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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    Location
    Indiana

    Stainless steel kitchen appliances

    We're thinking about putting in stainless steel appliances in our kitchen. I'm worried about fingerprints and maintaining their appearance. (Our boys are five and two years old.) Can anyone share their experiences with stainless steel, particularly upkeep and durability? I know there are appliances with finishes that look like stainless steel, but I heard they scratch easily and can't be repaired.

  2. #2
    Well, once again, let me play know it all

    I have a stainless Sub-Zero fridge and Bosch dishwasher.
    With little kids, and with husbands who delight in fixing lawnmowers before lunch, you will most certainly have fingerprints...I use a sponge, dish soap and water, sponging in the direction of the grain, and follow it up with a stainless spray every few weeks. Scratches will come out with very fine steel wool, 00 grade, then definitely the stainless spray.
    My older fridge is not a magnetized front, so if you want to display the children's artwork, get one that is.

    What did you decide about the floor?

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    Fayetteville, NC
    Late last year we were looking for a new fridge. We watched a lot of the various design and diy shows and they all tout stainless steel as a kitchen upgrade, however we started reading the owner views at websites for Sears, Home Depot, and Lowes. A large number of SS owners complained about the constant cleaning for fingerprints. Once we factored in the extra $100-200 for SS and the fingerprint issue (4 yr old) we settled on a white Kenmore Elite model.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Meeting with Marie Laveau
    Quote Originally Posted by ncexnyc View Post
    Late last year we were looking for a new fridge. We watched a lot of the various design and diy shows and they all tout stainless steel as a kitchen upgrade, however we started reading the owner views at websites for Sears, Home Depot, and Lowes. A large number of SS owners complained about the constant cleaning for fingerprints. Once we factored in the extra $100-200 for SS and the fingerprint issue (4 yr old) we settled on a white Kenmore Elite model.
    I've gone through the same process of research regarding kitchen and laundry appliances. When my sturdy washer finally gave out, I faced a dilemma regarding front loader vs top loader. I had time to do some research because the breakdown came during a snow storm that kept people off the roads a couple of days.

    After reading some of the problems associated with the top loaders (that's if you get past the higher prices),I decided on a highly rated top loading white Whirlpool Cabrio which is absolutely fabulous! It combines the best of the newest laundry technology with some of the technology used for years. I love how it's cut water usage dramatically and I can continue to use normal detergent (just less of it) rather than HE detergent.

    Considering your choices for kitchen appliances can be a similar process of identifying what is really an improvement and what is actually advertising hype to "educate" the consumer. A subscription to Consumer Reports online is worth the investment before you make your decision about appliances. I found the information and guides to be extremely helpful in making my decision. When it came time to buy, I went to Sears because they carried more brands to choose from and actually had them in stock, something many of the "big box" stores don't do. Ordering and waiting for delivery because the store keeps only a limited inventory just adds to the frustration which tends to develop in the process of replacing appliances. I also found Sears to be very reasonable in terms of delivery charges, disposal of the old appliances and making an appointment for delivery.

  5. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by Devil in the Blue Dress View Post
    A subscription to Consumer Reports online is worth the investment before you make your decision about appliances. I found the information and guides to be extremely helpful in making my decision.
    Second this. I saved enough money purchasing a vacuum cleaner, based on recommendations from Consumer Reports, to afford just over two years of subscriptions to the site.

  6. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by weezie View Post
    Well, once again, let me play know it all

    I have a stainless Sub-Zero fridge and Bosch dishwasher.
    With little kids, and with husbands who delight in fixing lawnmowers before lunch, you will most certainly have fingerprints...I use a sponge, dish soap and water, sponging in the direction of the grain, and follow it up with a stainless spray every few weeks. Scratches will come out with very fine steel wool, 00 grade, then definitely the stainless spray.
    My older fridge is not a magnetized front, so if you want to display the children's artwork, get one that is.

