Vinegar Cleaning Steps White spots and cloudy stains on All-Clad® Sauce Pan Although many things, including the alkaline detergents used in dishwashers, can damage the appearance of stainless steel, unless there is some special coating that calls for specific care, the only reason to treat your pans with kid-gloves is to preserve that shiny, like-new appearance, and, although your pans might not look new anymore, they will perform just fine. Keep in mind that these days, the care instructions that manufacturers include for stainless steel pans have become super-cautious, as if you are caring for a newborn baby, instead of a tough material like stainless steel. This is permanent and there is nothing you can do about it. Salted liquids boiled in stainless steel pans can also, sometimes, produce little pits in the pan. Don’t let vinegar sit in a stainless steel pan for a prolonged period, as it will end up doing the opposite of what you want, and may damage the pan somewhat. If you have particularly tough stains, try actually boiling a solution of water and vinegar in the pan, but for typical stains, use the quick steps below. Vinegar is acetic acid, which makes a very good cleaning solvent, and is strong enough to dissolve those stubborn mineral deposits off the pan.

Bon Ami and some elbow grease will remove them, or scrubby sponges with cleaning soaps already in them, but the easiest way is to use a little vinegar and a plastic scrubby. However, after mineral deposits are “baked on,” an automatic dishwasher or routine washing will not always remove white spots. There are many things that can damage the appearance of stainless steel, and some things that can actually damage the steel itself, but unless you’re a real stickler, the appearance of your pans is no big deal. Barkeeper’s friend will also remove the stains that some folks call “rainbow stains” from your stainless steel pots, the almost translucent streaks of pink to blue that form on stainless steel cookware.

Safe to use on pots and very effective at removing discoloration from stainless steel without scratching. If you want a general cookware cleaning product for taking care of stains on your stainless steel and aluminum pots, as well as to clean many other surfaces such as Pyrex and even ceramic cooktops, you can do no better than Barkeeper’s Friend. It may help to make sure you bring water to a boil before you add salt.īar Keepers Friend COOKWARE Cleanser and Polish Powder – Your stainless steel pot’s new best friend. These spots come from mineral deposits left in the pan after boiling water, and the white spots can come from both salt and/or calcium deposits.

How to get rid of white spots on photos