9 Best Stainless Steel Cleaners, Tested by Cleaning Experts

This aerosol from Magic earned the top spot in our test of stainless steel cleaners for how quickly it removed stains like greasy splatters and oily fingerprints without streaking. In the Lab, it was the only aerosol to completely dissolve our test soil, and it did not darken stainless steel surfaces like some other cleaners we tested.

Magic’s stainless steel cleaner was very easy to use and left our appliance fronts shiny with very little residue or streaking. And because the formula puts down a protective transparent coating as you apply it, we found it helped repel new fingerprints or at least made them less visible. Take note that this cleaner cannot be used to clean stainless steel cookware, so you'll need to stock an additional product for that household task.

Many stainless steel cleaners can also polish, but they require lots of buffing on your part. If you want to avoid the extra step of buffing your stainless steel, Hope's is your best bet. Its self-polishing formula dries quickly without streaking and without the extra buffing that some cleaners need to impart a shine. And it works with just a paper towel — no extra cloth required. (It does, however, come with one, should you want one!)

When we have photoshoots in the Cleaning Lab, Hope's is our go-to for shining up our stainless steel backsplashes and appliances, and it's from the same company that makes one of our favorite window cleaners too. It didn’t perform well in our greasy soil removal tests, so it's not our first choice for cookware or even sinks, but it received perfect scores for its ease of application and removal from stainless steel surfaces.

Hope’s Perfect Sink Cleaner and Polish wowed our testers and Lab experts when we tested it for a past Good Housekeeping Cleaning and Organizing Awards. We especially liked that it left no gritty residue behind and helped water drain faster from our test sink to repel future water spots. It also left sinks exceptionally shiny with minimal streaking.

Overall, our GH+ testers rated it a 4.1 out of 5 for its performance and ease of use. One tester noted that after using Hope’s sink cleaner, they had a hard time getting a sponge holder to stick to the side of their sink, but still rated it highly, going on to say, “This cleaner smells lovely and took more grime off my sinks than my normal method of soap and water.” The formula is non-scratching and can also be used to clean porcelain, solid-surface and acrylic sinks too.

Purchase this dedicated microfiber cloth for stainless steel along with your favorite spray cleaner to tackle your cleaning and polishing needs at the same time. This Good Housekeeping Seal holder stands out from others because it has soft ribs on one side of the cloth to remove dirt and residue from surfaces. The smooth side buffs the surface of your stainless steel appliance to a streak-free shine.

In our Lab tests, we were wowed by how spotless the cloth left dishwashers, fridges and sinks. Its package directions were clear, and we found it easy to use. The surface area allowed us to clean large appliances, and the cloth was easy to clean. Simply toss it in the machine, then dry it on low heat. (Skip the fabric softener, which can lessen its effectiveness.)

Good Housekeeping Seal-holder, Weiman Stainless Steel Wipes are pre-moistened and convenient to use for quick clean-ups. They are the perfect size for cleaning hard-to-reach areas like behind appliance handles and around toaster oven knobs.

During our tests, we found that they did a good job of removing a majority of our test soil but did not clean up fingerprints as well as some of the aerosol cleaners we tested. Because they may darken the surfaces of stainless steel, you may want to buff your surfaces with a microfiber cloth to make them shine again after using the wipes. The protective coating they leave behind also helps repel dust, fingerprints and dirt.

Bar Keepers Friend Powder Cleanser has been around since 1882 and has long been a favorite in many homes — including one of our Cleaning experts'. It's a multitasking cleaner that can tackle stains in the kitchen, bathroom and outdoors across different surfaces like stainless steel, ceramic, brass and more. According to the manufacturer, everything from sinks to stovetops, toilets, showers and even boats can be cleaned with this powder. In our own homes, we use it to rid pots of unsightly heat marks.

The manufacturer cautions against using this cleaner on delicate surfaces. Since it can be a bit abrasive, it’s especially important to test this product in an unnoticeable area of your cookware before using it. And though the product is technically unscented, a few reviewers mentioned that this powder has a chemical smell some might find unpleasant.

When the protective coating of stainless steel appliances is scratched or otherwise damaged, you’ll start to see rust peeking out from these scratch marks. But don’t worry. All hope is not lost. Affresh’s Stainless Steel Brightener is specifically formulated to target rust marks and the yellowing on the bottom of cookware caused by high heat.

This isn’t a cleaner, so you’ll need to have a second product handy for regular stainless steel cleaning, but this product will help remove stains and restore appliances' shine. The front of a microwave in our GH Cleaning Lab had some very old mystery marks that were significantly lightened (and even removed in some spots) with just one application of this brightener.

Most grill cleaners are not recommended for use on your grill’s stainless steel exterior because they can be too harsh. This Stainless Steel Cleaner and Protectant from Rock Doctor is a safe and effective option for the exterior of outdoor grills.

In our tests, Rock Doctor's formula quickly cut through a greasy, grimy film on our test kitchen grill and left the control panel shiny and streak-free with minimal wiping. We had luck on other appliances too, which adds to the product's versatility. After using Rock Doctor on a dull dishwasher door, we actually saw our own reflections and couldn't mark the door with fingerprints no matter how hard we tried.

Another one of our picks to earn a spot in our Best Cleaning and Organizing Awards is Therapy Clean's Stainless Steel Cleaner Kit. This spray and microfiber cloth kit impressed us not just with its stellar performance, but also with its pleasant lavender scent that left our stainless steel appliances looking and smelling like new. Thanks to the coconut oil in its formula, this cleaner doubles as a polish too.

Our GH+ testers rated this cleaner well, with half of our testers specifically calling out this product's ability to keep appliances shiny far longer than the stainless steel cleaners they had previously used. Like many reviewers online, we found the downside is the design of the spray nozzle. It's a bit messy to use, but we appreciate that the product can be used to clean black stainless steel too.