All the information concerning black and stainless steel appliances was very helpful, and we are grateful that you would share your experience with us. Based on what we have read and our personal preference for stainless steel, we are planning to shop for stainless steel appliances on Monday. We will look into the “clean steel,”Ā but we already know that the range we are getting (a GE with two ovens in it) only comes in the regular stainless steel.
When I read through your experiences, I was feeling like it was a toss up–some preferred black and some stainless steel. I went over to spend some time with Abigail on Wednesday, and Melanie told me she thought from the blog posts that we would pick stainless steel. I asked her why that was. She said, “Well, there were many people who had stainless steel and love their appliances but no one that loved their black ones.”Ā I thought that was very insightful reading. Then she asked, “What color do you and Dad prefer?” My response was, “Stainless steel.”Ā
From reading your blog posts and you telling me how you clean your stainless steel appliances, I think I am prepared to take care of the stainless steel when we get moved in and begin using them–assuming the Lord does’t change our hearts between now and our purchase.
“Without counsel purposes are disappointed: but in the multitude of counsellors they are established” (Proverbs 15:22).
Trusting Jesus,
Teri
When we bought an oven last month we found from our friends that ranges with glass tops are often hard to clean. We also found from experience that some people are allergic to the fumes from gas ranges.
Hope this helps!
Nate
We have the black version of the freestanding range I think you are going to purchase and we absolutely love it. We didn’t get stainless because we didn’t see the value in it, so I didn’t post in that thread since I don’t have a preference.
But with regard to the stove…it’s a fantastic stove. I wasn’t planning on purchasing convection but decided to at the last minute. If you are on the fence about convection, I highly recommend it, especially for large families.
It reduces baking time and temperature, makes meats more tender, cakes more moist, etc etc. And being able to put 8 dozen cookies in at the same time (six cookie sheets in the main oven, two in the second oven) is very handy.
Good luck with your appliances. I’m looking forward to pictures of your kitchen when it’s done!
p.s.-I’ve had good luck at Nebraska Furniture Mart getting them to reduce the price on appliances by talking to them a bit. We got 150 off of our stove by price matching with an online price.
Hi Maxwells!
I have had stainless steel for several years and have found that the oily cleaners take a lot of rubbing and polishing in order to get a streak free shine. One of your commenters suggested wiping them down with vinegar. Well, I tried it. WOW! This really works. It was hardly any effort and the appliances look shiny and streak free. And, of course, plain vinegar is much more economical than the commercial cleaners. I think I’ll now look forward to cleaning the appliances.
Congratulations on your beautiful new home.
Kirsten
Have a terrific time shopping for appliances with your family.
Also, and this is really trvial, but might comfort you some – my oven gets WAY less fingerprints than the fridge does, so I wouldn’t worry too much about it not being available in the clean steel. The fridge though? Let’s just say we only have 5 (almost 6!) kids and it takes no time at ALL for the prints to start coming back!!!
Whenever I have seen a stainless steal appliance either in a home or in a home improvement store, I have always thought they looked sharp. They also look very durable and add such a nice classy touch, it seems, especially with more natural looking wood cabinetry. Your home looks VERY nice in the blog posts. It makes it even more special that it is your family that is building it together. We are in the process of looking for a home right now, ourselves.
I hope everything will go as smooth as possible for your new home project.
Sorry, I typed steal instead of steel. Hope you find a “steal” of a deal on your appliances, though. š
The “clean steel” scratches easily & terribly and is very hard to fix once it does. Better off with the regular, real stainless steel.