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Stainless steel kitchen fittings, appliances, and utensils are just amazing. They’re versatile enough for every kind of use, durable, and most importantly, always gleaming.
That’s, of course, if you put in the correct effort to clean them. Let’s face it, along with their utility comes smudges, scratches, and water stains that you have a hard time cleaning up.
For that, you’ll need the best stainless steel cleaners.
But why replace your regular dish soap with a dedicated stainless steel cleaner? The answer is simple.
While it’ll take you a while to get spotless, gleaming utensils and surfaces with just water, soap or baking soda, you’ll be able to complete the same task faster with a stainless steel cleaner.
Now, let’s get to the reviews to let you in on all the details.
My Top Picks
- Best Overall - Therapy Premium Stainless Steel Cleaner
- Best For Countertop - Magic Stainless Steel Cleaner
- Best Versatile All-In-One - BAR KEEPERS FRIEND Liquid Stainless Steel Cleaner
- Best For Refrigerators - TriNova Premium Stainless Steel Cleaner
- Best Convenient - Weiman Stainless Steel Cleaner Kit
Therapy Premium Stainless Steel Cleaner is the go-to brand for premium cleaning products for all purposes around the home.
This premium stainless steel cleaner is made out of high-quality plant-based ingredients. It not only cleans your kitchen steel up, but it also protects it from water spots, streaks, and rust. You can use it to clean and polish surfaces like refrigerators, sinks, dishwashers, and stoves.
Besides that, Therapy is a great option for outdoor grills and fittings as it keeps the items as good as new through its protective formula. Furthermore, the product is sold to you in an accessible pump bottle that helps you spray the product evenly. Also, you can customize the amount you need to push out according to your needs.
Moreover, the coconut oil-based formula leaves a gleaming shine on all your surfaces. It also repels fingerprints, dirt, and dust, so you don’t have to repeat the task frequently.
It gets an amazing user rating, especially because it repels smudges and fingerprints if used regularly. Along with that, this steel cleaner and polish leaves a glowy shine on the surface and eliminates scratches as well.
Most importantly, if you’re using this product regularly, you’ll have to use a little amount every time, which saves you a lot of money. Also, the microfiber cloth that comes with it is a cherry on the top.
All in all, this product is a versatile and functional stainless steel cleaner. While you would be concerned about the odor and chemical side effects on your steel appliances with regular cleaning products, this one is made out of all-natural ingredients.
Also, it's proven to be highly effective and has protective features, which is great for the price.
Magic is a well-known name when it comes to high-quality cleaning agents all over the US. The main USP for their product is that it leaves a highly-protective layer over the surface after cleaning that repels further impurities and spots.
This Magic stainless steel cleaner is made from the most advanced cleaning formula. It cleans your surfaces without causing any long-term damage like other harsh chemicals.
Besides that, it not only makes cleaning faster and easier but makes sure your kitchen remains clean for longer intervals. It resists fingerprints, elbow grease, and watermarks that keep the steel gleaming bright.
Other than that, you can safely use this formula for refrigerators, microwaves, utensils, and all your appliances without a second thought.
It’s completely PH neutral, which makes it safe for every use. Moreover, if you have dirty grills in your backyard, or countertops that look grimy all the time, this product can help you restore their original shine.
Magic American is a reliable company in the US. It has a loyal customer base that assures you that the product is completely trustworthy when it comes to your steel surfaces. For most users, the product gives impeccable results and leaves the kitchen countertops and appliances glistening.
Most importantly, it’s affordable, lasts long, and does not leave any streak marks behind, which makes it a pretty good deal.
This Stainless Steel Cleaner by Magic is a versatile, multi-purpose cleaning agent that gives you the ultimate value for your money. The product does not require rigorous buffing after you’ve done cleaning and leaves a protective stay-clean layer that repels further impurities as well.
This Stainless Steel Cleaning Liquid is a versatile cleaning and polishing agent all in one.
Whether you want to use it for regular cleaning or to remove crusty stains and restore grimy surfaces, this liquid will do the job for you.
It’s safe to use on all appliances such as cooktops, countertops, kitchen appliances, glass stove tops as well as pots and pans. The formula is PH neutral, which means it won’t harm your appliances in the long run.
Besides that, this multipurpose liquid comes with a set of durable, non-scratch cleaning cloths. These cloths, when paired with the product, produce a streak-free shine eliminating scratches and smudges. Also, these clothes are soft and scratch-resistant, so you can be concern-free when scrubbing your appliances.
Moreover, they do not retain the disgusting smell like your regular cleaning sponges and last longer as well. You can also use this liquid for cleaning out rust, grout and yellow stains from ceramics.
Users love this product. We haven’t come across any product with almost no negative reviews such as this one. It can remove rust, grout, crusty stains, and grease all without damaging the surface one bit.
