jdbower Posted June 24, 2007 Report Share Posted June 24, 2007 It seems like many people, myself included, aren’t familiar with the proper procedures for cleaning stainless steel. Here’s some information I’ve gleaned from the web, but please read the entire thread before trying anything since I’m guessing some more techniques or corrections will follow: Only use stainless steel to clean stainless steel. I’d even go so far as to get stainless utensils (spatulas, tongs, forks, knives, etc.) for cooking just to play it safe, but make sure you’ve got a stainless grill brush or some stainless steel wool at a minimum. Using metals other than stainless can cause rust spots to form over time if you don’t clean off the residual particles promptly. If you need to use a cleanser, a mild vinegar solution may be best. Follow this with a neutralizing solution, either a lot of water or a baking soda paste. Rubbing dry flour or club soda on stainless using a soft cloth can also bring back the luster, as can a few drops of baby oil. While I probably wouldn’t bother polishing the grill, stainless trim like the spring cover may benefit. The WD in WD-40 actually stands for Water Displacement and it’s not really a lubricant, in theory this should help repel water and can be used to polish stainless but it’s fairly flammable and toxic so don’t use it on the grill. At all costs, avoid the use of chlorine – since bleach is the cleaner of choice for most surfaces you’ll have to read carefully to ensure that none is present. For this reason, avoid most soaps and cleansers and mix them yourself. Also avoid anything that can trap water against the surface, make sure all covers have a mechanism to wick water away from the cooker while providing a waterproof surface on the outside so new water can’t find its way in. Also make sure you promptly dry anything you wash. This is all theory to me as of now; I know I’ve seen surface rust form on my stainless sinks from prolonged water or unlike metal contact but the use of ordinary steel wool cleans it up. A sink, however, is a very different surface from a grill as it’s both flat and continuously exposed to flowing water that washes away the impurities described. If anyone’s got any pictures of stainless (particularly 304 stainless) that shows the results of any of these “don’ts†I’m sure it could be a learning experience. I’m curious to know if the results are surface rust (ugly but removable) or actual penetrating rust which can cause much more serious damage. Also note that some of these techniques for stainless can be very bad for grout (for example, vinegar+grout is not the best of mixes), I'd protect your tile whenever you're using anything other than water to clean the stainless. C’mon DJ, time for you to fill in the blanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThreeDJ16 Posted June 24, 2007 Report Share Posted June 24, 2007 Actually most of the blanks are filled in - hehe - unfortunately they are spread out across the forum and not in a nice neat thread like this one. Good thinking bud as it is very important to properly care for SS. -=Jasen=- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
U2PLT Posted June 24, 2007 Report Share Posted June 24, 2007 Cleaning SS Bartenders Friend found at Wal-Mart is the best for SS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fanie2200 Posted February 24, 2013 Report Share Posted February 24, 2013 Re: waking up this thread...stainless cleaning I just learned about Kelly s solution and used it on my grill. Cleaned it well...had to scrub a little bit. I was going throughout the old posts and realized 2 things in the last few days, LOTS of info here!!! The "elders" still respond et "je vous dis MERCI." But, second thing... The search engine is not this great (unless i dont know how to use it) Could all of us form a fund to improve it , and let Dennis work on his research stuff and the fund would pay whoever the IT company the elders choose to make a wonderfull seach engine? Just a thought.. I believe would benefit us newbies and relieve others. I have no idea of costs. Hope I m not pushing it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Syzygies Posted February 25, 2013 Report Share Posted February 25, 2013 Re: waking up this thread...stainless cleaning Could all of us form a fund to improve it ' date=' and let Dennis work on his research stuff and the fund would pay whoever the IT company the elders choose to make a wonderfull seach engine?[/quote'] Have you tried Google? Googling for site:komodokamado.com stainless cleaning returns 50 hits. This works on any site. Google has the best free form searching. If you want property-driven searching that works (but requires manually groomed data) go buy something from Newegg.com. If you want the forum software to work better, go to the source of the forum software and ask there. Dennis is simply a client, and I don't know a better choice he could have made. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fanie2200 Posted February 25, 2013 Report Share Posted February 25, 2013 Re: Cleaning Stainless Steel thanks, I was not aware... and I also though that sites are created by the owner/administrator. I will try google and new egg in the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DennisLinkletter Posted February 25, 2013 Report Share Posted February 25, 2013 Cleaning Stainless Steel - Nitric Acid I've peen exploring passivation of Stainless Steel and now have some 10% nitric acid in the factory.. I'm told it's great for removing stains.. I'm hoping it will remove the orange stains from pool water (chlorine) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Syzygies Posted February 25, 2013 Report Share Posted February 25, 2013 Re: Cleaning Stainless Steel Nitric acid, wow. I'm still stuck in the "ammonia" beginner class. Does anyone understand the chemistry of ammonia with respect to crud on a SS grates? I'm told that simply placing a bowl of concentrated ammonia in a closed space (sealed trash bag) with SS grates will help clean them. I haven't tried this; somehow the gas softens deposits? An operational "this works" understanding would be great, but I'm also curious what actually happens, like the ammonia prions tickle the left-handed quark deposits, that sort of explanation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fanie2200 Posted February 25, 2013 Report Share Posted February 25, 2013 Re: Cleaning Stainless Steel Thanks Dennis, expensive stuff..10% nitric acid. $50 for one liter and delivery from Grainger. Should have it in 6 days...want to clean my grills with it. You are better and more user friendly than GOOGLE. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fanie2200 Posted February 25, 2013 Report Share Posted February 25, 2013 Re: waking up this thread...stainless cleaning If you want the forum software to work better, go to the source of the forum software and ask there. Dennis is simply a client, and I don't know a better choice he could have made.