Different SS's are easier or harder to clean. My GE micro is easy--Cinch, SS Magic, 3M SS cleaner--all work easily and well. My KA fridge is a bear to clean and I only seem to get decent results (not perfect, but ok) with the 3M cleaner.

I happen to like the look of SS appliances though, so chose them despite knowing they might show every smudge and fingerprint. FYI; I've read on this forum that some of the smoothtops can be tricky to clean....

The easiest appliances to keep clean are white.
Stainless is more commercial. In commercial installations you want to be able to see where the dirt so you can clean it. That been said look for stainless with the tightest grain. It's usually easier to keep clean

The ss grill cover on my wolf is the hardest part on the range to keep clean.

The GE Profile french door fridge is a bear also.

Asko dishwasher very easy to clean.

All in all, for me it's worth the effort.

to clean I use a drop of Dawn dish detergent in soft water.

I clean my SS range with a soapy sponge. If stuff is a bit burned on I let the soapy water soak a minute or two and then sponge it. After I apply the soapy sponge I rinse the sponge under cold running water, then wipe again. Follow with a microfiber cloth. Takes 3 or 4 minutes.

Every once in a while I will polish it with Weinman SS spray or Zep. Cooking oil works good too!

My ss Thermador cooktop was easy to clean. However I didn't like the way the ss turned brown around the largest burners and couldn't be removed. Thermador told me this was a color change due to the high heat.

If you use 3M spray stainless cleaner, should you be careful not to get any on the glass of the oven door? Would it be a good idea to spray some on a cleaning cloth and then put it on the stainless steel?

It's pretty much a mineral oil based product, I don't think it would harm the glass, but might make it smeary. If any gets on the glass, spray the glass with some Windex, Cinch, or whatever you use to clean glass and wipe off with some paper towel.

I find it's easier to clean my Wolf range door front with a microfiber that I've sprayed with the 3M SS cleaner/polish spray. That particular SS is heavily textured and this method seems to work best for causing minimal streaking.

I clean my KA stainless fridge with Pledge. Works great.

A thermador rep told me to put some easy off on the brown surface for about 30 seconds and wipe off....my range is so new - i haven't tried it yet...if someone does let me know how it turned out.

Current kitchen has a Kenmore Elite range and Frigidaire DW. Neither is hard to clean, though the DW tends to be 'streakier'.

Neither is burdensome, but I'd agree that if you want the appliances to look perfectly clean all the time, white would be easier.

Since so many people have stainless these days, I think we may be a bit more forgiving of streaky stainless than we were in the past...

Mine is easy. Monogram, KA, Bosch et al in our kitchen. CLean off the big smudges and obvious dirt with a soapy dish rag then wipe dry. Fingerprints and small smudges disappear with an application of WD-40. Spray on a cotton cloth or paper towel and wipe on. Rub until dry. Works great. Use WD-40 after cleaning with soapy rag as well.

My new Bosch SS range top wipes up easily with hot soapy water, then I dry it with a paper towel. Agree with John on the GE Profile FD fridge...it's more challenging. As well, we have a water dispenser in the door, and the water "catcher" below the spigot is small and fills up quickly, which makes it tend to spill down the front of the door occasionally when we open it. Otherwise, I love it...and would not have gotten a door dispenser if DH didn't insist. :)

I'm adding my 2 cents as I just purchased 2 new SS appliances and used this thread to learn what I should use to clean them.

When I went to the store, however, the suggested brands were not there. I did purchase Goddard's Appliance & Countertop Polish, which specifies SS on its packaging. It worked beautifully! My installer told me that before I used my new dishwasher (Bosch) and any SS appliance, I should coat it with SS polish, and said if I didn't, I'd never be able to completely get rid of subsequent finger marks, etc. He said that the SS needs oil. I used this product w/ a microcloth, and both appliances look great, and when I touch them there are no fingermarks.

This Frigidaire range touts itself as having smudge-resistant SS on it, and is available in in gas, electric, dual-fuel: Smudge-Resistant EasyCare Genuine Stainless Steel