Need help - cleaning stainless steel appliances - MOESHA!! :-)

A friend has taken over another friend's cleaning contract. I am helping her several days a month, which puts me into the survival zone for income! ;)

In any case, the original cleaning gal had used some cleaner recommended by the store that sells the stainless steel appliances - in this case, a fridge.

Poor Irene (my friend) spent 20 minutes of solid elbow grease on the thing the other day. She is using the warm water (a well wrung out cloth) and nothing else. The fridge was still streaked...though the same cloth worked fine on other surfaces (ceramic, etc). They are microfibre cloths.

ANYWAY - we both know that one does NOT use Windex on SS. A cleaner that leaves a film is not great. I say vinegar and water (or just vinegar) can be used. She says that when the original cleaner went for a SS course at the appliance store, she was told vinegar was too acidic.

Google hasn't been a lot of help - lots of products, but no labels. We use as environmentally friendly stuff as possible- the strongest cleaner is Vim, and not used often. We use vinegar and water, and a tea tree oil cleaner made for that purpose.

So - any ideas????

Thanks!

I only have one place that I clean that has stainless steel appliances. She likes this oily stuff, comes in a container that sort of look like wet ones. After I use those then I have to wipe off the excess with paper towels. I have heard, although I personally haven't tried it, that newspaper can be used to wipe them down streakfree. The newspapers should be several days old though so the ink doesn't rub off. Again I have not tried that myself. I know of others that use a little mild dish detergent to clean them. I haven't had to try any of these things because thankfully I only have the one place with them, and she is particular about what she wants used.

Here are a couple of links that I found about cleaning appliances:
How do you remove fingerprints from stainless-steel appliances?

About.com article

Maybe others that have them in their own home will have better suggestions.

We have Stainless Steel. I just went to see what we use and it's called Stainless Steel Magic. It cleans & shines. Now, I've never used this. Bruce uses it so I'm not sure how much muscle he has to use.
Here is a link with some different types of Magic Brand cleaners. Of course all the trigger spray kinds are no longer available, that's what we have.
http://buyitnow64.stores.yahoo.net/ststmaapcl.html

We use it on the boat for our stainless steel appliances and showers. They make a cleaner/polisher that you spray on and wipe off and that cleans really good. For just a shine we have another spray that is called Shield shine or something like that. It is best to just spray that on to your rag and wipe down what needs cleaning.. Both are in a spray can...

I know Barkeepers Friend is recommended by All Clad for their stainless steel pans. I've heard nothing but good things about it. It's pretty cheap too. I think two something a can.
Claudia

When I was cleaning houses, I used Glass Plus. It's like Windex w/out the ammonia and it left everything really shiny and w/out streaks. I have a stainless steel sink and I use it on it every day. Stainless Steel Magic works, too, but it takes a lot of work to be sure there are no streaks.

I cleaned the house with the stainless steel appliances today. The wipes she has me use are called Wow! They say they are earth friendly and are made from 100% natural biodegradable organic materials. I'm not sure where she gets them, or if you can buy them online. I thought I'd just let you know that information incase you were interested. They are oily and you have to wipe off the excess with a cloth or paper towel but do seem to work. You may have to rub a little harder on sticky spots or above normal dirt.

That's what bugs me about some earth friendly products. There's always a drawback. So you end up working harder and using more paper products to get the job done. Sigh. :confused:

If in doubt go to your local Home Depot or Sears and pretend you are looking to buy stainless steel appliances and ask about the cleaning ;)

I love stainless steel appliances, but I have had the exact same problem you mentioned, Catty. Cleaning sprays that are multi-purpose are definitely not the answer. I also can't find the right thing to use on the black, ceramic top of my gas range, either.

Found a link to their website. You can also buy it at Ace Hardware, but I don't know if you have those there or not. I'm sure if you are interested you could find them. I just thought I'd give you this link with information about it.

Moesha - just wondered if you had experienced what this guy did when he used it on a cooktop stove, etc.

http://www0.epinions.com/content_213460029060

Okay, a different opinion! http://www0.epinions.com/content_213684227716

Does it have to be rinsed off?

I've never used the spray cleanser. I only use the stainless steel wipes. They don't have to be rinsed off, but you do have to wipe off the excess oily remains with a dry paper towel or cloth.

Once you have cleaned the dirt off it with warm soapy water wipe a bit of baby oil over the surface to get it gleaming! Sounds odd but that's what I use on my cooker top

Brody's Mom - that is exactly what my staff does when we clean homes with stainless steel appliances. They use their regular general purpose cleaner and then finish with a microfiber which has been soaked (and wrung out!) with a solution of water and baby oil. Our customers really like how shiny the appliances look when we leave.

I am not so sure this would work in your circumstances, but i can tell you that shaving cream works a dream, i saw this on the telly one day and tried it on my stainless steel bin and taps, came up lovely and shiny and i did not need to rinse it off either, i just used a budget shaving cream too,it really does work.:)