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Stylish with any kitchen decor and resistant to stains and bacteria, stainless steel is one of the most popular finishes for home appliances.
Easy to clean with durable surfaces, stainless appliances can be prone to scratches over time. Cleaning, daily contact, and unfortunate accidents can all affect their smooth and shiny surface.
In today’s blog, we look at why scratches form on these appliances and offer some solutions for how to remove scratches from stainless steel.
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Shop AppliancesUnderstanding Stainless Steel
To understand scratches in stainless steel, it helps to understand how the metal is made. Using a base alloy of iron and carbon, other metals like chromium and nickel are added to create different types of stainless steel.
Each of these elements adds something valuable to this popular metal’s properties.
- Iron and carbon: Coming together to form steel, these two elements are the reason for stainless steel’s durability and strength.
- Chromium: The magic that gives stainless steel its rust resistant finish, chromium also provides the popular shine that looks elegant in any kitchen.
- Nickel: A softer metal, nickel is a vital part of stainless steel. Making steel more pliable, nickel makes stainless steel easy to form, weld, and create the smooth corners of kitchen appliances. Nickel is also the main reason for the scratches on stainless steel. The softness of this element can leave stainless steel prone to scratches and dents.
Over time, normal wear and tear can lead to scratches on these appliances. This can leave owners wondering how to remove scratches from stainless steel when their appliances still have plenty of life in them.
Different Stainless Steel Finishes
After years of fine tuning metalwork and experimenting with beautiful finishes, brands now offer a variety of stainless finishes to complement different styles and decor.
Scratches are more noticeable on some stainless finishes and removing scratches from stainless steel is easier with some finishes. Some finishing options include:
- Brushed finish
- Mirrored finish
- Matte finish
- Black stainless steel
- Smudge proof stainless steel
→ Learn more: 5 Reasons to Get a Black Stainless Steel Kitchen Set from Bosch
Assessing the Scratch
Before diving into how to remove scratches from stainless steel, it’s crucial to take a look at your scratches and see exactly what you are dealing with. Some scratches are very light and can be treated easily at home. Others are deep and require more attention or professional work.
Marks on your appliance may take the appearance of scratches but are signs of corrosion and other damage. Some types of scratches you might see on your stainless steel include:
- Light, superficial scratches: Small scratches on your stainless steel appliances can be very light and almost unnoticeable. Sometimes natural light hits your appliance and highlights your scratches. These small marks can sometimes be carefully removed at home.
- Scuff markings: A common problem if your appliance accidentally hits another surface or kitchen utensil, scuffs often have the appearance of many light scratches clustered together.
- Circular scratches: Usually caused by cleaning in a circular motion with an abrasive sponge or cleaning product, circular scratches can form the appearance of swirls on your appliances.
- Deeper scratches: These require more work to remove and sometimes professional help, deeper scratches are often wider and very noticeable.
- Deep gouges: Much more than a scratch, a gouge in your stainless steel appliance will cut through the outer layer and expose the metal underneath. Damage like this requires a professional to assess whether it can be repaired.
- Corrosion marks: Turning a brown, rust color in their later stages, corrosion markings can appear scratch like as they develop on stainless steel.
Preparing for Scratch Removal
It’s very important to note that some stainless steel appliances have surfaces treated with a synthetic protective coating.
These coatings help to protect the appliance from wear and tear, but they can’t be buffed or treated for scratches with traditional methods. Smudge proof stainless steel appliances often have this type of coating.
Trying to buff scratches from this type of stainless steel can cause irreversible damage. Before attempting any stainless steel scratch removal, be sure to:
- Check your user manual for any information about a protective coating.
- Thoroughly clean the surface with a stainless steel cleaner or mild soapy water.
- Look closely for the direction of the grain. This will indicate the direction of any buffing.
DIY Methods to Remove Minor Scratches from Stainless Steel
Light scratches and scuffs can often be removed from uncoated stainless steel using DIY methods at home. Some common methods for removing scratches from stainless steel include:
- Toothpaste: A simple yet often effective trick, traditional toothpaste in a non-gel formulation can act as a very gentle buffer for scratches.
- Baking soda: A very simple paste made from baking soda and water creates a mild buffing agent.
- Bar Keepers Friend and similar products: A multipurpose product many people have around the house, Bar Keepers Friend and other metal polishing products can be used to lightly buff scratches from stainless steel.
- Stainless steel scratch remover: For a simple and targeted solution to the problem of how to remove scratches from stainless steel, commercial products are available to help. Choose from a range of creams, sprays, and full removal kits.
- Oil for shine: After lightly buffing out scratches, polishing your stainless steel returns the shine to your appliances. Olive oil is often recommended as a polish for stainless steel. Products designed to clean and polish stainless steel are also available.
