The Cleaning Hack That'll Make Your Stainless Steel Appliances Shine Like New

While a lot of people really love the shine of stainless steel appliances, getting the grime, fingerprints, and other smears and smudges out can seem like a hassle. Some cleaners leave streaks, while others — even ones specifically dedicated to stainless steel — can make the metal seem dull and lackluster. But there's a surprising hack to make your stainless steel appliances shine like new and it's probably sitting in your laundry room. Grab a dryer sheet and go to town wiping them down, and you'll be shocked at how quickly and easily your appliances sparkle. 

Because dryer sheets are basically thin pieces of coated synthetic fabric, they're also really flexible, making them also super handy to get around areas like fridge and oven handles. Plus, as a bonus, they're relatively inexpensive and will make your home smell fresh and clean. Once you've cleaned off any smears and gunk, grab a clean dryer sheet and wipe it one more time to get a final polish. 

Note that you should always wipe in the direction of the grain on stainless steel. Don't know what direction the grain is on your appliances? If you look closely, the steel has some light lines, almost like wood grain. You want to clean in the direction of those lines to help prevent missing any built-up dirt, finger oils, etc.

There is some thought that cleaning metals with dryer sheets seems to make them stay cleaner longer as well. And while the hack can work with used dryer sheets, obviously the heat in the dryer will have removed some of the chemicals so it might not work as well. But new or used, dryer sheets can make cleaning and brightening up all the stainless steel surfaces in your house a breeze. 

As an added bonus, these handy sheets work for a lot of different metals, not just stainless steel. Use them to polish up your kitchen faucets, stainless pans, or even your toaster. And it's not limited to the kitchen either, so you can use them to get soap scum off your bathroom fixtures, polish up doorknobs, or tidy up any other metal items in your home.