Letter 4148

Removing scratches from stainless steel appliances 

January 15, 2006 I find it interesting that "Shari" recommended Scratch B Gone - left a link - and the link is to a company in Carlsbad CA. Two posts after that recommending the same product are from Carlsbad. Co-incky-dink? I think not. Let's research this some more before we get "taken" by a very obvious advertising ploy!!! Jean T - Sewanee, TN Ed. note: Hello Jean. Shari didn't actually "leave a link";  rather, because Scratch-B-Gone is a supporting advertiser of this site, I linked her mention of it. Barry Feinman clearly states his affiliation and we state clearly that a purpose of this site is to help our supporting advertisers find business in return for supplying this place for camaraderie & information exchange Another way of looking at it is that Scratch-B-Gone is paying for the publication of the alternative approaches to scratch removal on this and dozens of other letters on this site. On this very thread a competitor of Scratch-B-Gone claimed his product "holds up longer that anything in the market"; who effectively pays for his ad so you can read that claim? Scratch-B-Gone. With a quarter million postings on this site, and the anonymity of the internet, it is possible that a few are "plants" from fictitious people; for example, you could be employed by a competitor of Scratch-B-Gone, using a fictitious name. But based on name, city, e-mail address, and IP address my belief is that Shari C, Pamela J, and you are all real people. Good luck with your scratch removal problem, which you haven't described yet :-) --Ted

In response to an earlier posting, what is the exact recommended Scotch-Brite product for removing scratches in stainless steel appliances (Jenn-Air refrig, stove, dishwasher)?

Literature on 3M's Scotch-Brite hand finishing system offers two "gray" pads, #7446 & #7448, equivalent to steel wool grades 3 & 00, respectively. I also see recommendations in this thread to use the "maroon" pad, which comes in two grits, #8477 & 7447, equivalent to steel wool grades 2 & 1, respectively. Please advise. Also, should I be using any type of cream, lubricant or abrasive powder in conjunction with the Scotch-Brite pads?

Adam Cole
- Chicago, IL USA

Ed. note: Hopefully a reader advise us on that, Adam. We post the information we receive, and in many cases it's inexact and incomplete. I understand the problem, but all we were told so far was the color of the pads so that's all we can post. Sorry!

I had reasonable success purchasing all the scotchguard pads ranging from 60 to 320 and then using them one at a time and sanding with the grain. Then, I finished up with 400, 600, and 1000 grit paper that you can find at an automotive store. Water works fine as a lubricant. Clean the surface with water and a clean cloth in-between each step. It is an INCREDIBLE amount of work, and won't remove all the scratches in an old sink, but worked wonders on my 20 year old stainless steel sink.

P Zack
- Albuquerque, NM, USA

June 29, 2006 My 30 yr old very scratched stainless steel sink is now shining bright. I couldn't get the 3m pads here in Aus but instead used 800 grit(1st), 1000 grit(2nd) and finished off with 1200 grit sandpaper. Voila! like new. Thank you all for your advice. I must say I was very nervous using sandpaper so I did a small area first using the three grits and was amazed. Oh I also wiped down with vinegar. Thanks Mollie Thomas - Campbelltown, NSW, Australia July 12, 2006 I just wanted to thank all of you for your comments and suggestions. What a relief to know that there are solutions that work. I'm going to try Scratch-B-Gone (and not because I'm from California and not too far from Carlsbad - great waves for boggie boarding!) on my 1 week old sink. I've read their material and like that Restore Solutions mentions their product blends the repaired area with exiting areas. I'll let you know if it works. Jill James - Lake Forest, CA August 13, 2006 I recently used Bar Keepers Friend to clean my stainless cooktop. It had very brown spots on it due to water boiling over while canning tomatoes. The stains eventually were removed but now I notice fine scratch marks on some areas of the shiny part of the stainless. Does anyone have a recommendation on how to remove these scratches. Thank you. Char MccQuillan consumer - Rockford, IL, USA August 17, 2006 Don't use the product called Scratch B Gone on your stainless steel appliances! I bought some after reading recommendations, and am sorry I did. Even with the mildest of the four pads included, it did more damage to my refrigerator. Now the whole area treated is scratched with the grain, instead of a few scratches running down the grain. I wish I never used it! The liquid product is supposed to make the treated area blend in with the rest of the untreated stainless, but it doesn't work at all. You will end up with a shiny scratched up patch. It is WAY too abrasive. Kim Gallier - San Diego, CA

My husband and I are at the end of our (8) year, complete home remodeling project of our 6300 square foot home. You can imagine my excitement in bringing home our new JenAir stainless steel refrigerator. I was so ready to clean the tags and plastic and get it into my new kitchen.

Now, imagine my horror, when trying to remove the glue, from the tags stuck to the door. First, soaking them with hot soapy water, and using a green "scrubbie" to gently encourage them from the door, and "poof" my brand new, never been used frig now has three patches of scratches! Arughhhhh!!! I was sick!

