Fingerprint-resistant stainless steel
A coated finish over stainless, and the coating is what you are cleaning. Several things that are fine on bare stainless are prohibited on this, with the warranty attached.
What not to do
Steel wool is unsafe on Fingerprint-resistant stainless steel
Unsafe
Do not do this. The risk is established, and it is described below.
Evidence
Supported
Sources
How to clean and care for stainless steel surfaces
Whirlpool Corporation · Manufacturer documentation
Relied on for: That abrasive cloths, paper towels, newsprint, steel wool pads, abrasive powders, ammonia, citrus-based cleaners, vinegar-based cleaners and oven cleaners must not be used on fingerprint-resistant or black stainless finishes. (states this directly)
Ammonia is unsafe on Fingerprint-resistant stainless steel
Unsafe
Do not do this. The risk is established, and it is described below.
Evidence
Supported
Sources
How to clean and care for stainless steel surfaces
Whirlpool Corporation · Manufacturer documentation
Relied on for: That abrasive cloths, paper towels, newsprint, steel wool pads, abrasive powders, ammonia, citrus-based cleaners, vinegar-based cleaners and oven cleaners must not be used on fingerprint-resistant or black stainless finishes. (states this directly)
Acetic acid (vinegar) is unsafe on Fingerprint-resistant stainless steel
Unsafe
Do not do this. The risk is established, and it is described below.
Evidence
Supported
Sources
How to clean and care for stainless steel surfaces
Whirlpool Corporation · Manufacturer documentation
Relied on for: That abrasive cloths, paper towels, newsprint, steel wool pads, abrasive powders, ammonia, citrus-based cleaners, vinegar-based cleaners and oven cleaners must not be used on fingerprint-resistant or black stainless finishes. (states this directly)
Oven cleaner is unsafe on Fingerprint-resistant stainless steel
Unsafe
Do not do this. The risk is established, and it is described below.
Evidence
Supported
Sources
How to clean and care for stainless steel surfaces
Whirlpool Corporation · Manufacturer documentation
Relied on for: That abrasive cloths, paper towels, newsprint, steel wool pads, abrasive powders, ammonia, citrus-based cleaners, vinegar-based cleaners and oven cleaners must not be used on fingerprint-resistant or black stainless finishes. (states this directly)
Scouring powder is unsafe on Fingerprint-resistant stainless steel
Unsafe
Do not do this. The risk is established, and it is described below.
Evidence
Supported
Sources
How to clean and care for stainless steel surfaces
Whirlpool Corporation · Manufacturer documentation
Relied on for: That abrasive cloths, paper towels, newsprint, steel wool pads, abrasive powders, ammonia, citrus-based cleaners, vinegar-based cleaners and oven cleaners must not be used on fingerprint-resistant or black stainless finishes. (states this directly)
Mild abrasion may damage Fingerprint-resistant stainless steel
Best avoided
The available guidance advises against this.
Evidence
Supported
Sources
How to clean and care for stainless steel surfaces
Whirlpool Corporation · Manufacturer documentation
Relied on for: That abrasive cloths, paper towels, newsprint, steel wool pads, abrasive powders, ammonia, citrus-based cleaners, vinegar-based cleaners and oven cleaners must not be used on fingerprint-resistant or black stainless finishes. (states this directly)
Precautions
- Check the manufacturer's instructions
- Test on an inconspicuous area first
In detail
Fingerprint-resistant and black stainless appliance finishes are a treatment applied over stainless steel rather than the steel itself. Everything a reader needs to know follows from that: the care instructions belong to the coating, and the coating is thinner, softer and less chemically tolerant than the metal beneath it. The prohibited list is long and includes things few people would call aggressive. Abrasive cloths, abrasive powders and steel wool are on it, unsurprisingly. So are PAPER TOWELS and NEWSPRINT, which are not — a great many households dry an appliance with kitchen roll. And so are ammonia, citrus-based cleaners, vinegar-based cleaners and oven cleaners, all of which are conditionally acceptable on bare stainless. Traditional stainless may be polished or brightened. This may not: there is no sacrificial thickness to polish into, and removing the coating is not reversible. The maker's positive answer is narrow: a cleaner designed for stainless steel surfaces, on a soft cloth, worked along the grain. Where you cannot tell which finish you have, treat it as this one.
Why
- Fingerprint-resistant stainless steel is explained by Damage versus soiling
There is no sacrificial thickness to polish into. Taking the coating off is not cleaning.
Sources for this page
Sources
How to clean and care for stainless steel surfaces
Whirlpool Corporation · Manufacturer documentation
Relied on for: That fingerprint-resistant and black stainless finishes prohibit abrasive cloths, paper towels, newsprint, steel wool pads, abrasive powders, ammonia, citrus-based cleaners, vinegar-based cleaners and oven cleaners; that traditional stainless may take polishes or brighteners while these finishes may not; and that a cleaner designed for stainless steel surfaces is the recommended product. (states this directly)