Kitchen Styles - Countertops - Stainless Steel Additional Information

Stainless steel won't stain, rust, chip, or fade. It is durable, heat-proof, completely water-proof, and resistant to gouging and denting.

Although it is one of the hardest materials around, but it does scratch. Eventually all the scratches run together and the surface develops a softer finish.

Maintenance

Stainless steel actually requires very little maintenance. Frequent cleaning actually keeps the surface looking new.

Smooth stainless steel shows watermarks and fingerprints, and needs more cleaning than a brushed finish.

When preparing food, use a cutting board rather than the top. Not only will the surface scratch, but the metal will dull knives. Minor scratches can be polished out.

To clean a stainless steel surface, use mild detergent, or baking soda or vinegar diluted in water. Clean and rinse well, then dry with a soft cloth.

Most stainless steel has a "grain" created when the steel is polished. If abrasives are used on a stainless surface, they should always be rubbed in the direction of these polish lines, not against them.

Things to Avoid:

Do not use any cleaner that contains chlorine. Do not use steel wool unless it is the absolute last resort.

The tiny iron particles can lodge in the surface will rapidly rust, giving the appearance that the stainless itself is rusting. Do not let the following food items (ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, lemon juice, vinegar, salt, salad dressings) remain on your stainless surfaces for any length of time, or they will leave a "white" stain. A very fine Scotchbrite pad can remove this mark. Do not scrub stainless steel across the polish lines, always scrub in the direction of the polish lines.

Sanitary

If bacterial contamination of the kitchen countertop is a concern, granite or stainless steel are good choices according to a recent study. This study was conducted by the Hospitality Institute of Technology and Management, a St. Paul, Minnesota-based organization that develops educational materials and research for the retail food industry.

The study measured the bacteria-resistance capacity of six common countertop materials. Each surface was contaminated with E. coli (nearly 2 billion of the microorganisms), washed and rinsed with soap and water and then sanitized with a vinegar-and-water solution. The results are shown in the table below.

Dr. O. Peter Snyder Jr., who conducted the study, says, "We hope our research will help consumers make healthy decisions when selecting a countertop surface for their kitchens."