Scratches on stainless steel? Discover how to remove them efficiently
There are many stainless steel surfaces that we can find at home - or rather in the kitchen: countless models of large appliances such as refrigerators, ovens, cookers or microwave ovens use stainless steel. Some worktops too are, in fact, made with this material. Stainless steel not only has a pleasant appearance that really suits a myriad of different furnishing styles, but it is also very resistant and long-lasting - all qualities that make it a fine choice in any home.
However, since it covers surfaces that are used every day, it gets dirty often and is washed very frequently. With all this use, it is easy for it to get damaged quite quickly with unwanted scratches. Find out how to eliminate this problem by reading further.
What is needed:
A kit to remove fine scratches and dents (these often come in jars of creams or a few more tubes in a single package; other times they are powders to which you have to add water to to create a paste). You will also need two microfiber cloths.
Before startting work, always pay attention to the grain of the steel - that is the direction of the natural layering of the material which are produced by the metalworking processes itself. You must always follow the grain direction when spreading out the products. The same is true for every time you wash and dry the steel surface. Also, always carefully read the instructions of the products purchased: generally they cannot be used on those types of metal coated with a protective layer, or any synthetic material.
There are also those who, as a DIY alternative, use traditional white toothpaste (that is, those without granules or gel components).
How to proceed:
- Put a small amount of paste on the microfiber cloth;
- Rub the cloth with the paste on the scratch to be removed, gently moving back and forth but always in the direction of the grain of the steel. Continue until you have eliminated the scratch;
- Take another clean cloth (or a clean part you didn't use of the first one) and remove any excess product, drying and polishing the steel;
- Check if the scratch has been removed - if not, you can repeat the process, always using a small amount of product each time.
For deeper scratches, you will have to choose a more abrasive kit (generally for scratches of this nature, toothpaste is not enough anyway), and which include products for polishing at the end. These kits also come with abrasive sponges of different grits: the more "aggressive" ones are used first, then you move on sequentially to those with gradually finer grain.
By using these products in the right way, you can make all stainless steel surfaces in your home look like new. But remember to wash them correctly, and without using abrasive products, tools or bleach.
