How to remove scratches from stainless steel (and when you shouldn’t try)

Step by step: how to remove scratches from stainless steel

1. 1

   Check what kind of stainless you have

   Read the appliance manual or the maker’s website for the finish name. Traditional brushed stainless can be buffed. Fingerprint-resistant, smudge-proof, black stainless and printed or coated finishes have a clear layer on top, and sanding removes it for good.

2. 2

   Clean and dry the area

   Wash the panel with warm water and a little dish soap on a soft cloth, rinse, and dry it completely. Grit left on the surface would put new scratches in while you work on the old one.

3. 3

   Find the grain

   Look closely at the metal in good light: brushed stainless has fine parallel lines running one way, usually lengthwise on a fridge door or sink deck. Every stroke from here on goes in that direction only. Rubbing across the grain or in circles leaves swirl marks that look worse than the scratch.

4. 4

   Mask off the edges and nearby surfaces

   Put painter’s tape along trim, handles, logos and any polished or coated parts next to the scratch. This keeps the abrasive on the area you mean to blend.

5. 5

   Rub with a mild abrasive along the grain

   Make a paste of Bar Keepers Friend powder and a few drops of water, or use the liquid version, on a damp soft cloth. Rub along the grain with light, even pressure in long strokes that run past the scratch on both ends. Check every minute or so; light scuffs often fade within a few minutes.

6. 6

   Step up to a fine pad for deeper scratches

   If you can still catch a fingernail in the scratch, wet a fine non-woven pad and rub along the grain over a slightly wider area than the scratch, so the blend does not look like a patch. Keep strokes straight and pressure even, and stop to wipe and check often.

7. 7

   Rinse, dry and polish

   Rinse off all cleanser with a damp cloth, rinsing the cloth and wiping twice, because Bar Keepers Friend needs thorough rinsing. Then dry the area completely. Buff with a stainless polish along the grain to even out the sheen.

Which stainless steel finishes can you sand?

Only bare, traditional brushed stainless should be buffed or sanded. Anything with a protective coating loses that coating where you rub, and the patch will always show.

Whirlpool’s cleaning instructions tell you to rub traditional stainless evenly in the direction of the grain. For fingerprint-resistant and black stainless, it says not to use abrasive cloths, steel wool, abrasive powders or several common cleaners, warning that they can damage the finish and that such damage is not covered by the warranty.

How do you remove scratches from a stainless steel sink or pan?

Sinks and pans are the easiest stainless to fix, because they are almost always bare brushed metal and nobody minds a slightly wider blended area.

In a sink, the grain usually runs in curved or straight lines around the bowl. Work in short strokes that follow it, then rinse and dry. The Bar Keepers Friend FAQ notes that it is an acidic cleanser and that acidic cleansers are recommended by most stainless steel product manufacturers over bleach-based ones. For more on sinks, see our guide to cleaning a stainless steel sink.

On cookware, utensil marks on the cooking surface are cosmetic and do not affect how the pan cooks. All-Clad warns that metal scouring pads and steel wool leave permanent scratches, so use a mild cleanser and soft pad to soften the look of marks rather than trying to sand them out.

How do you keep stainless steel from scratching again?

Most scratches come from the cleaning itself, so change the tools first.

• Clean with a soft microfiber cloth and wipe along the grain, never in circles.
• Skip steel wool and green scouring pads on appliances.
• Put a bottom grid in the sink so pots and cast iron do not grind on the metal.
• Dry the surface after cleaning; Whirlpool notes that water left on stainless can discolor it.
• For everyday cleaning methods, see how to clean stainless steel appliances.

Mistakes to avoid

• Sanding a fingerprint-resistant or black stainless door and stripping the coating.
• Rubbing in circles or across the grain, which adds swirl marks.
• Starting with a coarse pad instead of the gentlest cleanser.
• Blending only the scratch itself, so the repaired strip looks shinier than the rest.
• Leaving acidic cleanser on the metal instead of rinsing it off.