should have included-I used the blue non-scratch scrubbie sponge and a good bit of elbow grease, but those items were unchanged from previous failures to clean.

I wipe my stove down quickly after each use with just a rag and hot water and at most a bit of Dawn dishwashing liquid.
Then dry it with a microfiber cloth.

So far that has kept everything looking like brand new with very little effort.

About once a week I use Weimans SS Cleaner which is a like a cleaner & spray wax in one and it works very well.
Looks like brand spanking new all the time.

Every kind of stainless I have ever seen scratches REALLY easily so I never use ANY kind of abrasive or even the blue scrubbies, I also only wipe "with the grain" of the Stainless.

I keep Cameo in the house, in addition to BKF (and Zud!). Cheap enough and the containers don't take up too much real estate under the sink. All are pretty much interchangeable for some surfaces/cleaning jobs, but for certain cleaning jobs, I sometimes prefer one over the other.

FYI Zud works great on those grey metal marks (from knives for ex.) on plates.

cat-mom, can you tell us what you prefer BKF and Cameo for? Is Zud any different than BKF?

I think ZUD is a little stronger? Not sure if same ingredients or not. My mom had told me about ZUD for removing metal marks on dishes (and inside coffee mugs, though I don't keep up with that I'm sorry to say) years,and years ago, so I've had it (powder) in my home ever since.

When we purchased our A-C pots and pans our Le Creuset DO, the salesperson recommended BKF (powdered form) for cleaning them. Really makes a difference using it vs. not--removes the "film" that seems to remain after cleaning them with just dish soap. I use BKF on my Wolf range burner pans, on the underside of my hood when it needs it, on my sink....

I had gotten Cameo to clean up some of my old flatware pre-reno so kept that around. I think it's milder than BKF, maybe a little less oomph for some of the grungier cleaning jobs??? It might rinse away a little more easily than BKF (all the powdered cleaners seem to require a lot of rinsing, esp in our 0-radius sink with its flatter bottom). Depending on how grungy the sink is to begin with, and on pure whim, I'll grab one, or the other (BKF or Cameo) to clean it.

Oh, I'll also use a small am't of BKF to remove mineral deposits and/or really stubborn soap film on our fireclay/porcelain bathroom sinks if our spray bathroom cleaners aren't successful.

HTH!

Strange. I've never needed anything besides a little dawn and a blue scrubbie to clean my SS. Believe me, I use a lot of elbow grease and have never scratched any of the appliances. Dry with a microfiber and they are as good as new. Well, unlike others, I have to confess, I don't dry the inside of my sink after use, but I've never had to use more than a little dawn on a scrubbie to clean it. Shines like new.What do you guys do your your stuff to have to use such an array or cleaning aids?

Don't have to have all three, just got in the habit of using each for certain things and the containers are cheap and small enough (for storage) so I usually have all three on hand. More out of habit than anything I guess.

There is a difference when cleaning A-C pots and pans with and without BKF (a visible haze or film on the surface that isn't there when cleaned with even the smallest sprinkle of BKF).

We don't clean the SS sink with any of the above on a daily basis, but it does help remove the mineral deposits that dish soap just doesn't touch (we have moderately hard water), and cuts through soap film, too.

Sometimes the sink seems pretty clean, but does look even cleaner after a good scrub.

The big thing I do is saute and wok. Cook dinner virtually every day. The hardest thing to get off is I think grease, which appears to have welded itself into the bowls of the drip pans. On the flat surface, the grease does not seem to have made such a permanent home. I don't, however, take it apart every night and take them to the sink. Wiping in situ does nothing. Doesn't answer why Cameo did such a better job than BKF.
The oven doors/dishwasher door have marks from my trying to wipe them down with soap and water, plus fingerprints. And we don't even have kids!
I WILL try the Zud for the knife marks on our dishes! Thank you Cat.