[mastergardenergirl]

Does anyone have the ikea stainless cabinet doors and drawer fronts? I love the look, but are they hard to keep halfway clean. I'm not that persnickety but don't want them too be too full of prints. I'm thinking of them for just my island, but it is large. Would appreciate the voice of experience.

[dalbrough]

HI,

I know a member here named Yankeelawyer has done their entire kitchen with them - maybe they will pop over here and advise?

For me personally - I had enough of a hard time keeping the fridge and oven clean and finger print free.

Deb

[wd40]

I don't have them in my kitchen, but I have installed a few of them for others and in my opinion, although they look really nice, they are indeed like a magnet for fingerprints.

[Dave of the Coonties]

Stainless steel in Ikea's Orlando store displays (Rubrik cabinets or backsplashes) look fingerprinted, as my observant Mom pointed out.

On the other hand, "clean" has several meanings. My below-the-sink doors somehow attract spaghetti sauce.

[yankeelawyer]

The stainless doors certainly are not fingerprint-resistant, i.e., if you put your paws on them and press, they will fingerprint.

I have not found it to be an issue, but I have never had a problem with my stainless appliances, either, because I use the handles and rarely touch the doors otherwise.

Regarding cleaning, I have found that windex works best; you apply with a microfiber rag and wipe horizontally, with the "grain" of the brushed finish. For really tough smudges (for example if you happen to accidentally get silicone caulk on the cabs like my contractor did), acetone removes them immediately. I give my cab fronts a once-over with windex once every one to two weeks and rarely have any stray fingerprints on them in between cleanings. It only takes me about 5 minutes to wipe them down, and the fronts are so smooth that it is very easy.

The IKEA SS displays in my local store are gross, imo. They are covered with many, many fingerprints and look like they have never been cleaned. I was very worried about the SS after seeing those -- but I can say that in a home application with a small amount of care the cabs don't look anything like that. But I would say if you are someone who has had trouble with SS appliances, then don't go with stainless cab doors, because the maintenance on those is about the same.

[mskugler]

A good friend has said that Pledge works best to keep the stainless steal Ikea cabs nice and clean....

Good luck.

[kelly]

Hi! I have the SS cabinets as well- I have tried the oily cleaners, and I understand that the concept there is to create a barrier to fingerprints. This is theoretical to me- it looked awful after a lot of work and smeared. Maybe I used too much. I don't get how oil cleans things. My personal preference is just detergent and water in a spray bottle with a microfiber cloth and the only grease being elbow.

The secret to SS is leave no moisture or it will streak and spot. I have also used Windex, but I find it's less forgiving on the "mind how you wipe" front than the detergent and water- plus, I never run out and don't have to worry about my 6 year old spraying the wrong thing on my funny polycarbonate dining chairs or frankly, dinner, the dog or the carpet . I mean I don't want soapy water in my dinner, but I like it better than whatever is in Windex. Nothing against Windex.

Yankee is right- if you don't like SS appliances, don't get the SS cabinets. They are work. They're awesome when clean- but they take work.

[aldyn]

i don't have ss cabinets in my house, but the restaurant that i work at is full of stainless steel stuff. and part of my sidework when serving is doing alot of cleaning.

there, i use comet bathroom and surface disinfectent cleaner on just about everything including the stainless steel and with a clean, soft cloth, the comet leaves them flawless and streakless (as long as you wipe it til it's completely dry).

not as mild as detergent and water like someone said, but it definitely kills all those germs and gives off a citric-y scent

ss can usually stay pretty nice looking if you just wipe it down every so often and don't bang stuff into them. scratches and dents are such a buzz kill :<

[kelly]

I'm so with you- it's the wipe down that makes the difference. Streaks on SS are SOOOOO annoying! That's why I love the microfiber.

My 6 year old is presently on a cleaning binge with the soapy water spray bottle and microfiber- it's damp but fresh in the bmw house!