As with any surface, routine cleaning is needed to prolong the life of your appliance. But you have to be careful about what you use to prevent permanent scratches.

Never use an abrasive cleaner or brush for your stainless.

To keep the surface of your refrigerator clean and shiny, the best cleaners are products you have laying around your house. No matter what you use, make sure you rinse thoroughly to prevent spotting and dry it with a soft cloth or towel to prevent water marks.

It is also a good idea to go in the direction of the grain.

• Water
  Believe it or not, warm water on a soft towel does wonders for removing some of the stickier marks on your stainless steel.

• Glass Cleaner
  This does a great job removing fingerprints and grease.
• Detergent
  A mild detergent such as dish washing liquid with warm water also works well.
• Baby Oil or Olive Oil
  Yup, that’s correct. A very tiny dab of baby oil or olive oil on a soft towel can help to remove streaks. It will also shine the surface.
• Club Soda
  This will often remove streaks and stains.

• Vinegar
  Undiluted white vinegar on a soft towel will both clean and polish your stainless steel. It can also help remove heat stains.

As a last resort, you can also use cleaners specially designed for stainless steel. But you’ll find that some common household items work just as well, and will keep your stainless steel looking new.

Does that mean that if a magnet does stick to your refrigerator, it is not real stainless steel but is a fake?

Not necessarily.

The long answer is, there are commonly two different types of stainless steel, the 300 series and the 400 series. The 400 series is magnetic and is usually used in cutlery. Put a magnet against your stainless steel knife and you will most likely find that it sticks.

The 300 series is not magnetic and is the type used the most often in kitchen appliances such as refrigerators.

And it gets even more complicated. The 300 series is not magnetic normally, but if it undergoes a process called cold-rolling, it becomes magnetic.

So why don’t they make refrigerators out of the 400 series? The 300 series is considered a better grade. It is more resistant to corrosion.

If that’s the case, why do they make cutlery out of it? Because the 400 series is harder and is a better substance to use for things that need sharpening like knives. But the downside is that it is more susceptible to corrosion.

The bottom line is, if a magnet does stick to your refrigerator, it is either a fake such as stainless steel paint or brushed chrome, or it is made from 400 series or cold-rolled 300 series stainless steel.

Alternatives to Magnets
If you really want to stick your child’s algrebra test on the fridge, there are a couple of alternatives.

1. Test the sides. Often the sides are made differently than the front doors and are magnetic.
2. There are products that are made which grip any non-porous surface such as stainless steel and glass. Here’s a website that makes non-magnetic refrigerator clips.
3. Get an adhesive backed magnetic board and stick it on your refrigerator door.

Walk into a modern kitchen and you will most likely see a stainless steel refrigerator. This is a big change over kitchens even 10 years ago when popular colors in fridges were white or almond. And it’s a very good thing we’ve left the 60s behind for good when avocado and brown were quite popular.

It used to be that a stainless steel refrigerator or oven were primarily found in commercial restaurants. But now they are very popular in everyday kitchens.

Why is that? Visually, the look of a stainless steel refrigerator seems to indicate a kitchen that is modern and futuristic. The bright, shiny material is reminiscent of spaceships and robots, and conjures up images of being high-tech and innovative. But it has a greater advantage than just being attractive visually.

Stainless steel refrigerators have two big advantages over their plastic cousins: they are much easier to clean and they don’t stain or rust. Although plastic doesn’t tend to rust either, it does stain easily, especially from dyes found in food. And the textured surface of a plastic appliance is difficult to clean. The smooth, sleek surface of stainless steel can be easily cleaned with a mild detergent such a dish washing liquid. Glass cleaners can also be used.

The stainless steel fridge will look good for most of the lifespan of the material if taken care of. A scratch in the surface will not result in rust the way it would in traditional metal. And the surface will not stain from food dyes.

I had a friend in college who opened up an ice cream stand. One requirement from the state was that it had to have a stainless steel sink. That material has long been recognized as a standard for commercial establishments, so it’s no surprise that it has found its way into the common kitchen.

Cons of the Stainless Steel Refrigerator

If stainless steel is such a great surface, are there any drawbacks? One complaint is fingerprints. They are much more noticeable on stainless steel than other surfaces. But they are easily cleaned with glass cleaner.

Another complaint is something you might not think of. They came and installed your new stainless steel refrigerator, and you go to put on it all the kid drawings and grocery lists you took off your old fridge, just to discover that your magnets don’t stick!

That’s right; most stainless steel appliances are not magnetic! However, this isn’t true about all of them. It just depends on the amount of nickel in the metal alloy that was used to make them.

So if having fridge magnets is important to you, bring one along when you go to shop for your refrigerator and test it. Also make sure to test the sides because often the doors are made differently than the sides.