Stainless-steel appliances are eye-pleasing, sleek and darned near a cliche these days.

But that ubiquity means a lot of people are wrestling with the same problem: how to keep stainless steel clean, ward off scratches and keep a notoriously touchy surface factory-fresh.

“It is a surface that requires a certain amount of attention,” said Celia Kuperszmid Lehrman, deputy home editor at Consumer Reports. “A good way to understand that is to go to the appliance section at a store and look at the appliances. And you'll see they often do have fingerprints all over them.”

When approaching stainless maintenance, think loosely of your car, said Scott Bennett, kitchen and bath designer at the midtown Kansas City Home Depot.

After all, a lot of the current wave of stainless cleaning products can act a bit like a car wax, Bennett said. One product he recommends is Stainless Steel Magic, which he said minimizes fingerprints and gives a polished look. Simple Green's Stainless Steel One-Step Cleaner & Polish is another winner, he said, and both cost just a few dollars.

Also similar to car maintenance: stainless steel responds better to dedicated stainless cleaning products, Bennett said.

“You can use other cleaners or just soap and water,” he said. “But it will probably leave streaks and water spots. If you just take a damp cloth and wipe it down, you'll have streaks, and you'll do nothing to prevent fingerprints.”

Others say it comes down to personal preference.

Natural look

Jeff Adams of the Mop Bucket, a Kansas City cleaning-supply store for homeowners and commercial-cleaning services, said if you want a glow, an oil-based stainless steel cleaner is the way to go.

For a more natural look, Adams said he prefers non-ammonia glass cleaner or a water-based stainless cleaner.

Whatever you use, don't overdo it, he said. Fingerprints, smeared surfaces and grease buildup come largely from using too much cleaner.

Consumer Reports has found few differences among cleaners and recommends consumers pick the least expensive option available, Kuperszmid Lehrman said.

Another cleaning key: Use a lint-free cloth. Paper towels will work fine, but lint-free microfiber probably will produce the best results.

Faux stainless?

Still too much of a hassle? Consider eschewing stainless altogether in favor of faux-stainless veneers.

Unlike most true stainless-steel refrigerators, they have the benefit of being magnetic. And faux-stainless veneers happen to be less expensive than true stainless.

That price discrepancy may grow more noticeable in coming years. Kuperszmid Lehrman notes that the prices of raw materials for stainless steel have been going up. Some manufacturers have been holding back prices because of the economy, she said, but that may soon change.

Still, true uncoated stainless stands head and shoulders above the other options when it comes to scratch repair because you can sand it.

Making repairs

With faux surfaces, or even coated stainless, sanding isn't going to produce much more than a mess, said Rick Muscoplat, contributing editor at the Family Handyman magazine.

Some cleaners will fill in scratches. If sanding is your only real hope, however, there are solutions available, such as the $30 Scratch-B-Gone kit, which includes several grades of sandpaper.

“As far as elbow grease, you're not going to break a sweat,” Muscoplat said.

But there is a certain touch involved. “If you go across the grain, you get more scratches and can make it even worse,” Muscoplat said.

Make sure your brush strokes are straight and that you don't curve away at the end of each one, he said. Test your skills first in an inconspicuous spot.

The result, Muscoplat said, is hard to argue with, especially for a do-it-yourself project.

“I had a scratched dishwasher and used the kit, and no one can even tell I ever had scratches.”

If the scratch is too bad or if there is a serious crease-style dent, replacing the door may be the only repair option.

And on a $2,500 fridge, a new door can set you back hundreds.