    What did you decide about the floor?
    They make a finer steel wool (000 grade). They also make a 2000 grit sandpaper that is probably finer than the 000 steel wool.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Southern Pines, NC
    A damp cloth or paper towel is all we need to clean our Whirlpool and Bosch appliances. The Bosch dish washer has a stainless interior, though, and is as quiet as a whisper. The only other stainless appliance, if it can be called that, is our natural gas bbq grill out on the deck which we have to keep covered. The weather wreaks havoc on the stainless.

    Our home had all Kenmore appliances when we built it about sixteen years ago. We started to have problems with the dishwasher and the refrigerator about three or four years ago. Our Kenmore built-in double oven has been just fine all of these years. No complaints at all. In the laundry, the Kenmore stuff was also running out of steam, so we decided to replace everything except the built-ins.

    On our first look, after we checked out Consumer Reports, Mrs. Jarhead issued an ultimatum -- no stainless. This is her kitchen, not MacDonald's. Actually, yeah, I agreed with her. Everything we saw reminded me of a mess hall galley. We made the right decisions on everything. Whirlpool refrigerator, washing machine and dryer (front loading, of course), and Bosch dishwasher, all of them white. The range is a black glass counter top which will never need replacing. A number of neighbors who opted for stainless tell us they made the wrong decision.

    For us, the best decision might actually be what we did with the old refrigerator. When the appliances were delivered we asked the guys on the truck what they did with the old appliances. The driver said that most of the old stuff was not wanted by anybody, so they dropped them off at the county salvage site. I told him to just leave the refrigerator in the garage. It is now chugging along with a load of beer, on-sale ice cream, yogurt and orange juice, a wide variety of frozen stuff, etc. Our kitchen refrigerator is now well organized with nothing hiding in the back to surprise us.

    Final thoughts -- we might have decided on stainless if Electrolux was available. That's some pretty nice stuff, and it overcomes the industrial look. And the microwave, well that is a different story. We have had to replace two of them, under warranty the last time, though. It hangs under the cabinet over the range.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    Charlotte
    I have SS appliances, and you really dont need more than a damp cloth to clean off any fingerprints. Got a Whirpool Gold Fridge - French Door that also has extra-tall in-door water and ice...not something you might think about but great for filling large water bottles and coffee pots/makers.

    We also have stainless DW and Electric Cooktop and a Vent-A-Hood. I like to keep everything in the house very clean, and it's not that hard to keep these clean. Granite Counters can be harder to maintain.

    As for resale, I would either go with All Black, All White or all SS; The Satina, faux-stainless stuff doesnt really give you many benefits in use or resale.

    Alsom one way to test the quality of the steel is to put a magnet to it; If it sticks it is not stainless (or has an artificial magnet in it like one other poster said), if no stick then it's stainless. I like to get a magnet from every place/country I visit so I was a little disappointed when they didn't stick to my fridge.

    I did a ton of research, Consumer Reports Included, and found the fridge that I did also through a builder friend of mine who recommended it. If you do look on CR for help make sure you read the 'Comments' because I know especially when it comes to appliances they can't possibly test it over a period of years - I wasnted to buy an 'agitater-less' washer but apparently the washer had serious mechanical flaws. CR recommended it, but it began to break down after a period of about 6 months, which I'm sure CR doesn't keep a washer around for. Basically, just make sure to look at all reviews and not just CR.

    Good luck, and go with the stainless...it will look great and add value on the resale side.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Austin, TX
    I also want to second reading beyond consumer reports. I find that they sometimes test for features or uses that I don't need/care for. For example, when we were getting washer/dryer, we read up all over on it. Most of the energy savings from front loaders appears to be the cost of heating the water, so less water use leads to less energy consumption. But I'm in the midst of washing loads of cloth diapers and I only wash with whatever the tap temperature is. So I want more water in each load and I'm not heating the water. We ended up going with the usual top-loader, Kenmore if you care. (Wanted a Speed Queen, but the dealer never called us back.)

