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Everyone knows the holy grail when it comes to cleaning and disinfecting is bleach. It’s powerful to clean a plethora of bacteria to give your surfaces a safe reset, but that doesn’t mean it should be used on just about anything. If you ever find yourself trying to clean the kitchen, you may have thought about pulling out the bleach to wipe down your stainless steel fridge, microwave, range, and dishwasher. Before you do, make sure you read this article. We spoke to a cleaning expert about whether or not it’s safe to use bleach on stainless steel, and this is what they said.
Meet the Expert
Is It Safe To Use Bleach On Stainless Steel?
To cut to the chase, it’s not recommended that you use bleach on stainless steel. Bleach’s main ingredient, sodium hypochlorite, is a chlorine-based chemical compound that can cause damage to this material. Our cleaning expert, Elena Navarro out of Austin, Texas, says that repeated exposure to sodium hypochlorite causes the thin protective chromium coating on stainless steel to break down. She says this can make stainless steel lose its ability to be “stainless” and ultimately leads to pitting, discoloration, and rust over time.
The abrasive nature of bleach will leave behind visual clues that it’s already started the damaging process. This can look like:
Is It Ever Okay To Use Bleach?
Even if you were to dilute the bleach, there’s not really a case of when it’s okay to use bleach on stainless steel. Navarro says homes with a lot of stainless steel should follow the general rule to only use bleach in the bathroom or laundry room. “Bleach is much more aggressive than most people understand regarding their kitchen sinks and appliances. And honestly, there are many safer products available to clean stainless steel without the risk of causing long-term damage,” she says.
What Experts Recommend Instead
What are the better alternatives? Her safest go-to for daily cleaning is a simple solution of a couple of drops of mild dish soap and warm water. This is an easy homemade solution to use for wiping the appliance with a soft microfiber cloth.”For occasional mineral or rust stains, I prefer to make a paste from baking soda and water, apply it to the stain, and rinse/dry once cleaned,” she says. “I only recommend using a small amount of a dedicated stainless steel cleaner or a small amount of mineral oil to help restore a high shine, but only using a microfiber cloth to work the oil into the metal. Both methods follow the direction of the grain and avoid using any abrasive material.”
There are a few store-bought cleaners you can use to safely clean a stainless steel appliance, or you can use baking soda added into the water mixture. If you’re going the store-bought route, look for products that are labeled as either safe for stainless steel or non-abrasive.
The Right Way To Safely Disinfect Stainless Steel
Whenever it comes time for you to clean or disinfect your stainless steel appliances, here are the steps to follow for prepping the surface before using your safe cleaner.
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Clean the surface first: Clear off any magnets, spoon rests, towels, or other items that are sitting on your stainless steel appliances.
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Apply your chosen cleaner and let it sit on the surface for the recommended amount of time.
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Rinse the cleaner away with water if needed.
Read the original article on Southern Living
