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Help with a ruined stainless steel dishwasher

4K views 13 replies 8 participants last post by  cab54 
#1 ·
I used Windex (ammonia) on the front of my stainless steel dishwasher, and ALSO wiped against the grain, which left it all smeary looking and no longer polished. It won't come off. I was cleaning in a hurry, and had no idea ammonia cleaners would ruin the finish til some guy told me. :vs_no_no_no:

Is there any way to refresh the surface of the thing? If I went back and forth with the grain of the stainless , is there a cleaner or a home remedy that will fix this problem? I'm so ticked at myself for not reading the cleaning directions....

TIA!
 
#3 ·
I'm learning something new here today because I thought you could use ammonia (weak) on SS. What I do use is oil & cooking oil normally. I have a SS hood over the cooker and even use the oil to clean it. My sister has a wooden one and uses oil to clean that too, it even feeds the wood. Haven't thought of baby oil though ILC will add it to my list!!
 
#4 ·
I would try using a soft cloth with a bit of olive oil dabbed on it. Rub this over your appliance. Then take another soft cloth dabbed with vinegar and wipe over your appliance. Then take another soft cloth and buff it. This is how I always clean my stainless steel appliances - works like a charm.
 
#5 ·
Thanks, all of you! I will try oil and a soft cloth and see what happens.
 
#6 ·
Whoooo Hoooooooo, I tried old English lemon oil and an old T-shirt to rub it in, and then buffed (WITH the grain). It looks BEAUTIFUL!!! I knew my FV peeps would know what to do.

Thank you ALL so much for the ideas! I had no idea oil would be the answer. :vs_awed:
 
#7 ·
Speaking of stuff with SS. My SS microwave is juuuunked up. Like a big build up of grease but it's sticky. Like my rag sticks to it. When we bought the house we tried everything to get it off to no avail. Even some of the cabinets have this. They are nice oak cabinets and I'm scared to ruin them. What could I try cleaning them with?

I mistakenly used a magic eraser on it and that scratched the you know what out of it :(
 
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#10 ·
It should desolve the sticky stuff with oil. What I used for the eek stuff in the cabinets was just scraping it off, but this seems like it might be more sticky and less solid? Sadly otherwise my second bet would be a kind of sponge to scrub it off. Mine are green and flat and like the green stuff on the sponges you do the dishes with. That and cif. And a lot of elbow grease. Just Don't add too much water and don't use more of the cif than absolutely necessary. Please note that this are probably solutions that will get the stickyness out and what I used on my copboards, but I can't garantee no scratches at all. (Mine were sticky at the inside and not cleaning them was not an option).
 
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#13 ·
I just tried the oil on the front of the microwave, and it worked!! It looks brand new, so I tried it on my old toaster and that thing looks new too, I am amazed!

Yes, the murphys works great, inside and out. The rental sometimes get a greasy buildup and that cuts right thru it.
 
#14 ·
I've noticed Murphy's does great unless the buildup is too much, and gone on too long. Then oil works best. I was expecting may this morning to come down and find out my dishwasher was back to streaky and ruined, but NO......it's still beautiful. Can't thank you guys enough.
 
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