protect stainless steel appliances

I heard an appraiser say that when you get a new fridge or large appliance you should peel back the plastic and apply Turtle Wax liberally. It won't stop it all together, but it definately slows down the process. I suppose it would be really shiny to boot 🙂

Maybe check dyinetwork.com?

Noah

I've heard the same thing, wax it every six months to a year. Of coarse if you're really close to the ocean I would do it more often. I don't really think paying more for stainless is a great idea unless you just really enjoy it or have a pretty high end home. In other words its not the big selling feature it is stateside.

We have a fairly high-end home back in the Seattle suburbs and we buck the trend - we don't buy stainless. It's just too much of a pain in the arse to try to keep fingerprints from showing on stainless appliances. When we looked at houses we discounted those with stainless appliances because we knew we would probably want to swap them out.

I've heard the same thing, wax it every six months to a year. Of coarse if you're really close to the ocean I would do it more often. I don't really think paying more for stainless is a great idea unless you just really enjoy it or have a pretty high end home. In other words its not the big selling feature it is stateside.

We have stainless steel appliances and I use Hadco Stainless Steel polish on them every two or three weeks. In two years no rust so far.

We have an ocean view, but are bout 1,000 yards from the water. Close enough that our windows get salty when it is windy.

We got the polish at Gallows Bay Appliance store.

Jim

"We have stainless steel appliances and I use Hadco Stainless Steel polish on them every two or three weeks."

WOW! I can't imagine polishing my kitchen appliances every few weeks. I clean mine periodically but I've never polished them, and I know I never will. You must have a sparkling home!

It only takes me 10 minutes to spray the polish on and wipe it off with paper towels.

My wife takes care of cleaning and she is the fanatical house cleaner.

Jim

Is she available?:)

Stainless isn't the only appliance finish that has problems. I've seen rust form under enameled appliances too-- leading to peeling of the enamel.

So, avoiding stainless appliances isn't a cure-all.

thanks all for the feedback. Can Turtle wax and Hadco Stainless Cleaner be used together, or will they work at cross purposes?
I went to my pantry at home and found a 3M stainless cleaner - does anyone know if Hadco's is similar or the same? If not, can you get the Hadco product in STT?

I assume the turtle wax works because it provides a barrier between the appliance and the salt air. does anyone know what the mechanism of action for the Hadco cleaner is?

On the same theme, if/when rust happens with the stainless, is there a temporary fix?

The Hadco product contains three different petroleum distillates along with propane as the propellant. It leaves an oily film so I doubt that you could wax over it.

Jim

If rust happens clean it off with 'Ospho' on a cloth -- wear gloves and protect your eyes. Then wax.

The wax is a fantastic solution for outdoor lighting fixtures as well... I was recommended this years ago by the people at quality electric and it can really help keep rust at bay. Just recoat once a year. (My problem is following my own recomendations and getting this done to all the outdoor fixtures... sounds like work!)

I haven't had any problem with my stainless appliances, they don't have a spec of rust in 5 years. I use the SS cleaner that is available in a can from Gallows Bay or Plaza Extra and it sprays on like windex (but white and oiler) and wipes off with a soft cloth... Not a big chore. I think the product works like wax as well and helps to keep them cleaned.

I bought a white enamel fridge 3 years ago for the guesthouse and thought it was safe from rust but it rusted in less than 6 months . We live no where near the ocean. I've had to Ospho, sand, and paint it twice already. Insides work great and look great but its a lemon as far as rusting is concerned. The dishwasher right next to it has no rust issues at all.... hard to explain.

Enjoy the rain!

It really pays to use car wax on enamel appliances & keep it up. Refrigerators seem to rust more than other appliances do.

You might want to look at having your appliances clear coated at an autobody shop.. Just like a car, which you don't see rusting as quickly.
Appliances such as enamaled ones are painted or enamaled via electrostatic application spray in the factory. Electrosatic does not like inside corners or edges and tends to be skimpy with the paint in those areas. The cheaper the appliance the more likely only the surfaces you see everyday have any paint on other surfaces. Such as the frame, chassis and backsides of what you see.

