Two Ways to Make Stainless Steel Appliances Shine Again

By Jared Sarbit

The name stainless steel can seem like a bit of an oxymoron. If you’ve owned any number of appliances in the past, you’ll quickly find out that they never stay clean. Spilled pasta sauce or juice quickly hardens if not cleaned immediately.
Sure, wiping the stain with that nasty wash cloth is your first instinct, but like any respectable home owner, you want to really make your kitchen pop. After all, you’ve invested in appliances with that unmistakable brushed steel finish that looks its best when it shines.
Luckily for you, we’ve taken the guess work out of cleaning your stainless steel appliances. Follow our easy to use guide and bring back that brand new shine.

Understand Your Appliances Surface

Don’t worry, you won’t have to get too technical with this step, but it’s important to understand how your appliance is put together.

Observe the direction of the grain – stainless steel appliances will have a grain not unlike wood floors. There will be small striations that will give you a hint as to what direction they follow. As you clean, swipe towards and away in that same direction.
Note the different components – a large appliance will be made of multiple sheets of steel and other parts. It’s important to note this because the grain may be in different directions for each sheet.
Don’t worry if you go against the grain – your appliances finish won’t be ruined if you end up going perpendicular to the grain, just that more residue will be left and the shine might not be as bright when you are finished. The good news is that you can always start over and follow the grain again.

Cleaning And Polishing Your Appliance

Now, onto the fun part: rolling up your sleeves and getting to work. But before you dive in, make sure you have these supplies on hand:

Non-abrasive cleaning rags, usually microfibre clothes are the best because there won’t be any lint left over (2-3 rags)
Dish soap like those found at any store
Mineral or baby oil

Cleaning

Using dish soap will quickly and easily remove oils from the steel, helping you later during the polishing process. Apply a small amount to the cleaning rag and wipe along the grain of your appliance. Ensure that the rag is damp but not soaking wet. Once you’re finished, dry any water marks with a separate dry towel.

Polishing

Arguably the most rewarding part of cleaning your appliance. Polishing is what brings that lustre and shine back. Put a small amount of mineral or baby oil on a separate rag and follow the same steps for cleaning, remembering to follow the grain to bring out the best shine.

Bonus – Homemade Cleaning Solution

Cleaning isn’t for everyone, as you can see by our list of services. We’ve grown our business to cater to many clients and offer customizable cleaning solutions depending on your budget. But, if you’re feeling adventurous and are looking to bring out your frugal side, try this homemade cleaning solution recipe. Made with vinegar and oil, it can work just as good as some off the shelf soaps and cleaning supplies.

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Estimates are based on average commercial cleaning rates across Alberta and typical management and coverage costs. Your actual quote depends on square footage, service frequency, facility type, and scope of work. Request a custom quote above for an exact number.

The Hidden Cost of In-House Cleaning

A wage comparison only tells part of the story. Here’s what usually gets left out:

Wages and Benefits

Payroll is usually the first number people look at when they think about cleaning costs, but it rarely tells the whole story. Supplies, equipment, manager oversight, scheduling headaches, and the inevitable sick days all add up over time. By the time you account for everything, the true cost of keeping cleaning in-house can look very different from what’s on the payroll report. That’s exactly what our cost comparison tool is designed to help you see, along with what outsourcing might save.

Supplies and Equipment

Cleaning products, paper goods, vacuums, floor machines, and the replacement parts that keep them running all add up over the course of a year. Businesses that clean in-house often buy retail-grade supplies at retail prices because they don’t have access to the commercial pricing that a cleaning company gets from its suppliers. Equipment also breaks down, and replacing a vacuum or floor buffer every few years is a cost that rarely gets planned for in advance.

Management Time

Somebody has to schedule shifts, check the quality of the work, order more supplies when they run low, and step in when something gets missed. That’s real time pulled from a manager’s actual job, and it rarely gets assigned a dollar value, even though it should. If a facilities manager or office lead spends even a few hours a week on cleaning oversight, that’s time not spent on the parts of their role that actually move the business forward.

Absenteeism and Coverage Gaps

Sick days and missed shifts are part of running any team. When they happen, the work still has to get done, which usually means paying someone else to cover the shift or accepting that some tasks will have to wait. Over the course of a year, those extra costs can become surprisingly significant. There’s another effect that’s harder to measure, too. When cleaning is inconsistent, people notice. Employees notice it, clients notice it, and visitors notice it, even if they couldn’t tell you exactly why the space feels different.

Cost Category	What It Covers
Wages & Benefits	Annual pay for in-house cleaning staff
Supplies & Equipment	Products, tools, and machine upkeep
Management Time	Hours spent scheduling and supervising
Absenteeism	Missed shifts and last-minute coverage

Why Outsourcing Often Comes Out Ahead

Once you’ve seen your own numbers, the reasons behind the gap start to make sense.

Predictable Pricing

A cleaning company quote covers labor, supplies, and equipment on a single line. You know what you’re paying before the work starts, and that number doesn’t shift because someone called in sick or a vacuum broke down. Budgeting gets easier when the cost of cleaning is a single line item rather than four separate ones scattered across payroll, supplies, and management time.

No Coverage Gaps

When a member of an in-house cleaning team calls in sick, someone on your staff has to figure out what happens next. With a professional cleaning service, that responsibility shifts to the provider. If a cleaner is unavailable, arranging a replacement is part of the service, so your team isn’t left scrambling to fill the gap.

Accountability Built In

Picture Perfect Cleaning holds COR certification and provides regular service reporting, so you can see what’s being done and when, without spending your own hours checking on it. That’s the management time most in-house teams never get back. Our team also uses EcoLogo- and Green Seal-certified products, so you’re not trading cost savings for a lower cleaning standard.

Get Your Custom Quote

Wages are only one line in what in-house cleaning actually costs. Once you add in supplies, the hours a manager spends overseeing the crew, and the gaps left by sick days, the real number is usually higher than what shows up on a payroll report and often higher than what a professional service would charge for the same work. That’s the gap the tool above is built to show you, along with what outsourcing could put back in your budget.

Our cost comparison tool gives you a reasonable estimate of what you could save by switching to a professional cleaning service, not a final number. Every building is different, and factors like your cleaning schedule, the size of your facility, and the services you need will affect the actual cost. If you’d like a more accurate quote based on your space, contact Picture Perfect Cleaning, and we’ll walk you through the options.