Just about every home has a decent presence of items made of stainless steel these days, especially in the kitchen where cookware has become quite popular. For a homeowner that is unaware of the proper ways to polish steel the possibility exists to ruin items through the use of cleaners that are too caustic or abrasive in nature. While stainless steel is resistant to a number of components that can severely damage ordinary steel, it is not entirely resilient to abuse or neglect. Polishing stainless steel should be viewed as a regular aspect of maintaining items in the condition in which they were originally purchased, and with a few tricks the job is relatively simple.

To polish stainless steel that is still in good condition there is little more that is needed than ordinary soap and water, incorporating the use of a clean soft cloth as a buffer. Simply clean the steel in hot, soapy water making certain to rinse the item thoroughly before drying. After this, buff the steel item using a soft cloth (cotton fabric works best) for 20 or 30 seconds until a shine begins to return. If following this the item still appears to be dull, use a commercial window cleaner containing ammonia spraying, drying and buffing the item until it becomes attractive once again.

To polish stainless steel items that are in poor condition there are two basic ways to go – a commercial stainless steel polish can be used or a simple polish can be made at home. When using a commercial polish caution must be taken to follow directions on the container to the letter, remembering that these cleaners should never be used on stainless steel items used in the preparation of food. Commercial steel cleaners can leave traces of chemicals that be quite poisonous.

A good homemade steel cleaner can be made of a small amount of olive oil and baking soda mixed together then used as a polishing paste. This mixture gives excellent results when combined with a few minutes spent hand-polishing.

Lastly, it is important to remember when polishing stainless steel to never use anything of any kind that can be considered abrasive. A brush, scrubber or even a dirty cloth that holds hard dirt particles can damage a steel item beyond the point of repair very quickly. In this sense, a few minutes of caution can prevent the need for replacement of a damaged steel item.