Stainless Steel Appliances

[LCoulter]

For those of you that have stainless steel appliances, do you find that they always seem to show finger prints, smudges, streaks and need to be cleaned more often than white or black?

We have white appliances. My stove is on its last leg. DH wants stainless steel but I hate stainless steel. Most of my opinion on them is based on a couple of stainless steel trash cans that I have that always look streaked and smudged. I clean them and the next day they look awful again. DH seems to think that there are different finishes on the stainless and some will be less susceptible to the steaks and smudges. Is this the case?

I know that the stainless seems to be in right now but does the white really look "cheap"? Maybe I should consider black?

 

[Dan Murphy]

White is contemporary, always. Other colors and finishes are periodic.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

For those of you that have stainless steel appliances, do you find that they always seem to show finger prints, smudges, streaks and need to be cleaned more often than white or black?

We have white appliances. My stove is on its last leg. DH wants stainless steel but I hate stainless steel. Most of my opinion on them is based on a couple of stainless steel trash cans that I have that always look streaked and smudged. I clean them and the next day they look awful again. DH seems to think that there are different finishes on the stainless and some will be less susceptible to the steaks and smudges. Is this the case?

I know that the stainless seems to be in right now but does the white really look "cheap"? Maybe I should consider black?

We have a stainless steel sink. I love it, because it doesn't stain like a porcelain one, but I really don't like stainless steel appliances. I think they look industrial. We have white (with some black trim) appliances.

 

[tnt9498]

I've had white, black, stainless, and stainless-look. I prefer the stainless or stainless look. I does seem to me like it requires more cleaning, although the stainless-look did not.

 

[Meriweather]

We have stainless.....only the fridge shows fingerprints (different brand than the rest). The others don't.
I wipe the fridge off every morning.

 

[GAGirlInVA]

I don't find that I wipe down the stainless steel fridge or microwave anymore than the other appliances. (I have a mishmash right now from the previous owners.)

The stove is white. The dishwasher is black, the fridge and micro we have done and they are stainless.

I'm hoping the others die so we can file it under our warranty like our microwave did.

 

[kathie859]

I have SS fridge, stove, range hood, dishwasher and Microwave and LOVE the look. (White cabinets and walls--dark red counter tops and large tile floor (set on diagonal) that has warm mottled, rustic colors with the occasional hint of red) Oh, my toaster, blender are SS, too. I do think I wipe them (especially the fridge) more often than I did with white--but I still prefer the look of them.

 

[ORMom2Four]

The order I like from favorite to least is:

Slate
Stainless
Black
White

If you have kids, the stainless is going to get fingerprints and messy quicker. I clean my stainless dishwasher, oven and fridge with a water/Comet mix, rinse with water and dry, then spray with olive oil cooking spray and buff. It comes out looking brand new every time, but takes some time and work.

 

[Disney Doll]

I have a stainless stove and dishwasher. I don't feel like I wipe them any more than the previous appliances.

I have a white fridge...now to me, THAT shows the dirt! I clean and wipe my fridge much more frequently than my stainless appliances. I CAN'T WAIT for the fridge to die!!!!

 

[sue1013]

I have all stainless appliances, the only one that requires more cleaning is the fridge. It's only DH and me. I notice when DH goes away I really don't have to clean it anymore than the other appliances. I can use the fridge by using the handles only haven't found a reason to touch other areas but DH cannot do that. I would imagine kids would have a harder time keeping hands only on the handles. I use windex it cleans all the appliances fine.

 

[clh2]

I find that I clean our SS fridge "after" company has been over.

Of course - it is just DH and me at our house, so we are just smart enough to use the handles.

 

[RmeDad]

Our stainless is cleaned with Pledge in the Orange can. Seems to clean better and not streak as much.

 

[twinboysmom]

We have had two homes with stainless since 2005. Both had mid level whirlpool appliances. No fingerprints, easy to keep clean. We have just moved to another state and we are in a brand new apartment with black appliances. They constantly look dirty. Now this is my opinion but according to our realtor it is shared by many. White is terribly outdated. We will not even consider purchasing a home with white appliances (unless it falls within budget to change them out). We are likely building a new home and it isn't an option in terms of appliances to get anything other than stainless with the builders we have looked at. If you want stainless but are worried about fingerprints, etc, play with a model at the store. If it gets fingerprints on it in the showroom, look for a different brand or model. Btw, I think stainless trash cans must be made from something different because I don't like them either. And just so you know, I have twin 3 year olds and don't have huge amounts of time to clean and as I said before, never had an issue with ours.

 

[sbtrfly74]

I love my SS, we replaced the microwave about a year ago with SS and just recently had to do the dishwasher. My DH didnt want SS for the dishwasher but I want things to match.

We left the clear plastic overtop the dishwasher thats not noticeable and only have to clean the very top and bottom every few days and its not that bad, more water marks since DD does the dishes and is a little messy.

The microwave shows fingerprints here and there, I use pledge to wipe them down and never get any streaks. I cant wait for the fridge and stove to die also.

 

[mamacatnv]

We have a mixed set in our new home also due to previous owner. Dishwasher & fridge are white (ours), stove is Stainless with black and I just added a stainless over the range micro because IMO stainless looks good with white and I plan to replace the range. I went to the store and tested the surfaces with my fingers before purchasing. I ended up spending a bit more to get the stainless that didn't show the fingerprints. I am very happy I did.

I hate the black stove, hate it. It always looks greasy or smudged. Its fairly new but there is something wrong with the oven, the thermostat is way off - if I set it at 350 it bakes at almost 450 - we have a home warranty and will be addressing the issue

 

[Bella the Ball 360]

I've had white, black, stainless, and stainless-look. I prefer the stainless or stainless look. I does seem to me like it requires more cleaning, although the stainless-look did not.

Stainless look is much better my stainless microwave and bread box show all the fingerprints but my other appliances do not