How to maintain stainless steel furniture

Stainless steel furniture is primarily popular for its elegant lustre and low maintenance but if you want to keep it beautiful and shiny, you are highly recommended to clean your stainless steel furniture properly and regularly. Although stainless steel is one of the most convenient materials for furniture currently available, it is not completely maintenance-free. How frequently you need to clean it depends on how soon you make it dirty which means that you may need to clean it on a daily basis or few times per year only. In general, you should clean your stainless steel furniture as soon as it gets dirty in order to restore its attractive lustre and prevent build-up of grime. 

Although stainless steel should be stain-free, the greasy substances can cause staining if not cleaned regularly. To prevent staining, clean your stainless steel furniture on a daily basis with a damp cloth and wipe dry with soft cloth (an old T-shirt is ideal). If you clean your stainless steel furniture on a regular basis, it will take only few minutes. To remove burned food, grease, oil and other stubborn grimes, use warm water and few drops of liquid dish soap which is strong enough to remove the grime but gentle enough not to damage the surface of your stainless steel furniture. Leave it on the stain for few minutes, rinse with clean water, wipe with a dry cloth and you are done.

One of the greatest disadvantages of stainless steel furniture is its susceptibility to fingerprints that look very unsightly. They can be removed very easily with a damp cloth but you should also consider teaching your children to look with their eyes not their fingers which can save you a lot of time for removing those fingerprints and keep your stainless steel furniture clean as a mirror. Stainless steel outdoor furniture and other pieces of stainless steel furniture generally do not need as much cleaning and when they do, a damp cloth usually does the trick. It may be worth to keep in mind that stainless steel furniture is not recommendable if living less than 16 kilometers from the ocean. Although stainless steel is resistant to corrosion, salt water and salt air, chlorinated water from swimming pool and other chemicals may cause discoloration of the surface. The latter does not affect the strength and durability but your stainless steel furniture will require a treatment known as electropolishing that restores the original lustre and helps prevent corrosion.

Stainless steel is one of the best alloys ever created by man due to its varied modes of utilization. From kitchen utensils and sinks to stainless steel dining furniture and refrigerators, the material can be used for a zillion applications. Cleaning and maintenance cycles can be scheduled as infrequently as you desire it because this material does not accumulate dust on the surface that easily and even if it does, the mode of cleaning the surface is really easy. Since most stainless steel dining furniture and sofas can be disassembled with ease, it becomes easy for you to even clean between the joints.

Basic cleaning

Stainless steel dining furniture retains the maximum surface impurities because of their proximity to the grime and grease from the kitchen. Especially if you have a stainless steel top on your table, it is prone to collecting gravy. Soap and mild detergent can be amazing cleaning agents and rinsing with water gets rid of most impurities due to the absence of pores on the surface of the material. A routine cleaning schedule with warm water could even reduce the risks of acidic corrosion. Wiping off the moisture with a wet cloth usually prevents spotting too.

Fingerprint and other impurities

Like glass, stainless steel has a tendency to attract fingerprints. The most basic method to clean them off is by using ammonia and glass cleaners. If this seems to be an incessant problem, you’re better off going for fingerprint resistant stainless steel. Alternatively, getting cleaners for your stainless steel dining furniture is a cheaper option and performs multiple functions like getting rid of stains, minimizing scratches and polishing the surface. It is mandatory to always rub the surface dry with a towel.

Stubborn stains

Stainless steel dining furniture tends to attract grime and grease marks which can be really hard to clean off. Using mild cleaning solutions with rags and sponges can do the trick. Food stains can be removed with organic solvents. People have also known to use dilute acids with the material to fight stains.