The Brilliant Way Martha Stewart Cleans Stainless Steel Kitchen Appliances

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Martha Stewart has owned multiple homes, so she has the experience and reputation to share tips to keep the house tidy, neat, and organized. For many homeowners, one aspect of the home that is a bit tricky to maintain is the bevy of stainless steel appliances. Contrary to popular belief, stainless steel is not immune to corrosion, so it can rust in certain circumstances, such as frequent exposure to heat, grease, and damaging chemicals. Stainless steel appliances are also prone to getting dirty from fingerprints and oil, food splatters, and water stains. Stewart, who also owns a lot of stainless appliances, especially in her kitchens, deals with these issues head-on using her favorite cleaning solution: Windex.

"My kitchen [has] so much stainless steel. I use Windex; that's my secret for a really nice shiny ... stainless surface," the celebrity homemaker once revealed to Today. This is one of the cleaning hacks Martha Stewart swears by. While many assume that a special stainless steel spray is needed to keep these appliances speckless, Stewart simply relies on the common glass cleaner for windows and mirrors to achieve that pristine shine. She recommends using a soft rag, or, ideally, a microfiber cloth, when applying the solution. Microfiber towels trap and push dirt away. They also remove moisture and residue, so you are sure to have a clean and polished surface if you use one with Windex.

There are many other cleaners to use on stainless steel kitchen appliances for spotless results, but if you want to follow Martha Stewart's hack, you need to have Windex on hand. The brand is available on Amazon. Its Original Glass and Window Cleaner sells for just under $4 per spray bottle and has a 4.8-star rating from over 20,000 reviews. For best results, spray the solution onto a soft microfiber towel rather than directly onto the appliance. This will help prevent excess liquid from dripping into seams or corners. Wipe along the grain of the steel to lift dirt buildup, smudges, and fingerprints without leaving streaks behind. Use another microfiber cloth to buff the surface afterward for an extra-polished look.

If you want a gentler option that's safer on other surfaces, like the glass on your stainless steel oven, go for the Windex Ammonia-Free solution, available for just under $5 per bottle. Or, you can opt for Stewart's other cleaning tip, which combines half a cup of distilled white vinegar and water in a spray bottle. According to her interview with Today, what's good about this more natural concoction is that "it purifies and smells good too." If you don't have the time to prepare this solution, Windex has a vinegar-infused variant, sold for $3.59 on Amazon. After wiping stainless steel surfaces with any of these three, follow up with a dab of mineral or olive oil to restore or maintain that showroom shine, especially on newer appliances.

That said, there are a few caveats that you need to keep in mind when using Windex. It is not recommended for use on dark-colored stainless steel surfaces, since the formulas containing ammonia may cause discoloration or cloudiness. You also need to avoid spraying the cleaner on heated surfaces like stovetops, as this can leave hard-to-remove streaks behind.