Metal · Care Guide
Stainless Steel
Steel that repairs its own surface
Maintained As
Stainless Steel
Smooth. Brushed finishes have a fine directional grain that should be followed when cleaning.
Durability
Everyday resilience
Very high. Resists rust, heat and most chemicals. Shows fingerprints and fine scratches readily on mirror finishes.
In the Collection
3 pieces
Every piece we carry in stainless steel, cared for the same way.
About This Material
Stainless steel contains at least ten percent chromium, which reacts with oxygen to form an invisible passive layer that continuously rebuilds itself wherever it is scratched. That self-healing chemistry is why it resists corrosion — and why chloride, which prevents the layer reforming, is the one thing to keep away.
How To Spot It
Bright or brushed silver-grey, noticeably heavy, and only weakly magnetic or non-magnetic depending on grade.
Bright or brushed, with a directional grain on brushed finishes. Heavy and cool to the touch.
Specific To Stainless Steel
Rust spots on stainless are almost always contamination from carbon steel — a wire brush used elsewhere, or steel wool. Clean these off with bicarbonate paste; never use wire wool on stainless.
At A Glance
How it holds up
Each bar shows how well stainless steel resists that stress — five means it shrugs it off, one means it is the first thing to damage the surface.
Typically Used For
What It Does Well
- Self-repairing passive layer resists corrosion
- Excellent heat and moisture tolerance
- Hygienic and long-lived
What To Accept
- Chloride and bleach pit it permanently
- Shows fingerprints on polished finishes
- Cross-grain scratches are very visible
Daily Care
The everyday routine
- Wipe with a damp microfibre cloth, always following the grain direction.
- Dry immediately to prevent water spotting.
- Lift fingerprints as they appear on polished finishes.
- Keep salt and acidic foods from sitting on the surface.
Deep Cleaning
Step by step
- 01 Wash with warm water and mild washing-up liquid, working along the grain.
- 02 Rinse with clean water on a fresh cloth.
- 03 Dry completely with a soft towel — water spotting is the most common complaint and is entirely preventable.
- 04 For a uniform sheen, finish with a dedicated stainless steel cleaner applied along the grain.
- 05 Buff dry with a clean microfibre cloth.
Safe To Use
- Mild washing-up liquid and warm water
- Dedicated stainless steel cleaner or polish
- White vinegar diluted in water for limescale, followed by a thorough rinse
- Microfibre cloths
- Bicarbonate of soda paste for stubborn marks
Never Use
- Chlorine bleach and any chloride-containing cleaner, which pit the passive layer
- Steel wool and wire brushes, which embed carbon steel particles that then rust
- Abrasive powders on a polished finish
- Oven cleaner
- Leaving the surface to air dry in hard-water areas
Stain Removal
Lift it without making it worse
Blot rather than rub, and test any treatment somewhere out of sight first.
Microfibre with a little stainless cleaner, worked along the grain, then buffed dry.
A 50:50 white vinegar and water solution, then rinse thoroughly and dry at once.
Warm water with degreasing washing-up liquid, following the grain.
Bicarbonate of soda paste applied along the grain with a soft cloth, then rinsed.
Almost always contamination from carbon steel elsewhere, not the stainless itself. A non-scratch pad with bicarbonate paste lifts it. Never use wire wool.
The blue or straw discolouration from high heat. A dedicated stainless cleaner will often reduce it; severe tint is permanent.
Prevent Damage
What actually causes the harm
- Chlorides
- Keep bleach, salt and pool chemicals away. Chloride is the one chemistry that defeats stainless.
- Cross-contamination
- Never clean stainless with a pad that has been used on carbon steel — embedded particles rust and look like the stainless has failed.
- Water spotting
- Dry after every clean. In hard-water areas this is the difference between looking new and looking neglected.
- Scratches
- Always work along the grain. Cross-grain marks are highly visible and hard to blend out.
- Outdoor exposure
- Marine-grade 316 is suitable near the coast; standard 304 will develop tea staining in salt air.
Never Do This
Damage that cleaning cannot undo
Each of these changes the surface permanently.
Chlorine bleach
Chloride ions destroy the passive chromium oxide layer and pit the surface permanently.
Steel wool
It leaves carbon steel particles embedded in the surface, which rust and look like the stainless itself has failed.
Cleaning across the grain
Cross-grain scratches catch the light and cannot be blended back into a brushed finish.
Oven cleaner
Strongly caustic products discolour stainless and can etch it.
Leaving salt on the surface
Salt draws moisture and drives localised pitting corrosion.
Repair
Putting it right
A stainless scratch removal kit worked strictly along the grain will blend them out.
Professional polishing — amateur attempts leave a visible hazed patch.
Permanent. The passive layer has been breached locally and the metal is gone.
Not practically repairable in the gauge used for table legs and base plates.
Maintenance Schedule
A rhythm worth keeping
- daily
- Wipe and dry.
- weekly
- Clean along the grain with mild detergent, then dry.
- monthly
- Polish with a dedicated stainless cleaner for an even sheen.
- quarterly
- Inspect for contamination rust, especially near fixings.
- annually
- Check welds and joints.
Where To Put It
Indoor placement
Nearly indestructible, with one chemical exception. Keep chloride away and dry it after cleaning.
Site It Like This
- Site it anywhere — it handles humidity well.
- Always dry after cleaning if you live in a hard-water area, or you will get spotting.
- Clean along the grain on brushed finishes, never across it.
- Put a felt pad under a polished blade leg so it cannot mark the floor.
Not Here
- Any contact with bleach or salt left sitting on the surface.
- Cleaning with a pad that has been used on ordinary steel — embedded particles rust.
- Steel wool, ever.
- Leaving it to air dry where the water is hard.
Weekly Care
The five-minute routine
Clean along the grain with mild detergent, then dry.
Then monthlyPolish with a dedicated stainless cleaner for an even sheen.
Common Questions
What owners ask us
The stainless itself has almost certainly not rusted. What you are seeing is contamination — tiny carbon steel particles from a wire brush or steel wool used elsewhere, now rusting on the surface. A bicarbonate paste lifts them.
Stainless resists corrosion via an invisible chromium oxide layer that continuously repairs itself. Chloride prevents that layer reforming, so bleach pits the surface permanently. It is the one chemistry stainless cannot handle.
A 50:50 white vinegar and water solution, then rinse and dry immediately. Better still, dry it after every clean and they never form.
Brushed stainless has a directional grain. Marks made across it catch the light and cannot be blended back in, whereas marks along it disappear into the existing texture.
On a brushed finish, yes — a stainless scratch kit worked strictly along the grain blends them well. On a mirror finish, use a professional; amateur attempts leave a visible hazed patch.
Marine-grade 316 is genuinely fine near the sea. Standard 304 will develop brown tea staining in salt air — not structural, but visible.
Lifespan & Ageing
How it will look in ten years
With Proper Care
Effectively indefinite. Stainless outlives almost everything around it.
With Poor Care
Still fifteen years or more, though pitting from chloride exposure and cross-grain scratching will make it look poor long before it fails.
How It Ages
Very little change. Brushed finishes soften slightly with handling; mirror finishes accumulate fine scratches and gradually read as satin.
Stainless Steel Specifically
Very little change. Brushed finishes soften with handling; mirror finishes gradually accumulate fine scratches and read as satin over many years.
Not Sure
We will check it for you
If you are unsure which material your piece is, or you have a mark you would rather not experiment on, tell us the piece and what you are unsure of; when we reply, you can attach photographs.
Ask us