A Comprehensive Guide to Cleaning Stainless SteelUpdated 5 hours ago

Keep Your Stainless Steel Sparkling

Stainless steel is a fantastic material, prized for its durability, hygiene, and elegant aesthetic. From kettles to cutlery and cookware, it's a staple in both classic and modern kitchens. While naturally resistant to corrosion, stainless steel can still show signs of wear and tear, from water spots to more stubborn stains. This guide provides you with the best tips for cleaning and maintaining your stainless steel items.

The Power of Specific Stainless Steel Cleaning Products

For a professional-level clean and polish, we suggest using products specifically designed for stainless steel. These are creamy detergents with cleaning and polishing power that are available on the market and can restore shine to your stainless steel surfaces.

Apply a small amount of the creamy detergent onto a soft, clean cloth. Gently spread the product evenly over the stainless steel surface you wish to clean and polish. Allow the product to dry completely, forming a light haze. Once dry, buff the surface vigorously with another clean, soft cloth until a brilliant shine is achieved.

How to Clean Stainless Steel Kettles

Stainless steel kettles are designed to resist oxidation and rust formation. However, the bottom, and specifically its weld, which is often made of AISI430 stainless steel, can be more susceptible to surface oxidation. The reddish-brown residue that might appear on the bottom of the kettle isn't true rust, as stainless steel, by its nature, doesn't rust. Instead, it's typically the iron content present in your water that deposits on the bottom as the water evaporates. These iron particles react with oxygen, creating a form of oxidation.

To clean oxidation from the kettle, we recommend using the abrasive side of a regular kitchen sponge and applying a specific stainless steel cleaning product, readily available in stores, to the affected area. Gently scrubbing the bottom of the kettle can remove the oxidation, and then you can proceed to rinse the kettle with clean water.

We also advise periodically performing a descaling cycle of the kettle using a water and wine vinegar solution (50/50). This helps prevent limescale formation inside the kettle and the consequent appearance of reddish spots made of ferrous sediments present in the water that deposit on the bottom.

Maintaining the Brilliance of Your Stainless Steel Cutlery

To keep your stainless steel cutlery looking its best, it's important to follow a few key recommendations.

We suggest using a neutral detergent to wash your cutlery. After washing, the fundamental step is to promptly dry each piece thoroughly with a soft, clean cloth. This simple action is highly effective in preventing unsightly water spots and plays a significant role in maintaining the cutlery's brilliance. Once dry, we advise storing your cutlery in a dry place, ideally in a non-metal container to avoid any potential reactions with other materials.

Even though stainless steel cutlery is generally dishwasher safe, for optimal care, here are a couple of additional tips. When loading the dishwasher, we suggest positioning the cutlery away from other metal objects. This helps prevent potential scratching or galvanic corrosion, which can occur when different metals come into contact in a humid environment. Furthermore, even after a dishwasher cycle, we strongly advise drying the cutlery by hand immediately. This quick step will help prevent any persistent water spots and ensure your cutlery maintains its beautiful shine over time.

Cleaning Stainless Steel Pots

On stainless steel pots, various types of stains can form and should be treated as follows:

• White Stains: These white stains are typically caused by salt that settles on the bottom of the pot if added before the water has reached boiling point. Undissolved salt can leave residues. When using pots, we suggest always adding salt after the water has started boiling to ensure it dissolves quickly and doesn't settle on the bottom. To remove this type of stain, we recommend using a specific stainless steel cleaning product, easily available in supermarkets.
• Reddish Stains: New stainless steel pots can sometimes develop reddish stains, particularly in satin-finished areas or crevices like the joint between the pot and its bottom. These stains are often ferrous microparticles left by the machinery used during the satin finishing process at the factory. To remove them, we suggest cleaning these processing residues with a dedicated stainless steel cleaner. You'll find that these stains are superficial and will disappear easily, revealing the undamaged stainless steel underneath. Remember, stainless steel inherently cannot rust.

For the long-term care of stainless steel pots, we recommend drying them by hand after every wash, even if you use a dishwasher. This helps prevent water spots and maintains their shiny appearance.

Maintaining the Purity of Your Coffee: Caring for Your Stainless Steel Coffee Maker

Keeping your coffee maker impeccably clean is crucial for preserving the pure and delicious flavour of your coffee, and we have a clear set of recommendations that focus on a simple but highly effective approach to achieve this. We strongly suggest cleaning your stainless steel moka pot exclusively with water. After each use, once the coffee maker has cooled down, it's best to disassemble it and thoroughly rinse all parts under warm running water, making sure to completely remove all coffee grounds. Then, allow all components to air dry completely before reassembling. This method is fundamental to maintaining the integrity of your coffee's flavour. We strongly advise against using soap or detergent to clean your coffee maker because, even after a thorough rinse, soap residues can adhere to porous surfaces, significantly altering the taste of your subsequent brews. This subtle change can truly compromise the rich and pure flavour you expect.

In general, we also advise against putting your coffee maker in the dishwasher. While the main body is made of durable stainless steel, the high temperatures and aggressive detergents present in dishwashers can negatively impact the coffee's flavour over time, leading to a less satisfying brew. If, despite our recommendations, you still prefer to wash your stainless steel coffee maker in the dishwasher, you need to consider the potential alteration of the flavour; the coffee might not taste as rich or pure as when the moka pot is hand-washed with water only. Furthermore, if you opt for the dishwasher, it's essential to insert only the stainless steel parts. You should never put aluminium components or rubber gaskets in the dishwasher, as the aggressive environment can damage aluminium, causing oxidation and discolouration, and can degrade the rubber gaskets, potentially leading to leaks and compromising the functionality of the coffee maker. Following these simple steps will help you enjoy perfect coffee, cup after cup, while maintaining the structure of the coffee maker over time.

By following these comprehensive guidelines and using appropriate cleaning products readily available in stores, you can effectively clean and maintain all your stainless steel items, ensuring they remain sparkling and in excellent condition for years to come.

If you have any further questions or require additional assistance, please don't hesitate to contact us.