I have been searching for answers, for (5) days. Thank God for your web site. I guessing I should try the scratch-b-gone product. Now, what about removing the glue, any ideas. I am desperate! I would appreciate any help you have to offer. What is the success rate with the scratch-b-gone product? Is is easy to use?

Thank you in advance for any advice you are willing to offer.

Sincerely,

Patricia B DeArcangelis
home owner - Cumberland, MD, USA

In response to the inquiry from Patricia about removing sticky tags from new appliances: The gentlest and most effective way to remove glued-on stickers is to use baby oil. The oil removes the adhesive with a a bit of gentle rubbing with a cotton cloth or paper towel (cloth is the gentlest). Then to remove the oil, just wipe with a bit of rubbing alcohol to cut the grease. It works great and doesn't harm the item.

Linda Hashlamoun
- Stow, OH, USA

Kim Gallier,

In response to your comments regarding Scratch B Gone I could not disagree with you more. If you are having a problem with this product being too abrasive you then must not have "brushed grain stainless steel". I have used this product several times for my own refrigerator, stove, and dish washer and also some of my own clients appliances and it really does work. If you notice in the instructions its says for "brushed grain stainless steel" only. You just have to start with the lightest abrasive that will remove the scratch or blemish. Not the heavy grit ones. Again I have had no problems using this product. You just have to use it correctly.

Randy Rogers
- Mission Viejo, CA, USA

I'm going to try "Scratch Be Gone" but I also wanted to say "Orange Glo Stainless Steel Cleaner and Polish" made the fine scratches, which I foolishly made on my stainless steal fridge using a dish washing grainy sponge, disappear. I used it to polish up the fridge a bit after I made the scratches and a few days later the scratches are gone.

Wow!

Demetra Pavlou
- LIC, NY, USA

I would like to thank both Kim Gallier and Randy Rogers for their trust in posting the above responses about our product, Scratch-B-Gone(SBG) for the refinishing of scratches from their Stainless steel (Ss) appliances. We always appreciate honest feedback from our customers in an effort to continually improve the quality of our product offerings. To date, our SBG is the only fully DIY kit available for the remediation of 'real' Ss appliances, sinks and grills. Not for use on coated surfaces sold as a cleanfree or fingerprint free surface. Additionally, it will remove stain, chemical burn, acid corrosion, and rust. Our SBG is currently used by major mfgrs in-plant for scratch removal and in- field service for quick surface correction. Most large manufs recommend our SBG to their customers. For this reason, we take customer feedback very seriously. We are very concerned about Kim Gallier's experience and believe that her surface was most likely of the coated variety therefore the use of our tool aggravated the scratch by removing the clearcoat and resulted in a polished surface. We are always available to discuss your particular needs or respond to your feedback.

Respectfully,

Barry Feinman Restore It Yourself, Inc Carlsbad, CA, USA

Can Scratch-B-Gone be used on Jenn aire Products? I called their 1 800 number and got the same response -- "Nothing can be done about the scratches on your new Jenn air $2500 gas grill stove." So, I need to know, are their stoves made with the kind of stainless steel they make their products from?

DENISE TREECE
consumer - HOPEWELL, PA, UNITED STATES

I own a Kitchen Aid fridge, stove, dishwasher, and microwave oven. I too have some small scratches on my fridge that I cannot remove. In regards to Claudia of Great Neck, N.Y. I thought I would try her solution of a paste of baking soda, unfortunately this did not work for me. I just wanted to mention to her I found a great product to remove water marks and fingerprints on stainless steel. My housecleaner has stainless steel and she told me she uses Enddust. Yes, endust. Shake the can well and spray on a soft cloth or I use a paper towel. Spray on paper towel not directly on appliance. Go in the direction of the grain. You won't believe how your appliances shine plus removing water marks and finger prints. I do all my appliances with Endust every 2 weeks. If hesitant try on a small area first.

Now I have to find a product that will remove my scratch. I keep hearing a lot about Scratch B-Gone. Has anyone had positive results from this product.

Val Cooper
- Burlington, Ont., Canada

A cheaper (and less messy) alternative to stainless steel conditioners for regular polishing is WD-40. I spray this directly (but lightly-not much is needed) onto the surface and buff dry with a white paper towel or cloth. This suggestion was given to me (off the record) by the retailer who sold me my appliances and it works great! One can lasts forever and I find it much easier to use than pouring liquid conditioner onto a rag and then only being able to cover a small area before I have to reapply.

Sarina Miller
- Philadelphia, PA, USA

Thank you Val and Denise for your inquiries about our Scratch-B-Gone kit for Stainless steel refinishing. First, our kit works beautifully well on all Jenn-Aire surfaces (not clearcoat protected) as I have personally restored several range tops for them. As a service provider company also, we have not found a grill unit or lid that we could not remedy with our kit. As for your small, light scratches Val, our kit is ideal for removing them. Just watch the video and read instructions fully. Use the gray pad and Ultra Shine solution as instructed and you will get great results. Happy scratch removal to you.

Barry Feinman Restore It Yourself, Inc Carlsbad, CA, USA

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