What do you use to clean stainless steel without scratching it?

Thanks for your help.

-- Kenneth in N.C. (wizardsplace13@hotmail.com), February 09, 2001

Answers

Seems to me mom used to use a cleanser called Bon-Ami mad speciffically for stainless.

-- Willy Allen (willyallen2@yahoo.com), February 09, 2001.

I use the special powder that you can get at the grocery store. It is called Cameo. It works without scrubbing if you get it before it is really burned on. An Amish friend uses Bartender's friend. I have never seen that to buy though. Oh...Cameo makes different powders for diff. kinds of metal, so be sure you get the one for stainless.

-- Nan (davidl41@ipa.net), February 09, 2001.

Kenneth, glad you asked this question, I was thinking about doing the same. And I wonder why they call it "stainless steel" when it stains quite easily, and this is the good stuff.

-- Cindy (SE In) (atilrthehony_1@yahoo.com), February 09, 2001.

Make a paste of Baking Soda and rub and rub and rub. Works great on copper too.

-- Deborah (ActuaryMom@hotmail.com), February 09, 2001.

If you make a paste from the baking soda with vinegar it works like magic!! A 90 year old Amish lady showed me and I absolutely amazed. Also the copper bottoms of my good pans. I do have one stock pot that was my mothers that I can't clean. I think she must have dyed something in it or something. No matter what I do it doesn't give up it's stain.

-- diane (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), February 09, 2001.

Diane i have heard tomatoes or applying lemon juice and setting it in the sun sometimes works.

I use baking soda and vinegar or lemon juice on stainless. Over the counter products work well too if you want to go with BK, Bon Ami or the like.

-- Shau Marie (shau@centurytel.net), February 09, 2001.

Clean WHAT off stainless? For my kitchen sink, which gets hard water spots as well as regular grime, I use WORKS. Not natural (actually smells pretty powerful) but it definitely does the job.

-- Shannon at Grateful Acres Animal Sanctuary (gratacres@aol.com), February 09, 2001.

Thanks Shau Marie, I will try that if we ever have sunshine in Michigan again. :>) We live on a small stream and are praying that the rain stops. Ankle deep water in the barn and stream turned into a river. Scary business, too much water. We have lived here for a lot of years and never seen it like this!!!

-- diane (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), February 09, 2001.

The hard water deposits will come off like magic if you just let a little vinegar set on it. I'm afraid I don't mind using a steel wool soap pad on mine for the burned on problems. I know, you said without scratching.

-- mary, texas (marylgarcia@aol.com), February 09, 2001.

Hoping this will perk someone with a better memory than I have. Several months back on the egroups sites, someone posted about a product to clean stainless, called Bartenders..........I did visit the site and am supposed to be sent a free sample. This was a commercial dairy raving about the stuff... Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), February 09, 2001.

BKF - Barkeepers Friend Bon Ami ZUD

All, I believe, use oxalic acid (like in rhubarb leaves) as the active ingredient. I use one of the above when the old baking soda:homemade soap or baking-soda:vinegar combinations fail me.

-- Laura Jensen (lrjensen@seedlaw.com), February 09, 2001.

I keep our stainless clean with baking soda paste, table salt water or high acidic tomatoes for dinner (use the stainless for the cooking, the cleaning just happens).

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), February 09, 2001.

I HATE stainless steel because of the cleaning problems. But my stove is completely made of stainless. (Not my choice, came with the house). If I need to SCRUB I use SoftScrub and one of those non- abbrasive scratch pads. Other wise the baking soda,vinegar thing works great.

-- cindy palmer (jandcpalmer@sierratel.com), February 10, 2001.

Thanks for the suggestions. I have one stain that just won't come out. Guess i'll just get used to seeing it. :o)

-- Kenneth in N.C. (wizardsplace13@hotmail.com), February 12, 2001.