How To Clean Stainless Steel Appliances with Vinegar and Oil

Stainless steel appliances look great in the kitchen, but they’re prone to showing hard water marks and fingerprints. You frequently see this on the dishwasher (so many water stains!) and the handles of the refrigerator (hello, overuse).

So, to restore my flat and dirty appliances back to their happy, shiny, robot-looking selves, I decided to make my trusty stainless steel toaster my test subject. What would I need to get it looking like new again?

Two things: vinegar and oil. Yeah, that sounds like a salad dressing, but trust me on this. Seriously, it works wonders!

Before I cleaned the toaster, it looked like this:

Not terrible, but it was flat and streaky with dark marks.

After two easy steps, now the thing is downright bling-y!

To get your stainless steel appliances shining like new, you’ll need to invest in some microfiber cloths. These super-soft, non-abrasive cloths will last you a long time — especially since you can throw ’em in the wash and reuse them!

Once I had established a good cleaning technique, I continued on to the dishwasher. Let me show you how to get your stainless steel shiny with these two household ingredients!

• Vinegar (in a spray bottle works best)
• Paper towels (optional)
• Very soft or microfiber cloth
• Mineral oil (or other oil of your choice — I used olive oil)

1. Gather your supplies: This task (and most others!) will be so much easier if have all of your supplies collected and ready to go.
2. Determine the direction of the grain: I know that we usually reserve the term “grain” for wood; however, stainless steel also has a grain. Look closely. It will either be running horizontally or vertically. To clean your stainless steel, rub in the direction of that grain.
3. Do a preliminary clean of your appliance with vinegar: Spray your appliance liberally with vinegar.
4. Wipe it down: Using either a paper towel or a very soft cloth, wipe the vinegar off in the direction of the grain. This should remove the initial debris from your appliance and start to shine it up a bit.
5. Dip your soft cloth into a little bit of oil: You don’t need a ton, as you can always come back for more.
6. Polish your appliance: With your oiled-up cloth, wipe in the direction of the grain. You will start to see all of the marks disappear! Now you have a shiny new appliance again!

• 5 Things to Know About Cleaning Stainless Steel
• Your Guide to Cleaning Stainless Steel Appliances & Cookware
• Why We Use Stainless Steel in the Kitchen