The best part is, it doesn’t require much work from the user at all. Just a few scrubs, and you’ll have the job done without any further hassle. Also, it’s a two-in-one cleaner and stainless steel cleaner polish, so users are happy with its time-saving feature.
The Bar Keeper’s Friend Stainless Steel Cleaner is the most versatile and productive liquid cleaner we’ve come across. Although it comes at a comparatively higher price than its contemporaries, it makes up for it with its multi-purpose properties.
You can use it to clean steel, ceramics, brass, pewter, and even glass, so it’s practically one cleaner for all your needs. Definitely worth the price.
The TriNova Stainless Steel Cleaner is made out of effective ingredients that are tough on stains but mild on your refrigerators.
The liquid cleaner is free from chemicals and abrasive material. That’s why it does not leave scratches or streak marks and is safe to use on all your refrigerators as well as your kitchen appliances.
Similarly, you can use the product to tackle tough stains on your stainless steel sink, range hood, or dishwasher. Also, you can remove the accumulated grime on your microwave, refrigerator, and stove top easily.
Besides that, the product coats your surfaces with a repellent layer after you’re done cleaning. This layer repels fingerprint marks, streaks, and smudges so that your countertops and surfaces stay shiny and glowing for longer intervals.
Furthermore, the product comes with a dedicated micro-fiber cloth designed to pamper your kitchen appliances until they shine. The dry cloth provides additional protection against scratches and long-term damage to the surfaces.
Users give this cleaner a four-star rating. That’s because it’s highly effective at what it does, especially on refrigerators. Most users confirm that the cleaner does indeed give you a gleaming, clean surface and prevents smudges and fingerprints.
However, some users complain about its inefficiency in maintaining the clean surface as advertised. Also, what users don’t like about this product is that it requires a lot of scrubbing and buffing afterward to get that glowing shine.
Overall, this stainless steel cleaner by TriNova is a great product. It’s tough against stains and doesn’t have any harsh ingredients that could harm your appliances.
Also, it comes with a handy microfiber cloth that makes cleaning easier for you. While it protects the surface from spots to save you everyday cleaning, it does require a lot of scrubbing. which extends your cleaning session.
The Weiman Stainless Steel Cleaner Kit is a most convenient great option for those of you who like their kitchen appliances sparkling clean.
The product is convenient and effective for all your stainless steel cleaning jobs. It helps you complete the task with minimum hassle, compared to other products that would have you scrubbing stains for hours.
Besides that, it has a PH neutral formula that makes it compatible with any stainless steel surface. You can use it to clean microwaves, refrigerators, ovens, and cooking ranges. It’s effective for removing stains and smudges from black stainless steel surfaces as well.
Very practical, its protection formula leaves a repellent barrier on your surface when you’re done cleaning. This makes the surface resistant against fingerprints, dirt, grime, and dust, so the appliance will remain sparkling for longer periods.
Most importantly, while most brands only offer the cleaning liquid and some pair it up with a microfiber cloth, Weiman gives you a whole cleaning package. This affordable kit includes an accessible pumping bottle of cleaning liquid, which is easy to use and store anywhere.
Other than that, you’ll get a soft, microfiber cloth for effective cleaning and a pack of Weiman stainless steel cleaning wipes. These wipes can come in handy when you’re in a rush or need to clean the stain immediately before it sets in. Also, with the wipes, you get the benefits of both the cloth and the cleaning agent in one product for effective cleaning.
Users are satisfied with the way this cleaner works. Apart from a few negative reviews about the wipes, most users love the way this cleaner removes all kinds of spots, stains, and marks from stainless steel surfaces.
Usually, it’s easy to use, but if you’re dealing with very dirty surfaces, you need to be careful while using the product. The trick is to clean along with the grain, or you might end up blaming the product for scratch marks.
The Weiman Kit is a complete package to help you give your surfaces a dazzling shine. At an affordable price compared to the other products in its league, this cleaner gives you a microfiber cloth and a pack of cleaning wipes so you can customize your cleaning sessions according to your needs.
What To Look For When Buying Stainless Steel Cleaners
After going through all our best stainless steel cleaner reviews, you probably have an idea about how stainless steel cleaners work and what features make the ideal product.
If not, I’ve some more information to help you purchase the best product for yourself.
Here’s a detailed buying guide explaining all the terms you’ll come across when buying the best stainless steel cleaner.
Ingredients
This is perhaps the most important aspect you should consider while buying a stainless steel cleaner for yourself. You see, some brands use bleach, ammonia, and chlorine-based formulas for their cleaning agents.
While these formulas may work well for other surfaces, they can cause steel to disintegrate and become dull after long term use.
