You did not mention what kind of KA appliances/items appear to have gotten rust spots overnight...are you talking range, fridge, dishwasher, etc.?

I'd sure get on the horn with the supplier and/or call KA. Maybe it was some reaction of the stickum from the protective films?

Stainless steel "rust" is normally black in color - it's actually chrome rusting. Like you get when cleaning a stainless sink or cookware.

Iron rust color on a cleaning cloth sounds like a contamination issue.

All of them, micro, oven, and refrig. I called their help line and got the usual , " don't understand what is happening", response. I told him I used warm water with a very small amount of dish soap. Then he suggested white vinegar???? Diluted. Personally I think it is a reaction of my city water with the stainless... I probably did not finish it off correctly with a rinse and good good dry. Since, I used some w-d 40 and got the majority of it off...will check in the morning to see what has happend, hopefully nothing.

laat2, what would you think would be a contamination issue?

As you mentioned, it might be the water or perhaps something now in the cloth from a previous use. Removing protective film can sometimes produce temporary visible streaking.

The theory behind the following cleaning process is that some types of dirt bind to water and then repel additional water and other types are dissolved in water. If the microfiber cloth is large use one portion with distilled water, one portion for wiping up alcohol and leave the rest for next time. Otherwise use two cloths.

First, see what can be done to the problem with a new microfiber cloth slightly dampened with a little warmed distilled water as your final quick polisher/buffer of the blemishes every few days or so between your ordinary cleaning schedule.

Something else that may be useful to try as above is a (self provided) small spray bottle filled with 99% isopropyl alcohol (drug stores have it but not usually in spray bottles. Don't get rubbing alcohol.) Spray to wet a small 1 by 2 inch long area of the streak without causing a run and as soon as it visibly starts to dry spray again and wipe/buff almost immediately with a new microfiber cloth. Repeat several times. When the streak stops fading move to another section Use in a well ventilated area with no ignition sources. Iso works well and is harmless to most materials. One thing that really defeats it is dried grapefruit splatter!

Don't wash the cloths but avoid reusing visibly soiled areas if the unlikely happens and they appear. Good luck!

Since all your appliances have the same symptom logic suggests the culprit is something local. If more widespread complaints were targeting one type of appliance or one type of finish, that would suggest the manufacturing process.

laat2, thanks for the info. I got most of it out last night using wd-40...but noticed 3 areas of light hazing, like a rub... across the grain. I called kitchenaid and they said lowes sold their polish and to try it. I know on boats and cars, when you have rubbed a bit of the shine off (dulled it), a good polish will bring it back. Is this true witht he stainless?

jb

JB - If you want a 2 oz. botttle of "KA Stainless Steel Cleaner and Polish (Improved Formula)", you are welcome to mine. It came packed with my new KA fridge in June and doesn't work on our KA appliances (fridge and DW) nor on our GE Profile ones. For me, that stuff leaves more and darker streaks than it takes away. LOL. Your results may vary.

Best way I've found to clean stainless, when it needs cleaning to a more-than-usual degree of wiping-down, is Bar Keeper's Friend, a mild scouring powder. Rub with the grain, rinse thoroughly, and dry.

jmbaker 3:

Sounds to me like you were faced with left-over goo from the protective films that wrapped the appliances. WD-40 works as a solvent and is often recommended for removing adhesives. Works well for removing decals, bumper-stickers from painted and metal surfaces.

Lynnbunt:

WD-40 might work for you if your Jenn-Air is relatively new and you also have leftover adhesive around the handles. It will take several applications and some scrubbing to get it. It may have been there for a while and the cleaners you used before were, maybe, not touching it. Maybe the Fantastik was just strong enough to make the good smear but not enough to lift it off.

Or, maybe, you've got some the usual kitchen goo that builds up over time. Again, that Fantastik product might be smearing it but not picking it up. For this kind of cleaning, I second the Barkeeper's friend suggested by Dadoes and also trying what Laat2 suggested.

Why are you replying to a five year old thread?

Oh, for dumb!

This showed up as a current thread on my screen when I came to the site --- it was the fourth one down in the current thread list. I didn't even look at the dates. Sheesh. My mistake, Sorry.

That's what I thought it might be. No problem.
Some places (not here) I've had my items show up months later on threads I didn't ever access.

Ah, modern technology. Mistakes that were impossible to make in the "old days." Thanks for being understanding.

The reason this thread popped to the top was that someone put a spam reply in about a class action lawsuit against KA for rusting stainless steel. The moderators deleted the reply but the thread stayed near the top.

Thanks weissman. Now, I do not feel quite so dumb.

And, now that you mention it, I do recall seeming something recently on consumeraffairs.com about some sort of legal action but I thought it was about about interior rusting in dishwashers and ovens, not about exterior stainless surfaces. No idea whether it has any merit or not.

Im sorry that the class action post got deleted, because I just came on to the site to search for this exact problem. My fridge is rusting in several places. Ive heard kitchenaide is not adressing the problem at all. If anyone has info on that lawsuit, please post!!! Its not spam!!!!!

i just bought a house that has Kitchen Aid appliances.. The refrigerator is covered with rust. What a crappy appliance this is. Virtually, no customer service... tried 'chatting', finally got to someone who was not helpful who basically hung up on me. DO NOT BUY ANYTHING FROM KITCHEN AID!!! WHIRLPOOL NOW OWNS IT.

"lsemartha: DO NOT BUY ANYTHING FROM KITCHEN AID!!! WHIRLPOOL NOW OWNS IT."

Whirlpool's ownership of KitchenAid isn't a recent occurrence. It happened in 1986 ... thirty-six years ago.

Hi newbie here only because i saw a post 11 yrs ago ~ just wondering if anything was done about it from kitchen aid/ whirl whirlpool or do i just go to home depot for wd40 and 80 grit sandpaper ~ the rust made my refrigerator break out with massive rust pimples