I just posted on a another posting about Scratch B Gone. We just used it this week. Our cabinet installers scratched my hood when they installed the cabinets. They had an extra piece of the venting to practice using scratch b gone. It seems to have worked. It is very, very difficult to find the scratches now. I do think the stainless is a tiny bit more oxidized in color, not quite as shiny, but not anything anyone would notice, except for me. I think the adage of practice makes perfect probably made the difference. I had them show me where they used it on the practice piece before I let them use it on the actual hood.

I had a new refrigerator delivered in the morning, and by evening it had scratches all over it! Yikes! This was from magnets. I was sick to my stomach all night long! Rule #1: Never put anything on the face of a stainless steel appliance! Stainless steel is a rather soft metal alloy (compared to some other metals). The magnets themselves didn't scratch it, but the micro-particles of dirt did. Anything held tightly to the metal will scratch it. Even if you put some tape or cloth between the magnet and the metal… The scratches were at eye level, so whatever solution I embarked on to remove the scratches demanded much care. Several posts talked about solutions to stoves and sinks, which are, by their nature, *expected* to get scratched up a million times over. Removing scratches from a refrigerator is a whole different animal! I began by checking out this forum and several others and even watching a couple of videos. None of them worked as prescribed and I'm about to tell you why. Every stainless steel appliance is different. Some faces are harder than others. Some have a heavy brushed look. Other don't or to a noticeably lesser extent. So the optimal solution for my refrigerator will be different than the optimal solution for my dishwasher, etc. So what I learned through this process is that it is just that -- a process. You will have to experiment. There is no silver bullet for an answer. I tried an abrasive hand cleaner, chrome polish, polishing compound, and steel wool and Scotch-Brite with WD-40. I will talk about each of these shortly, but first, I can't stress enough HOW IMPORTANT IT IS to rub in the SAME direction as the existing grain buffed into the finish at the factory. It is easy and perhaps habitual to hand rub in an arc, oval, or circular motion -- no matter what product you use. You must discipline yourself to rub in straight lines only -- the same direction as the grain. I also found it wise to use a wood block (or other rigid object) for evenness in the rubbing rather than the uneven pressure of my fingers. So in every case, I used a cloth with some product applied to it and wrapped it around a small wood block which I held in my hand. The abrasive hand cleaner improved the scratches, but didn't remove them completely -- even after about 5 applications, wiping it off and using Stainless Steel cleaner and polish after each. I needed something more abrasive. Next, I used Turtle Wax Chrome Polish. This is a micro-abrasive paste. It was more effective in removing the scratches and the rag turned black from the fine particles of steel rubbing off onto my rag, but it had an unfortunate side effect. It’s grain was too fine for my refrigerator, and it was obvious where I rubbed and buffed with the chrome polish. It appeared darker in that area. That region was now more polished and lost some of the brushed look of the rest of the finish, and so it was obvious that I tried to fix the problem. Now, I not only had to remove the scratches, but I had to add back the brushed look of the stainless steel. I will never use chrome polish again, except perhaps... on chrome! Next, I tried Turtle Wax Polishing Compound which is a little rougher-grit paste than chrome polish. This wasn’t as effective at removing the scratches -- although by now, they were only half as deep. What I liked about the polishing compound, though, is that it brightened the dark region somewhat and restored the brushed look that was removed with the chrome polish. I still felt like I needed something with a little more abrasiveness, though. Next I tried steel wool soaked in WD-40. This was totally ineffective. So was the Scotch-Brite. It needed more bite. Perhaps trying steel wool without the lubricant (WD-40) would be better, but I didn’t try it. But I’m converging on a solution. I want to go out and buy rubbing compound, which is a step more coarse of a grit than polishing compound. But I haven’t and I won’t, and here’s why… My refrigerator developed two other unrelated mechanical problems and the manufacturer will be replacing my refrigerator tomorrow. With this in mind, I didn’t want to work on the scratches any further in the event I messed it up and didn’t have time to rectify it. So, I’m sorry to leave the readers hanging, but I feel very optimistic that rubbing compound is going to be the most effective -- for may particular refrigerator -- in both getting out the scratches, and leaving a finish that is very similar to the factory’s brush look. But keep in mind that experimentation is key. Rubbing compound may not be the best product for, say, my dishwasher, which was made by a different manufacturer. I hope this helps!

I cna't speak to the BlueStar appliances, but I just have to chime in here and say that I do lkie the look of SS appliances in the right setting (esp. with cherry cabinets, which we have.) We opted to get SS range, microhood and FD fridge. I am just having a hard time dealing with the smudge factor on the SS. When I had my porcelain and textured appliances there was never a glaring smudge - whatever smear you had could be cleaned up with a spritz of Pine-Sol and a damp cloth - maybe 2-3x a week. With the SS I have to use a lightly soapy sponge. rinse it and then use a "special SS" cleaner, spray it on or use a SS wipe and then try and polish it out streak-free with a soft cloth or micro cloth every single time I use it. Sometimes I take a paper towel and use it to open the fridge or microwave just to avoid getting fingerprints on the metal. (And you have to be sure you wipe it in the same direction as the grain.) Sigh. It's just much ado about something that should really be nothing in this day and age.

Claga, I know nothing about steel wool so can not comment. But I do use Barkeepers. It is not going to get the scratches out but it does help polish the Stainless so it does not have such a deep grove. I use this and then after a stainless steel spray like Weissman. It really looks wonderful. Barkeepers is almost as magical as Bitsya's work. I must say one of the fools in my house tossed a pitchfork size giant grill fork into the sink and made a nasty scratch. His or her name was "I didn't do it." Mr or Miss "I didn't do it" seems to be the one who has made my life harder than it should be. Dents, scratches, .... I have since gotten over the drama of these scratches and reminded myself my kitchen is for use not just to look pretty... The old saying "Beauty Fades but Dumb is Forever" applies here. Most people will notice the beauty, elegant function and intelligent design of your Wolfe range. Not the scratch. And if they are true friends they won't say anything. : ) But if they do, ignore them and pop back into GW and know you are not alone with your scratch. ~boxerpups