    However, I will say that I eventually overloaded on all the reading, gave my husband a summary of points and sent him off to buy whatever made sense. So do stop reading at whatever point you're ready to buy, buy, wash your hands, and don't think about the decision again. (Apparently physically washing your hands makes you feel better about your decision: http://arstechnica.com/science/news/...ion-demons.ars)

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    Location
    Indiana
    Quote Originally Posted by weezie View Post
    Well, once again, let me play know it all

    I have a stainless Sub-Zero fridge and Bosch dishwasher.
    With little kids, and with husbands who delight in fixing lawnmowers before lunch, you will most certainly have fingerprints...I use a sponge, dish soap and water, sponging in the direction of the grain, and follow it up with a stainless spray every few weeks. Scratches will come out with very fine steel wool, 00 grade, then definitely the stainless spray.
    My older fridge is not a magnetized front, so if you want to display the children's artwork, get one that is.

    What did you decide about the floor?
    Thanks for the info about the appliances! I'm torn between stainless and white. We want to paint our cabinets white against a very light wall (perhaps also white) with a dark countertop, and light wood grain floor. I think the stainless will look great. I am not against the white, but am wondering if we need a contrast to break it up.

    We are probably going to use a laminate in the kitchen because we want to extend the same flooring out into the breakfast nook and den. The laminate will be cheaper and perhaps hold up better in the high traffic areas.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    Location
    Indiana
    Quote Originally Posted by Devil in the Blue Dress View Post
    I've gone through the same process of research regarding kitchen and laundry appliances. When my sturdy washer finally gave out, I faced a dilemma regarding front loader vs top loader. I had time to do some research because the breakdown came during a snow storm that kept people off the roads a couple of days.

    After reading some of the problems associated with the top loaders (that's if you get past the higher prices),I decided on a highly rated top loading white Whirlpool Cabrio which is absolutely fabulous! It combines the best of the newest laundry technology with some of the technology used for years. I love how it's cut water usage dramatically and I can continue to use normal detergent (just less of it) rather than HE detergent.

    Considering your choices for kitchen appliances can be a similar process of identifying what is really an improvement and what is actually advertising hype to "educate" the consumer. A subscription to Consumer Reports online is worth the investment before you make your decision about appliances. I found the information and guides to be extremely helpful in making my decision. When it came time to buy, I went to Sears because they carried more brands to choose from and actually had them in stock, something many of the "big box" stores don't do. Ordering and waiting for delivery because the store keeps only a limited inventory just adds to the frustration which tends to develop in the process of replacing appliances. I also found Sears to be very reasonable in terms of delivery charges, disposal of the old appliances and making an appointment for delivery.
    Yes, I agree about Consumer Reports. We subscribe and I always check it out. I also agree about Sears. Moreover, Kenmore always seems to do well in CR ratings.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    Location
    Indiana
    Quote Originally Posted by CLT Devil View Post
    I have SS appliances, and you really dont need more than a damp cloth to clean off any fingerprints. Got a Whirpool Gold Fridge - French Door that also has extra-tall in-door water and ice...not something you might think about but great for filling large water bottles and coffee pots/makers.

    We also have stainless DW and Electric Cooktop and a Vent-A-Hood. I like to keep everything in the house very clean, and it's not that hard to keep these clean. Granite Counters can be harder to maintain.

    As for resale, I would either go with All Black, All White or all SS; The Satina, faux-stainless stuff doesnt really give you many benefits in use or resale.

    Alsom one way to test the quality of the steel is to put a magnet to it; If it sticks it is not stainless (or has an artificial magnet in it like one other poster said), if no stick then it's stainless. I like to get a magnet from every place/country I visit so I was a little disappointed when they didn't stick to my fridge.

    I did a ton of research, Consumer Reports Included, and found the fridge that I did also through a builder friend of mine who recommended it. If you do look on CR for help make sure you read the 'Comments' because I know especially when it comes to appliances they can't possibly test it over a period of years - I wasnted to buy an 'agitater-less' washer but apparently the washer had serious mechanical flaws. CR recommended it, but it began to break down after a period of about 6 months, which I'm sure CR doesn't keep a washer around for. Basically, just make sure to look at all reviews and not just CR.

    Good luck, and go with the stainless...it will look great and add value on the resale side.
    Thanks for the advice. I also check comments from Amazon, Sears, etc. whenever I buy appliances and equipment. You're right, it is helpful to hear from people who have used the products over a long period of time.

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