Get brushed SS - mine hardly smudges or shows fingerprints. Also, you don't have to be fanatic about cleaning it!

Depends on the brand--some of the SS in our kitchen is so easy to clean (our micro for example), I could use plain Windex or Cinch on a paper towel and it would clean up beautifully. Others (our KA firdge) are more of a PITA to clean w/out streaking.

Tell what kind of micro you have, cat mom. Thanks. Also,weissman, how exactly do you discover which appliances are brushed SS. I love the look of SS and the idea of the brushed sounds great.

i don't see how black would be easier to keep clean than stainless. shiny black surfaces show every little speck.

i suppose it all comes down to how worried you are about fingerprints, smudges, etc. if it really bugs you, get white appliances. they hardly show anything.

My KA fridge and DW have brushed stainless - nothing I planned on - they just came that way. A little water and a paper towel cleans them up just fine. My GE MW on the other hand is shinier and shows smudges more - sounds like I have the reverse experience from cat_mom.

I have the same GE micro as Weissman (JEM31) but I can wipe it with anything, (microfiber, paper towel) and it doesn't streak. My Wolf range has parts that are easier to clean (the bullnosing on top/front) and parts that are a little trickier (the door front is heavily textured, but a decent am't of 3M SS cleaner/polish spray on a rag or microfiber does the trick--just be sure to go side to side with the cloth and wipe from door edge to door edge completely).

The fridge does best with the cleaner sprayed on a rag (old t-shirt) than with a microfiber. The rag should be nice and damp with the spray, and you have to use long strokes to clean the doors (coat with cleaner) evenly in order to avoid straking. That's the PITA part--the fridge is so tall!

I have a Jenn Air fridge, a Miele DW and KA microwave and all I do is wet a microfiber cloth and wipe them down -- so easy. Before I discovered the microfiber cloth I was using special stainless cleaning cloths and they left streaks and were a bit smelly!

I have all stainless, and I really don't find it to be a big problem. The top of the dishwasher get smudged -- likely because my hands are usually wet when the door is being closed -- but since the dishwasher is on the inside of the island facing the back wall of the kitchen (as opposed to on the back wall of the kitchen facing the island) and because I'd have to squat to see the smudges, it's really not a problem. I think this was a happy accident of our layout; if I could see the dishwasher while sitting at the island, the smudges might drive me crazy.

The refrigerator is more visible (it's bigger), but I find the handles get messier than the stainless front. Again, it's a messy hand problem, and the problem would exist without the stainless. As for the oven and microwave, I find that the glass control panels get smudges more than the stainless steel. Finally, the VAH is sloped so is collects dust, but that's easily controlled by swiping it with a cloth once a week.

I had GE profile refrigerator, range and MW, and they all seemed to be pretty good about staying relatively clean, and I've got two big dogs. AND, i'm not the cleanest cook myself. The only thing I found difficult to clean was the microwave for some reason. Honestly, I thought that the dishwasher (which was acutlaly black) was the most noticeable when dirty!

I'm glad I have cabinet panels on the fridge and dishwasher and I recommend them. If they're smudged it doesn't show. Mine are installed 3 years with no damage. My cooktop and oven are stainless and that's as much stainless as I want to maintain. I don't fuss (sponge with a drop of Dawn if necessary) and they are not hard to clean - maybe my standards are lower that others - but I'm not willing to spend much of my life doing it.

New to this site, but wanted to add my experience with black appliances, Just Say No! I have shiny black appliances in my kitchen and they are a nightmare. Especially when my daughter was in the two to three age frame (when the dishwasher was the same size she was), it was such fun for her to play with her reflection. Our house is 9 years old, and no matter what I do or what kind of cleaner I use they are always streaked. I am currently researching new appliances, and the only thing I am certain about is that they will be stainless!

We have stainless throughout - and I agree some is easier to keep clean than others. I love the look so I'm willing to put up with the extra bit of work. It's really not that bad.

I had black appliances in my last place and I HATED them. They show much more dirt than stainless and were constantly dusty.

White is definitely the easiest to keep clean, but nothing beats SS for looks, IMO.