Most bleach-based products do a great job of cleaning stainless steel surfaces. Despite that, they’re harmful to these surfaces in the long run.
However, when it comes to appliances, you need to make sure that the cleaning agent you use is completely safe to ensure the smooth operation of your appliances.
Maintaining that, you should go for products with mild, PH-neutral formulas. Such products clean stains, spots, and scratches from your surfaces effectively, while protecting it against disintegration and dullness.
Versatility
Secondly, you should closely inspect the tasks you can take up with the product before you make your purchase.
Many stainless steel cleaning agents are suitable only for outdoor use surfaces, while others can be used on more delicate surfaces like appliances and utensils.
If you don’t pay attention to this part, you might end up damaging your appliances and cookware.
Besides that, when you search the market, you’ll see that many products solely facilitate stainless steel cleaning, while others can be used for multiple purposes.
These include cleaning brass, copper, ceramic, and wooden surfaces. Getting such a cleaner for yourself is more beneficial because you’ll be able to use it for lots of chores around the house.
Furthermore, you should also check whether your cleaning agent is suitable for removing rust, grime, and grout. Some cleaners might facilitate their removal, while others might only work for mild level stains and smudges.
Fragrance
When choosing a cleaning agent, the fragrance is an essential aspect.
For all you know, a highly concentrated cleaning agent might make your home a permanent chemical smell. You wouldn’t want that, right?
In this case, the best option is to check the features and confirm that your cleaners have a good smell. Also, make sure that the fragrance, even if it's good, should not be overwhelming as that too creates an unfavorable environment in the room.
Safety
As I mentioned before, you should make sure that the cleaning agent you purchase is not formulated with harsh, abrasive chemicals.
While abrasive formulas are harmful to your appliances, they are equally harmful to the health of the applicator.
Rigorous use of harsh chemicals can harm your skin, and regular use can cause breathing problems. Especially if you have kids around the house, choosing a mild one. Ph neutral formula is the best option.
Ease Of Application
Nowadays, nobody has the time or energy to spare for household chores. That’s why you should choose a cleaning agent that’s easy to apply and remove.
While most liquid cleanings come in spray bottles or pumping bottles, you’ll have to decide which one you find easier according to your preference.
Usually, spray bottles are considered easier as they can be directly applied to the surface. Also, cleaning wipes provide further accessibility for cleaning as they eliminate the need for washing towels afterward.
FAQs
Using stainless steel cleaners for your kitchen fittings and appliances is very easy. However, you should follow the proper way to ensure effective cleaning. Firstly, wet the surface you need to clean. After that, spray the cleaning product on the surface.
When you’re done with that, dampen a sponge, rag, or microfiber cloth and rub the surface, applying some pressure on fingerprints and smudges. You may need to apply excessive pressure on crusty stains and rust. In the end, wipe the surface against the grain until it’s dry and clean.
Both wipes and liquid cleaners are effective in cleaning stainless steel surfaces. The choice completely depends on your preference and the surface you’re planning to clean. Cleaning wipes are more accessible as they already come soaked in the product.
Meaning, they’re great for people who have less storage space and less time to spare for cleaning chores. However, there are some stains for which you’ll need excessive cleaning products to remove. In that case, cleaning sprays are a better option as they can cater to both mild and aggressive cleaning tasks.
You’ll find this instruction on most of the cleaning agents you come across. The reason you should not clean against the grain is that it produces scratches on your surface. This, in turn, spoils the entire finish of your stainless steel.
Worse, if you rub or scrub against the grain when cleaning stainless steel, you might end up leaving an ugly permanent mark on the surface. That’s why, while applying the product, closely observe the direction of the grain before you apply pressure.
Do not leave stainless steel cleaning products on the surface for more than one minute. Even PH neutral stainless steel cleaning formulas have excessive cleaning properties that can cause serious damage and discoloration to your surface if left for too long. The ideal way is to spray the liquid on the surface and wipe it off after a few seconds for the best results.
This entirely depends on the product you’re using. Some formulas are harmful and can cause damage to the insides of your appliances and cause problems in their operation. Also, some liquid cleaners are difficult to rinse off. These cleaners should not be used to clean the insides of your ovens and microwaves at all.
That’s because if it’s not properly cleaned off, it may produce dangerous substances and harm the interior. The best option is to use your stainless steel cleaners on exterior surfaces unless mentioned in the product features.
If you’re using a mild, PH-neutral formula, there’s no need to wear any protective gear while using stainless steel cleaners.
Still, if you have a skin problem, or you’re planning to use the product for prolonged periods at a stretch, you should wear gloves to protect yourself from skin damage.
Also, if you have a burn or injury on your hand, you should cover the area so that it does not get exposed to the liquid directly. This may cause irritation.
