The Only DIY Stainless Steel Cleaner You Need for Spotless Appliances

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Stainless steel appliances may add a touch of modernity to your space, but keeping them spotless can be a real challenge.


The trick lies in selecting ingredients that dry swiftly, leaving your surfaces gleaming without a trace of streaks or smudges.


In this guide, I'll show you how to make a simple DIY stainless steel cleaner that not only tackles germs but also keeps your appliances looking brand new.

Cleaning stainless steel appliances

Tools and Materials:

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Homemade stainless steel cleaner

1. Soak Your Cloth

Soak a cloth with rubbing alcohol, and add a drop of an essential oil like lemon if you like.

Stainless steel cleaning

2. Wipe Appliances

Wipe the alcohol-soaked cloth directly onto your stainless steel appliances. Take note of the grain direction on your appliances – it's either vertical or horizontal.

What cleans stainless steel

Follow the direction of the grain when wiping.

Dirty cloth

This will clean and sanitize your surface.

Olive oil to clean stainless steel

3. Finishing Touch with Olive Oil

If your stainless steel still has marks, wait until it's completely dry. Apply a small amount of olive oil to a dry cloth and rub it in, again following the grain.

Olive oil and alcohol cleaner

This step adds shine and effectively removes stubborn fingerprints and grease marks.


Let it dry, and if necessary, apply another coat for that factory-fresh sheen.

Clean and shiny dishwasher

DIY Stainless Steel Cleaner Tutorial

Maintaining the beauty of your stainless steel appliances doesn't have to be a daunting task. With this simple homemade stainless steel cleaner, you can ensure your surfaces stay gleaming and germ-free.


Give it a try and let us know your experience in the comments below.

Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
  3 questions
  • Teresa Ann Ford Teresa Ann Ford on Dec 27, 2023
    Olive oil is expensive. Can you use other oils?
  • Liz94586656 Liz94586656 on Jan 23, 2024
    How do you get the baked on plastic film off of a stainless steel fridge?
  • Gig69451122 Gig69451122 on Sep 15, 2024
    My only 🤔 You mentioned how, " even the fingerprints were removed". Wouldn't the final olive oil application, encourage fingerprints ❓️ 🤷‍♀️
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3 of 10 comments
  • Teresa Ann Ford Teresa Ann Ford on Dec 28, 2023
    Thank you
  • Cha93699136 Cha93699136 on Jan 08, 2024
    Wow, I always have a hard time cleaning stainless steel fridge and stove. It never fails even though I take my cleaning with a stainless steel cleaner but then presto once finished I'd take a few steps back to admire my super shiny appliances, 9/10 times there were streaks all over. So, ugh, I repeat the process only for the same result LolThis application of rubbing alcohol followed by olive oil is AMAZING, even me, the queen of streaks have nicely cleaned and shiny appliances. This is 1 hack that will be used 2 to 3 times a week indefinately.I'm shiningly moon about this, I've shared with friends and family.
    • Cynthia Isslieb Cynthia Isslieb on Aug 15, 2024
      I had a cloth that came from Linens and Things that worked great. Somehow it got lost when I moved.
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