I learned about 50-50 alcohol-water for cleaning granite over in Kitchens. A lot of people over there swore by it. I stuck with commercial products though for awhile. When we reno'd our bathrooms recently, I was searching for stone-friendly, yet disinfecting cleaning products to use on our bathroom surfaces (FWIW, Seventh Generation makes the only stone-safe, disinfecting spray bathroom cleaner that I've found so far--I have a bunch of cans of Lysol Bathroom Cleaner still, so sometimes use it just inside the tub itself and in the sink--very carefully!). Anyway, during my seemingly endless search, came across numerous recipes utilizing vinegar (not stone-friendly), borax powder, etc., in conjunction with essential oils (like lavender, or tea tree, for example). I decided to mix up some alcohol, water, and lavender oil and give it a try. The proportions were mostly from following what they were using in the Kitchen forum (although the EPA doc said 10% alcohol to 90% water, or 85% water and 5% lavender oil, is perfectly effective). I kind of trial and error it when mixing up a fresh bottle, if it doesn't smell "right" or evaporate/dry up nicely (without smearing) as I wipe, I add little more of one "ingredient" or another. I don't think it has to be perfect. I ended up not using it much in the bathroom, but tried it on my granite, and really liked the results (no smears or residue). I figured it was worth trying on my SS as well (we stopped having our cleaning person come, and I had difficulty cleaning the fridge doors without smearing/streaking using the oil-based stuff). I had to scrub off any and all traces of the old cleaner, but once I did I was good to go. Now I can spot clean or fully clean the surface with just my spray bottle and a microfiber cloth. I even "salvaged" my bff's fridge (fingerprinted, smeary mess), by scrubbing it with BKF and then following up with the alcohol-water spray. *Note, "naked" SS appliances reflect light differently than the same appliances cleaned/polished with oil-based product. The surface has slightly less sheen, and because of that, perhaps look a little colder, or a bluer-based grey--not bad, just something I noticed. I'm much happier with the ease of cleaning, so the trade-off is worth it for me. I also use the spray on my sink after cleaning with a soapy sponge or BKF (wipe dry with a microfiber and it looks great). Also really nice on our Wolf range's black burner pans for spot or light cleaning (I make sure not to spray when any burners are lit!).

CANDY RED Steel Cabinets, Oh My !! I really needed a good laugh - still grinning! Our realtor just suggested the Red color on the day that our contract was accepted - this buying and selling of our house has been a real experience, in these times - roller coaster of negotiating on both ends! Our nerves are shredded but we remain steadfast - maybe this is the reason that we just cannot decide what to do with our new, OLD Cabinets!! We need a VACATION on an Italian Beach, maybe we would see something there that might inspire us? We love the tropical, warm breezes and all of the colors that feel so relaxing! Candy Red cabinets might be nice for a visit but we need a more tranquil space, I think! Turquoise is my favorite color of blue but then I like most all of the cheerful blue shades! What if the Old cabinets were painted a light shade of Turquoise and then the walls, one or two shades darker. Perhaps the hues of the Sea will look good with the sandy tones in the ceramic tile floor! Our current house has most every wall painted a medium hue of Sea Blue with softer shades of complimentary blue in some smaller rooms and two rooms being a warmer sunny shade! May sound like a bit much but we have never grown tired of these seaside colors in all of these years! So if we use some - Turquoise hues in the new kitchen - what accent colors do you see? Maybe a bit of the Red or perhaps some Coral or even some warmer Peach? Is this why some of you have a decorator? Most of my friends ask me to help them with design but these Metal Cabinets have just been an unexpected challenge and we know that we will only want to paint these ONCE! Very tempting to sell them and order our favorite Cherry Wood Cabinets!! And we still have to figure out how to remove the old plastic wall tiles in the Kitchen or else we will be painting over them just like they did before! The new house is 80 years old, with plaster walls and lots of wall paper to be taken down, also!! We did order the new Bosch Dishwasher, today - have an Asko but DH wanted to try the Bosch, hope this works well for us. Like to have a new Frig. with the freezer on the bottom, we have that now with our Sub Zero and it is wonderful, will miss it! ANY suggestions for a more affordable, SS Frig, counter depth and not too tall - because in the new Old Kitchen there are vintage, wooden pantry cabinets built into one corner of Kitchen and around the Frig. Just wonder, should these wood pantry cabinets be the same paint as the metal cabinets, or the darker Turquoise like the walls or re-paint them white! ALL of your Ideas are so very Welcome! Rose

It's pretty common for older homes not to have range hoods, but happily looks like it should be relatively easy to add, from your photo. You can cook without it till you get to it, though. (We've been cooking without one for three years, and previous owners cooked without it for 90-odd years before then!) We don't have our fridge yet so I can't comment on performance, but it does meet your height requirement---the Fisher & Paykel single door bottom freezer. I really like the interior and freezer designs, though again, we haven't used it yet. Needs 69" of height for venting and 33" of width (can't tell how much space you have there?), comes in stainless (and also white), and is pretty reasonably priced. We're buying ours locally, which also ended up being the cheapest option, for whatever that's worth. Good luck---and I love your stainless countertops!

I changed one letter on our black dishwasher model number to get the number for the SS version. I then found the part number for the SS door panel for this model on partselect.com or maybe another parts web site. I then searched for the part number on Google, and it led me to eBay. Four days and some disassembly/assembly later, I had an SS appliance. Only problem...the dishwasher is old enough that the control panel is black even for the SS version. It looks dated. But it was cheap for an SS appliance...