Stainless steel can still pick up water marks and grease. These are the methods I tried on my kitchen items, using ingredients I already had at home.
The finish and the kind of stain matter when choosing how to clean a stainless steel item.
I like the look of clean steel, but everyday cooking leaves marks that a quick wipe doesn't always remove.
I spent an afternoon comparing cleaners on the stains I'd found around my kitchen.
The inside of my rice cooker had marks from repeated contact with water, while the outside had splashes of sauce and grease. They needed different approaches.
The ingredients I used were dish soap, vinegar, and cream of tartar. Check the care instructions for your own item before trying a cleaner.
Cleaning Water Stains From Stainless Steel
First I added distilled white vinegar to my stainless steel rice cooker and scrubbed it just a tiny bit, to make sure it came in contact with all the grime.
After coating the walls of the rice cooker with vinegar, I turned it to "ON" for about 2 minutes, then turned it off. By this time the vinegar had boiled inside the pot.
Then I rinsed out the pot with warm water, and just a little bit more scrubbing. The grime pretty much came right off without any real effort from me.
See how my rice cooker shines like new after a final wiping! I love how easy it is to clean my stainless steel rice cooker and I expect it to last for another 30 or more years. This rice cooker is made by Tatung and I highly recommend it. Click here to check the price on Amazon.
Cleaning Grease Stains From Stainless Steel
I keep my tea kettle on the stove so it's nearby while I cook.
That also means it gets splashed with grease. Here's how it looked after I first tried washing it with dish soap:
For the remaining grease marks, I tried soapy water with cream of tartar.
This large spray bottle is one of my cleaning secret weapons. I just filled it with water, added a single drop of dish soap, and swirled it around. It can effectively clean many kitchen surfaces for fractions of a penny, and I use it every day.
So first, I sprayed the steel tea kettle generously with my water/dishsoap spray.
Then I sprinkled all the sides of it with cream of tartar, and used my soft scrub brush to help coat the pot completely. Once it was nicely coated, I just let it sit for about 20 minutes.
Here's the result, after rinsing and wiping off the tea kettle. Wasn't hard at all!
Giving the cleaner time to sit made more difference than immediately scrubbing harder. I then checked the surface and rinsed it clean.
