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Fingerprint Proofing Stainless Steel
As promised in my Kitchen Remodel: Part 1 blog, here is how I DIY'd myself to fingerprint-less stainless steel appliances!
What you need:
1. vinegar (or another cleaning solution)
2. vegetable oil
3. two clean, dry rags
Here is what my appliances looked like before doing anything...yikes!
Step 1: To start, use the vinegar (or whatever cleaner you would like) to completely wash down your appliances. Warning: the vinegar may make them smelly for a few days...but you need to start out with them washed down! The vinegar will not remove existing fingerprints or smudges as I thought it was meant to do the first time I tried it. So if nothing changes after this step, have no fear.
Here is the fridge after the vinegar. Still smudgy but clean!
Step 2: Next, take your other rag & pour some oil onto it. I found it best to have less than 1/4 of the rag wet & the rest dry. If you have too little, it will leave streak & if you have too much, your hand gets all oily, so I found that this was just right for me. A good rule of thumb, when you are completing step 3, if you notice oil dripping down your appliances, you have too much on your rag! You will most likely need to get more oil as you work your way down the piece.
In the tutorial I read, it was very clear to pour the oil directly out of the container onto the rag. I am still not sure why this matters, but I did it anyway!
Step 3: Take your oily rag & wipe it on your appliances with the grain. If you look very closely at your appliances, you will notice there is a grain line. Be sure to rub the oil on in that direction. If you look at mine, the grain line runs horizontally.
This is where you will start to notice the fingerprints & smudges going away! Here is what the dishwasher looks like immediately after putting the oil on! It's amazing!
Step 4: If you notice oil dripping anywhere be sure to wipe it off at this point, still in the direction of your grain. I would recommend using the damp part of your cloth still as the dry side may leave a streak.
Step 5: I let the oil sit for about an hour & went back over it with the dry side of my cloth to remove any extra.
Viola! You now have fingerprint proof stainless steel appliances! The first application I did lasted for about 2 months which I was amazed by! I recently did a small touch up session that helped a bit (just before company came over) but I am going to do a full on re-do of this process soon to get them looking perfect again!