my daughter making funny faces in the reflection of our oven – that’s how shiny it was!)
- Glass cleaner for the final wipe: Still notice a vague haze? A very thin layer of grease can sometimes cause streaks. A spray of glass cleaner on a kitchen paper towel can help as a finishing touch: wipe again and the last haze is gone. Don’t overdo it though – usually oil polishing is enough. But for the real perfectionists among us, glass cleaner on stainless steel is the secret weapon for a streak-free shine.
Note: If you have metal kitchen cabinets that are painted or lacquered (instead of stainless steel), be careful with oil: it can leave a greasy layer on the paint. In such cases, just dry wiping for shine is enough, possibly followed by a wipe with a slightly damp cloth with all-purpose cleaner to remove fingerprints.
This whole dry-and-polish ritual may sound extensive, but it only takes a few extra minutes. And believe me, the result is worth it: your stainless steel looks like it just came from the showroom!
Step 3: Descale and make the faucet shine
That kitchen faucet takes a beating: limescale from water, soap residues, greasy fingers from cooking... Result: a dull faucet with white spots. Time for a mini spa treatment for your faucet:
- Vinegar against limescale: Nothing works as well against limescale as simple vinegar. Soak a cloth in warm cleaning vinegar and wrap it around the faucet (especially around the spout and places where you see limescale). Leave it for 30 minutes. The vinegar will loosen the limescale. Remove the cloth and scrub off the remaining limescale with your Scrub Daddy or a soft brush. Rinse with water.
- Use a suitable cleaner: Don’t like the vinegar smell or have a lot of limescale? Then use a special bathroom or descaler spray. For example the Fabulosa bathroom spray (which smells lovely) or another descaler safe for chrome/stainless steel. Spray on the faucet, let it work according to instructions, and rinse well. You’ll see the faucet shine again.
- Dry and polish: As with the cabinets: dry the faucet immediately after cleaning with a soft cloth. Then you can rub it with a drop of oil on a cloth for extra shine and to create a water-repellent layer. My faucet shines so much I can almost see my reflection in it – and it stays free of water spots longer!
Bonus tip: Don’t forget to include your stainless steel sink. The same approach works there too: degrease well, remove limescale with vinegar, rinse and dry wipe. Your sink will shine like new!
Little anecdote: A friend of mine wanted to replace her dull, limescale-covered kitchen faucet – it looked so hopeless. I secretly applied my vinegar cloth trick and you guessed it: her "old" faucet shone like a mirror again. She was amazed and happy (a new faucet turned out not to be necessary at all!).
One last check: look at your stainless steel surfaces from different angles. No streaks? No fingers? Great, mission accomplished! Where I used to be almost afraid to touch that expensive stainless steel fridge after cleaning, I’m now just proud when it’s shining. And yes, my toddler will surely leave handprints on it again, but hey – thanks to these tips I can get them off in no time.
Conclusion: A kitchen full of stainless steel doesn’t have to be a curse. With the right approach – first degreasing, then streak-free drying and oiling, plus occasional descaling – you keep stainless steel kitchen cabinets, appliances, and faucets sparkling clean. It only takes a few extra minutes of work, and the result is impressive: a kitchen that shines as if brand new. (My always critical mother-in-law even recently asked if our stainless steel extractor hood was new – it shone that much!) That makes cleaning a bit satisfying, doesn’t it? And if you keep up this cleaning routine a bit – for example wiping away the worst fingerprints weekly – your kitchen stays showroom-fresh all the time without too much effort. Happy cleaning and enjoy your shiny kitchen!