Cif Stainless Steel Cleaning Spray

I live in an area that has very hard water and I also have a stainless steel sink in my kitchen. This unfortunate combination means that I am permanently fighting a battle to keep my sink looking clean and shiny rather than dull and covered in watermarks.

I have used dozens of different cleaning products over the years to keep the sink and draining board looking nice. The most effective ones seem to be the ones that are also marketed as descalers but I have found that they are very strong smelling and I have to have my windows or door open to use them or my eyes start smarting.

During a shopping ship to Tesco I saw the Cif Stainless Steel cleaner and thought it would be worth a try. I have had mixed success with Cif products over the years, I love their bathroom cleaner but I am not so impressed by the kitchen version.

The product is presented in the usual trigger spray plastic bottles. The bottle is a matte silver colour which is obviously designed to remind you of stainless steel and I think it does a good job of differentiating itself from other similar looking bottles.

The manufacturers claim that this product cleans away grease, general dirt and lime scale and leaves a gleaming shine without damaging the surface.

The product is very easy to use. You spray it on the surface and then spread the liquid around with a cloth or sponge to make sure it has all been covered. The liquid is very runny and I must say that the first bottle I ever bought had a faulty trigger so I ended up having to unscrew the top and pour the liquid onto the surfaces. None of the other bottles have ever had this problem so I think I was just unfortunate. The spray has a very strong smell, it is quite acidic smelling but there is a perfumed aroma to it as well which makes it much more bearable than the descalers.

The first time I used it I presumed I would have to leave it on for a couple of minutes but I have now realised that this is completely unnecessary. I just spray it on the surfaces and then immediately rub them over with a sponge to make sure that the solution has got everywhere and also to make sure any stubborn marks get a quite scrub. All that is needed then is a rinse with a damp cloth. If you want to you can then dry the surface to a sparkling finish but I really don’t find that is needed. The surface is noticeably cleaner and shinier and, as long as no more water is put on it, it dries to a lovely shiny finish.

I have also tried using this on the outside of my kettle when I thought it was looking dull due to water marks and I was amazed how well it cleaned it up.

There are lots of warnings on the bottle about the sort of surfaces it can’t be used on such as silver, enamel and wood but since it calls itself “Stainless steel” I would have thought it was obvious that it may damage other surfaces.

What I like about this cleaner is that it doesn’t seem to be abrasive. I have used products in the past designed for getting rid of lime scale and they start to leave scratches after a while but I have not noticed this with the Cif product.

This is currently on sale at my local Tesco for £4 but Cif products are often on offer so I stock up then. Since the spray is quite fine I do find that a bottle seems to last for months so it is quite cost effective. I have also seen a new product called Stainless Steel and Glass around as well and I am hoping they have just repackaged it rather than formulated a new product as I think this one is fantastic and hope to keep using it.