Professional Solutions for Deep Scratches
When your scratches are too deep or too plentiful for DIY buffing, or you would rather not risk causing further damage, contacting a professional may be your best course of action.
Professional stainless steel restorers are experts in their field and can restore the finish on appliances others would give up on. Consider calling a professional for:
- Scratched appliances that fail DIY methods.
- Removal of protective coatings from stainless steel.
- Restoring an entire stainless steel finish.
- Scratches and gouges where the underlying metal is exposed.
Before going ahead with professional repair, consider the following:
- Lifespan of your appliance: If your appliance is fairly new, an investment in professional stainless steel scratch repair can be an excellent investment to restore your kitchen. If your appliance is older or you are considering making an upgrade soon, the cost of professional care may not be worth it in the long term.
- Cost of repair: Experts can get excellent results, but they can be costly. If your scratches are not too noticeable, the cost may not feel worth it.
- Referrals from friends: Professionals know how to remove scratches from stainless steel, but you may wonder where to find one. A referral from a friend or colleague can help to steer you in the right direction.
Preventing Future Stainless Steel Scratches
Although we highlighted some ideas for how to repair scratched stainless steel at home and with professional help, prevention is better than cure.
To prevent your appliance from developing any new scratches in the future, follow some simple guidelines to protect your stainless steel:
- Always clean with the grain: On close inspection, we can see the grain lines in our stainless steel appliances. Some finishes make them more obvious than others. Cleaning and scrubbing your appliances with natural grain prevents small scratches from routine cleaning and keeps your stainless steel looking its best.
- Avoid abrasives: Kitchen messes can be tough to clean, and we often reach for something abrasive to get the job done. For stainless steel appliances, it is much better to spend the extra time cleaning with a softer sponge and maintain its shiny finish.
- Don’t use bleach: Another go-to for stubborn and dried on messes, bleach is a very effective cleaner. Unfortunately, it can dull your shiny stainless steel over time, changing its appearance forever.
- Use cleaning products formulated for stainless steel: To ensure the best finish for your stainless steel, use cleaning products designed specifically for their cleaning and protection.
- Avoid washing with hard water: Hard water is rich in mineral deposits. In areas with hard tap water, washing appliances can lead to a build-up of mineral deposits. These deposits can dull the shine of stainless steel and even cause future scratches as they are moved around on the surface.
By routinely protecting your appliances with good habits, you won’t need to use our tips for how to fix scratches on stainless steel.
→ Learn more: How to Clean Your Major Appliances
Final Thoughts
Over time, we can start to see some light scratches and scuffs on our stainless steel appliances. Regular cleaning, contact from normal cooking activities, and even clumsy accidents can all affect stainless steel’s appearance.
Fortunately, DIY methods and commercial scratch buffing kits can help bring the shine back to our appliances when approached with caution.
When more skilled help is needed, professional services can step in to bring back the shine, but costs can sometimes be prohibitive. If your old appliances are looking worse for wear, upgrading to a new, advanced model at a discount price from John's can be more cost effective in the long term.
FAQ
Here are some frequently asked questions about stainless steel scratch removal.
Can all scratches on stainless steel be removed?
While many light to moderate scratches can be removed or significantly diminished, very deep scratches may only be minimized and not completely erased.
Do I need special tools to remove scratches from stainless steel?
Basic scratch removal can be done with household items like non-abrasive cleaners and soft cloths. For deeper scratches, a stainless steel scratch removal kit may be more effective.
Can removing scratches from stainless steel damage the appliance?
If done carefully with the right materials, removing scratches should not damage the appliance. However, using abrasive materials or excessive force can cause more harm.
Are DIY methods as effective as professional services for scratch removal?
DIY methods can be very effective for light to moderate scratches. Severe scratches might benefit from professional services, which can provide more advanced restoration techniques.
Why Trust John’s Appliance & Bedding?
Our family-owned and operated store started with a pick-up truck and a dream. When John Hinton Jr. first opened his storefront in 1972, he never envisioned that over the next 50 years, he would outgrow his flagship location and need to open several other locations. However, that’s just what he did.
Thanks to John and his team, John’s Appliance & Bedding has been able to provide our customers with the best appliances, mattresses, and cabinet solutions in South Florida. We view our customers as an extension of our family and seek to provide the best service and expertise that we always have.
Shop Stainless Steel Appliances at John’s Appliance & Bedding
At John’s Appliance & Bedding, we provide high-quality, name-brand products for the best possible price. Shop appliances online or visit one of our four South Florida showrooms and experience world-class customer service. Our friendly product experts are always happy to help you find the best stainless steel appliances for your kitchen — whether you call us, use our online chat feature, or visit us in person.