[/quote} Sorry, not personal ... what is a "forum software"? Aren't you guys tired of answering the same old answers over and over again? I dont really want to go to GOOGLE for info...in fact I want to stay on this blog... Syzygies, can you do it??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Syzygies Posted February 26, 2013 Report Share Posted February 26, 2013 Re: waking up this thread...stainless cleaning Sorry' date=' not personal ... what is a "forum software"?[/quote'] When you sit in front of a computer screen, your entire experience is shaped by many sets of instructions written in "programming languages" that have evolved since the 1950s as computers have become more powerful. There are as many programming languages as spoken languages. Like politics, people like to fiercely defend their programming language without understanding anything about the experience of the person they're arguing with. Most of these languages are indeed ghastly, but that is a poor predictor for how advocates feel about them. Some people truly enjoy writing computer programs, and don't do so for the money. They like to share their work, and they form groups so that their collective work is more useful to others. They believe that computer programs should be free, and they license their work to insure that any modifications by others also stay free. This forum is really one large computer program, written by one such group: phpbb.com They are writing in the php programming language, which means they should be charging us as if they were gravediggers, but they do this for free, which makes them saints. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted February 27, 2013 Report Share Posted February 27, 2013 Re: Cleaning Stainless Steel Cool tip about using Google's search engine on a targeted site, will definitely remember that one . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruzmisl Posted March 7, 2013 Report Share Posted March 7, 2013 Re: Cleaning Stainless Steel It also depends on the stainless. Some new stainless appliances have a coating on them that doesn't respond well to the conventional cleaners. For example, my old Frigidaire refrigerator looked amazing after using 3M stainless cleaner. Tried it on my new Samsung fridge and streaks galore. Tried every "stainless cleaner" under the sun and they were all horrible. Now I use a glass cleaner with no ammonia and it's flawless. On my KK I only use a magic eraser for the stainless assisted by some form of grease cutter. The grills I leave alone and only use grill floss and a grill brush. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fanie2200 Posted March 15, 2013 Report Share Posted March 15, 2013 Re: Cleaning Stainless Steel This is a follow up on my order of nitric acid. The distributor that Grainger uses refuses to deliver at a private home ,(hazmat) I guess. So Grainger reimbursed me.... Turned around and looked on line for another distributor and found "DGR Industrial Product "based in Ca. 40$ plus 28$ for delivery of 50% nitric acid. Paid and after a few days, called to ask about delivery. They never answer the phone, return email or phone calls. Still have not received the stuff.... Advised Capital One who red flagged the transaction. Until this gets cleared up, BEWARE. I will not order from them again until I get reimbursed or get delivery! Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThreeDJ16 Posted March 15, 2013 Report Share Posted March 15, 2013 Re: Cleaning Stainless Steel Wow, did I read that correctly.....you bought 50% nitric? I can see the 10% Dennis discussed using at the factory, but 50% is extremely dangerous and can react violently with combustibles (such as charcoal). We use it at work, and if it contacts carbon, it will not be around long. It causes severe burns and can damage your lungs. Please be very careful if you use it. I would not recommend it for home use. I believe at that level, you might be into passivating the SS. Some passivating processes turn the SS slightly black. MSDS - http://cnl.colorado.edu/cnl/images/MSDS ... 20acid.pdf For cleaning metals when I weld, I use 85% phosphoric acid. Still need proper protective equipment, but much safer than 50% nitric. As for the grill grate, I just burn it off and leave the character/flavor on it. -=J Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fanie2200 Posted March 15, 2013 Report Share Posted March 15, 2013 Re: Cleaning Stainless Steel Wow' date=' did I read that correctly.....you bought [b']50% nitric? I can see the 10% Dennis discussed using at the factory, but 50% is extremely dangerous and can react violently with combustibles (such as charcoal). We use it at work, and if it contacts carbon, it will not be around long. It causes severe burns and can damage your lungs. Please be very careful if you use it. -=J Thanks for the info J.... Obviously too much for me to handle. I did cancel the order last tuesday. The distributor has not contacted me in anyway but if they ever do, I will follow your advice. I will abandon the idea and continue doing what I've been doing all these years... "Burn it off"" My idea was to dilute it. I'm a surgeon, not a chemist... I think I got a little too much carried away!! Guy Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThreeDJ16 Posted March 16, 2013 Report Share Posted March 16, 2013 Re: Cleaning Stainless Steel No problem. I work in a lab and have seen first hand how nasty some acid can be. We have some hydrofluoric acid that will take the stainless off your steel. -=J Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laguna_b Posted June 30, 2013 Report Share Posted June 30, 2013 Re: Cleaning Stainless Steel -Burning? Is there any problem cleaning grills with very high heat such as either bringing up the temperature to about 800F? I assume not since it is a pizza cooking temperature. Also, what about putting them over a high output LPG burner? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Syzygies Posted June 30, 2013 Report Share Posted June 30, 2013 Re: Cleaning Stainless Steel -Burning? Is there any problem cleaning grills with very high heat such as either bringing up the temperature to about 800F? I assume not since it is a pizza cooking temperature. Also' date=' what about putting them over a high output LPG burner?[/quote'] I do the former (800 F) all the time. It cleans down to a fine black color, without restoring any stainless appearance. I wouldn't do the latter, as it would be nearly impossible to apply a uniform heat, so you would twist and potentially wreck your grills. I still wonder about ammonia. I'm not worried about it being a gateway drug to nitric acid, no way I'm going there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