There is good stainless (non-magnetic) and cheap stainless (magnetic), guess which one will rust? Not nearly like steel but it will somewhat. If you were to have your SS appliance clearcoated like a car, then you would not have to wax it or polish it before it died of old age. But if you get anything clearcoated, do not scrub the hell out of it or your back to square one.

Oh and having lived on a saltwater house boat, we always sprayed the naked metal of anything we would not see on a regular basis like the frame of a fridge ar dishwasher, dryer, etc. with motorcycle drivechain oil. It is very sticky oil and does not tend to run or evaporate for a very long time. If you do that you have to allow a couple of weeks for the petroleum stink to go away though.

when i bought my new refrigerators (white enamal), the salesman showed me a sticker with a letter, (i think it was a T for tropical), and said that meant that the steel panels were made out of galvanized sheet metal rather than plain steel sheet metal. supposed to be an upgrade for tropical climates. don't know if it is a bunch of BS. i bought my T refrig last april (year ago), and waxed it as well, and i still see some signs of rust starting, at edges and bends, and of course the fasteners are already rusting.
my new stove was rusty after 6 months in certain places.

we've seen the rust come from the inside surface of the refrigerator doors etc...so keeping up with the outside is only a part-cure. we've gotten pretty skilled at repainting all of them. The only thing about Wapa killing major appliances is that they often are looking like garbage anyway. Sometimes though, things are tough. We just this spring replaced a window a/c that we had BEFORE Hugo. About the only thing besides rattan furniture frames that we salvaged out of that place. It didn't get constant use, but sometimes it went constantly for weeks--depending on our tenants. it was a panasonic, and they used to make a really good unit.
I remember hearing that GE was making tropical conditioned appliances---but haven't had a Ge frig purchased down there in a while.

Thanks all - this was very helpful...

to summarize, either use turtle wax, hadco ss cleaner (available at Gallows bay hardware and Plaza Extra?, clearcoat (not sure how that would be done) , and spray undersides with motor cycle drive chain oil....

Thanks all - this was very helpful...

to summarize, either use turtle wax, hadco ss cleaner (available at Gallows bay hardware and Plaza Extra?, clearcoat (not sure how that would be done) , and spray undersides with motor cycle drive chain oil....

The clearcoat could only be done at an autobody shop. the motorcycle oil trick could be done when it can air outside for a few weeks.

heepajeep,
So, do you have your fridge delivered to the autobody shop? Then, who transports it to the house? I'm not criticizing... it's an interesting idea... just wondering how the logistics play out, in practice. I think you're in FL... is this somewhat common there?

"Stainless" steel is steel with chromium dioxide in it that reacts with oxygen in the air to form a protective layer. So if you're always scrubbing it to get dirt and water off of it, you're also scrubbing off the protective film. This is why wax helps...it adds a layer of film that keeps moisture from sitting on the steel -which eats through the thin layer. Wax also makes it easier to get food/moisture off the steel. If you use a stainless steel polish or brillo pad, you want to let the steel do it's reacting thing again before waxing it. Doesn't take long. And you want to be careful which product you use. This is why it's a very good idea to buy cleaners "formulated" for stainless and follow the directions.

This doesn't help with the condensation INSIDE the frig or oven, however. Basically, a frig is just a big moisture magnet. If you're getting a lot of that and your frig is older, the experts recommend replacing the door gasket where moisture is getting drawn into the frig from the room. I would also suggest not standing there looking for snacks more than twice a day 😉 Also check your drain pan, it might be plugged, leading to more condensation inside the frig which is going to seep into the frig seams and start rusting. Wax those seams! And don't leave opened foods/drinks sitting on the frig shelves. The frig is designed to draw out humidity to get itself cool, and open containers/drinks, etc, just add more moisture.

In additon to the good preventive advice of using Turtle Wax, Rust-o-leum makes an exterior Appliance Epoxy spray in various colors, including stainless steel. It stops the rust and inhibits rust formation (which cleaners won't do) and hides the damage somewhat.

If you're talking about your oven front or top, or your dishwasher front, on many models the panel is designed to be removable and replaceable. With regard to the dishwasher, however, if the front is rusted, the innards are probably not far behind. If you're talking about rust inside dishwasher or frig, try appliance epoxy paints. If you're talking about the inside of an oven, you're out of luck... too hot.