Because I Like Shiny Things

I have a home full of stainless steel appliances, from my refrigerator and microwave to our oven and barbecue. Stainless steel appliances are very attractive to me, especially when they are polished and shiny. The problem is, between cooking and a son who likes to touch everything, I have fingerprints and food splatters all over my stainless steel appliances.

My appliances have to constantly be cleaned, and I usually use a window spray cleaner to avoid residue and streaks, but the result is not very shiny- there was still smudges. I was recently introduced to affresh® Stainless Steel Cleaner from Whirlpool Corporation and had the opportunity to try it out. Affresh® Stainless Steel Cleaner is intended to clean off fingerprints, smudges, and more with special cleaning agents that can help prevent the formation of residue that can build-up on stainless steel surfaces.

Here is my stainless steel fridge before (lots of fingerprints at little man level) and after:

For fingerprints and light marks like these, I could either spray affresh directly on the soiled surface or on a clean cloth to wipe. The formula is designed to stay where it is sprayed. I wiped it clean right away, and unlike ammonia or bleach based cleaners the water-based chemistry of affresh does not require rinsing.

Here was the real challenge (and I’m so embarassed to show this!)…my stainless steel barbecue before cleaning with affresh® Stainless Steel Cleaner:

I sprayed the affresh on the door and let it sit for two minutes, as per the instructions for heavier spills, soils or stains:

Then I wiped it up with a soft cloth using a firm, circular motion. After I wiped the affresh® Stainless Steel Cleaner off, the door of the barbecue looked like this:

So yep, I’m impressed. It’s really important to note that you do not have to rinse this off (just spray on and wipe off) for these results, and even more amazing, it was easy to do- it really does just wipe right off, leaving behind a high sheen on my stainless steel appliances.

Affresh indicates on the label that if you accidentally swallow or get on skin, to drink copious amounts of water or wash off with a lot of water (only seek medical attention if you have some reaction that is severe or persists), because it’s not toxic. This is reassuring because oven cleaners and most ammonia products have been banished from my house (toddlers get into everything and eat everything, and it just wasn’t worth the risk). Affresh won’t ever be within little man’s grasp, but just in case, as a mom, I like to make sure cleaning products in my home are not potentially hazardous.

Affresh® Stainless Steel Cleaner is available for about $6.99 a bottle in stores, and it has a fabulous plum scent that lingers. It should not be used near open food products (eew) but it is safe to use on surfaces that come into contact with food without rinsing off.

I wrote this review while participating in a campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of affresh and received product samples and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.