Stainless steel is the chromium-bearing steel used on Viking doors, panels and trim, which resists rust because a thin oxide film on its surface repairs itself in air.
as used by Viking Appliance Repair Edmonds, (206) 210-3547
15 Care Handbook
Stainless Steel Care a Few Blocks from Puget Sound
Edmonds homes along the waterfront and in the Bowl sit beside Puget Sound, and salt is the deposit stainless tolerates worst when left in seams and corners.
| What you are looking at | Normal | Watch | Call |
|---|---|---|---|
| Surface film | Comes off with hot soapy water | A light brown film that returns within weeks | Spots that have become pits you can feel with a fingernail |
| After a spill | No mark, because it was wiped at once | A dull patch where citrus or tomato sat | A permanent stain across a door or handle: a panel question |
| Scratches | Faint lines from ordinary use | Swirls from a scouring pad or powder | Gouges from a metal scraper or knife |
| Seams, edges and fixings | Dry and clean | Grime or salt deposits collecting in the joins | Rust-coloured bleed from a seam or screw head |
Why the waterfront matters
Stainless steel is at its weakest against chloride, which is what salt leaves behind. Chloride causes small, local attacks rather than an even rust, and it concentrates in crevices and on surfaces where damp air condenses and dries again. In a kitchen a few streets from the ferry, with windows open to the Sound, the places to watch are handles, door seams and trim. No distance turns the risk on or off; what matters is how long deposits are left to sit.
Viking’s cleaning rule
- Wipe stainless regularly with hot soapy water once it has cooled.
- Use a liquid stainless-steel cleaner when soapy water will not do the job.
- Never use steel wool, abrasive cloths, abrasive cleaners or powders.
- Soften encrusted soil under hot towels and lift it with a wooden or nylon scraper, never a metal tool.
- Wipe up citrus and tomato juice straight away.
Near the controls, put cleaner on the cloth, not the panel; the entry on oven controls explains why. A range whose burners or oven misbehave after a wet clean is a range repair visit, and electronics damaged by liquid are priced on the oven control board cost page.
Stainless steel: questions owners ask
- Does sea air make Viking stainless rust?
- Stainless resists rust through its oxide film, but chloride from salt is the classic cause of small localised pits, and it gathers in crevices and where moisture dries off. Near the Sound the fix is regular washing so deposits never sit for long. Viking Appliance Repair Edmonds can look at marks that will not shift: (206) 210-3547.
- What should I clean Viking stainless with?
- Viking's manual gives hot soapy water at the end of each cooling period and a liquid stainless cleaner when soap will not do. Encrusted soil is softened under hot towels and lifted with a wooden or nylon scraper. For any doubt about a particular finish, ring Viking Appliance Repair Edmonds on (206) 210-3547.
- Why did lemon juice leave a mark that will not come off?
- Citric acid can discolour stainless permanently, and Viking's manual says not to let citrus or tomato juice stay on the surface but to wipe spills straight away. A mark that has already set is in the metal, not on it, so cleaning will not remove it. Viking Appliance Repair Edmonds can advise on panels: (206) 210-3547.
- Signed
- Hollis Yamada
- Specialism
- Service technician — refrigeration and cooking
- Years in practice
- 21
- Holds
- EPA Section 608 certified
