How to Clean Stainless Steel Cutlery
Pre-clean your cutlery., Place your cutlery into the dishwasher., Run additional cycles as necessary., Hand dry washed cutlery for best results., Remove heat streaks or residual stains.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Pre-clean your cutlery.
Throwing your cutlery straight into the dishwasher can sometimes cause stubborn bits of food or sauce to cake onto it.
You can prevent this from happening by lightly cleaning silverware before putting it into the dishwasher.
Using dish soap and hot water:
Thoroughly clean the cutlery.
Avoid using abrasive scrubbers or brushes, as these can scratch the finish of your stainless steel.
A soft dishcloth or sponge, however, is fine.
Pay special attention to cracks, crevices, and other places food easily builds up when cleaning, including the tines of forks and the bowls of spoons. -
Step 2: Place your cutlery into the dishwasher.
Choose the setting on your dishwasher that best reflects the condition of your cutlery.
In most cases, a normal cycle should be sufficient, but especially dirty flatware might require a heavy cycle.
Turn off the drying cycle, if you are able.Then add a suitable detergent to your dishwasher, close its door, then start the washing cycle.
To make it easier to return the cutlery to its place in your kitchen, you may want to separate your spoons, forks, and knives in your dishwasher.
Some cutlery, especially certain kinds of spoons, can nest together in your dishwasher, making them difficult for your dishwasher to clean.
You may want to spread out utensils like this, so your dishwasher can work most effectively. , Stainless steel sometimes requires several wash cycles before it is completely clean.
Older dishwashers and severely dirty cutlery, especially, might require a second run through the dishwasher.
Inspect your cutlery after each cycle for remaining food, stains, or dirtiness.
If you spot any, your utensils likely need a second cycle.
Be careful when removing cutlery from your dishwasher to inspect it.
Just after cleaning, the utensils can be very hot. , After your dishwasher's cleaning cycle is complete, remove your cutlery from it.
Even if the cutlery is mostly dry, thoroughly wipe each utensil with a soft, dry cloth or a piece of paper towel.Drying by hand reduces spots left on your cutlery., Stainless steel cutlery can become streaked due to food stains or overexposure to heat.In most cases, these kinds of blemishes can be buffed away with a soft dishcloth or polishing cloth.
You can add a polishing agent to improve the end polish, like:
Olive oil, which will help remove streaks from cutlery.
Use a soft dishcloth, rag, or paper towel moistened with olive oil to gently rub your cutlery with it to remove streaks.
Mineral oil, much like olive oil, helps to reduce streaking.
Moisten a soft dishcloth, rag, or paper toil with the oil, then gently rub the cutlery until streaks are gone. -
Step 3: Run additional cycles as necessary.
-
Step 4: Hand dry washed cutlery for best results.
-
Step 5: Remove heat streaks or residual stains.
Detailed Guide
Throwing your cutlery straight into the dishwasher can sometimes cause stubborn bits of food or sauce to cake onto it.
You can prevent this from happening by lightly cleaning silverware before putting it into the dishwasher.
Using dish soap and hot water:
Thoroughly clean the cutlery.
Avoid using abrasive scrubbers or brushes, as these can scratch the finish of your stainless steel.
A soft dishcloth or sponge, however, is fine.
Pay special attention to cracks, crevices, and other places food easily builds up when cleaning, including the tines of forks and the bowls of spoons.
Choose the setting on your dishwasher that best reflects the condition of your cutlery.
In most cases, a normal cycle should be sufficient, but especially dirty flatware might require a heavy cycle.
Turn off the drying cycle, if you are able.Then add a suitable detergent to your dishwasher, close its door, then start the washing cycle.
To make it easier to return the cutlery to its place in your kitchen, you may want to separate your spoons, forks, and knives in your dishwasher.
Some cutlery, especially certain kinds of spoons, can nest together in your dishwasher, making them difficult for your dishwasher to clean.
You may want to spread out utensils like this, so your dishwasher can work most effectively. , Stainless steel sometimes requires several wash cycles before it is completely clean.
Older dishwashers and severely dirty cutlery, especially, might require a second run through the dishwasher.
Inspect your cutlery after each cycle for remaining food, stains, or dirtiness.
If you spot any, your utensils likely need a second cycle.
Be careful when removing cutlery from your dishwasher to inspect it.
Just after cleaning, the utensils can be very hot. , After your dishwasher's cleaning cycle is complete, remove your cutlery from it.
Even if the cutlery is mostly dry, thoroughly wipe each utensil with a soft, dry cloth or a piece of paper towel.Drying by hand reduces spots left on your cutlery., Stainless steel cutlery can become streaked due to food stains or overexposure to heat.In most cases, these kinds of blemishes can be buffed away with a soft dishcloth or polishing cloth.
You can add a polishing agent to improve the end polish, like:
Olive oil, which will help remove streaks from cutlery.
Use a soft dishcloth, rag, or paper towel moistened with olive oil to gently rub your cutlery with it to remove streaks.
Mineral oil, much like olive oil, helps to reduce streaking.
Moisten a soft dishcloth, rag, or paper toil with the oil, then gently rub the cutlery until streaks are gone.
About the Author
Ann Simmons
Creates helpful guides on pet care to inspire and educate readers.
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