Grout cleaner stains on my stainless steel fridge!

Give your husband a break, Jessica: pour him a cocktail and start a nice dinner before you let him in the kitchen -- you don't have good news for him :-)

Regards,

adv.
Jessica, this is a very simple and quick fix with Scratch-B-Gone. This user friendly kit will remove everything from light scuff to deep scratch, rust and YES, even, chemical discoloration caused by acids used for grout cleaning. Just use our gray pad assembled as shown on our video and our very own Ultra Shine solution. Many grout cleaning companies have saved themselves many thousands in damage payouts by using our kit. Tell the Hubby you got it covered! Best.

Hi, Barry. Glad you have an answer for Jessica. But since you mentioned it, I think consumers should be warned about "grout cleaning". If we're talking about a detergent to whiten and clean old discolored grout lines, that's one thing; but if we're talking about a tile company using acid to remove grout stains and excess grout from tile, that is a disaster -- because it's not only the visible stainless steel that is attacked by the acid vapors, it's all the wiring and internal parts of the appliances as well.

You must remove grout from the surface of tiles by sponging only, even if you have to dump the bucket and do it again a dozen times. Don't let a tile company remove grout haze with muriatic acid; they have to sponge it away before it dries! If you can smell the acid, that's because it's in the air.

Regards,

A. Ted, you're absolutely correct about the wiring and internal damage.

adv.
However, the surface discoloration caused by corrosive chemicals like Muriatic acid and grout cleaners like Viper are quickly and thoroughly removed with Scratch-B-Gone. We have grout repair guys across the country using our kit to remedy just this problem and saving them from having to replace panels.

A. While not too practical for the entire appliance. Electropolishing will completely remove the black or dull grey surface left after a hydrochloric acid (HCl, Muriatic acid) or HCl-containing cleaning products.

I used tile cleaner; the cleaner did a great job on my grout but it stained the bottom of my stove; I checked online and I got this site that said I should use baking soda [in bulk on eBay or Amazon [affil links] and vinegar ⇦in bulk on eBay or Amazon [affil links] ... with smooth sandpaper. I just tried it ....it worked !

Hi Nora. Thanks for the nice photos and careful fix!
But readers, we don't print "testimonials" because the internet is too anonymous; we've had many postings where the IP address of a supposed "satisfied customer" was the same as a company's website. What salesperson anywhere can resist posting free ads for his product? (which is why receive 1000 spams every day)

So, unfortunately, testimonials from strangers are suspect :-(
Therefore if it's a testimonial to a product from one of our supporting advertisers, we label it as an ad; even though it may be from a real satisfied customer (we're not going to run police background checks to prove it). And if it's a testimonial to a company which doesn't advertise here, we don't print it; no free advertising or we'd drown in spam even worse than we are. Apologies.

Regards,

A. Hi JEH. Give Barry's a call or e-mail. Because of their business, I'm sure they know all the major appliance brands and whether their product is appropriate for the different stainless steels and faux 'stainless steel' out there.

Luck & Regards,


Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey

A. Hi Pierre. Stainless steel is the same material through and through, so discolorations can be sanded/polished/buffed away. But "chrome" means a few thousandths of an inch of nickel plating followed by a few millionths of an inch of chrome plating. Please see our FAQ, "Understanding Chrome Plating".

An acid splash almost instantly removes the chrome plating, which allows the underlying nickel plating to tarnish to a very faintly yellowish color (compared to the faintly blueish tint of chrome plating). If you are okay with the yellowish staining and the tarnish, which will need periodic metal polish, you can remove all of the chrome with the grout cleaner or other mild acid. Otherwise it's not fixable. Good luck.

Regards,

A. Hi Margery. You can try those things but often such "stains" are not "stains" -- they're not something on top of the surface that can be removed like paint -- but are etched into the stainless. Thus, no cleaner may be able to remove them, and only polishing can help. Unfortunately it can be difficult for you to polish brushed stainless to a good match. I'd like to offer you the confidence that you can fix it yourself, but maybe not. Maybe see if there is a service available through the manufacturer first.

Regards,

A. Lori,
Most grout cleaners are primarily hydrochloric acid (aka muriatic acid), which is quite bad for stainless. Depending on the severity of the exposure, you probably have anything from light rust to etch marks (where the acid has eaten into the metal surface). Commercial rust removers should be sufficient to handle the former, while the latter would call for the use of a stainless scratch removal kit to smooth the surface back out.