UPDATE in OP: Cleaning lady scratched cooktop

[cosmowife]

hopenotlost requested an update, so here is the update.  I decided to go with the replacement of the top piece instead of buffing because the buffing company was unsure about some of the scratches.  They also said that buffing actually takes the top layer off of the stainless, and I decided that I didn't want that.  So, the cleaning lady has agreed to pay for the cooktop.  She hasn't actually done so yet, but she said she wants to put it on her credit card and pay the store directly.  I gave her the name of the store a day or two ago, but I haven't received confirmation yet that she has placed the order.  Hopefully it actually happens - I think it will.  She isn't going through her insurance.  She actually told me that her insurance only covers her personally - if she does the damage herself.  Apparently she has a weird deal with her girls - if they break or damage something, they are responsible for the cost.  She tried to get the girl who did the damage (Maria) to pay for the cooktop.  She refused and quit.  The owner said that she will pay for the cooktop and go after Maria herself for the money.  I've never heard of this type of arrangement, but whatever.  Not my problem.  Since Maria is now gone (and she was the one scratching things and doing a subpar cleaning), and the owner is (hopefully) coming through for us, we've decided to keep the cleaning company on for now.  I've given them explicit written instructions about which products can be used where.  I've also told the owner that even if Maria comes back, she is no longer allowed in my house.  They just cleaned again and things looked good.  I am still a little unsure about her arrangement - what if they break something very costly and the owner can't afford to pay for it?  I think they will be extra careful from now on.  I am looking on Angie's list for new companies just in case.  We'll see how it goes.

Original post:

My cleaning lady scratched my cooktop to shreds today. I am not sure what to do. I feel like something is constantly getting ruined or scratched with them. I am most likely going to fire them at this point. Do I ask her to make a claim to repair/replace it? Can you even repair scratched stainless steel? This is a 3 year old $2000 Wolf cooktop. I am sure if I made her replace it through her insurance she would never work for me again anyway. The other problem is that she cleans DH's shop weekly and I can't leave him stranded with no one to take care of his shop. What would you do?

[purposelyvague]

There are some buffing kits that can sometimes take out the scratches, depending on how deep they are. I think replacing the top would be pretty spendy, even as a service call. Is that part under the grates?

[cosmowife]

I just tried my faithful stainless polish and it didn't touch the marks. It looks horrible.

[Deleted]

What the hell did she use to clean it?! Steel wool? Jesus.

[cosmowife]

Jul 16, 2014 16:58:13 GMT -5 purposelyvague said:

There are some buffing kits that can sometimes take out the scratches, depending on how deep they are. I think replacing the top would be pretty spendy, even as a service call. Is that part under the grates?

Yes, it is the surface under the grates. But it is very noticeable even with the grates in place.

[barefootcontessa]

I would be very ticked. Not sure what I would do.  Have you tried Hope's Stainless Steel Polisher?

[cosmowife]

Jul 16, 2014 17:12:52 GMT -5 barefootcontessa said:

I would be very ticked. Not sure what I would do.  Have you tried Hope's Stainless Steel Polisher?

I tried the wolf polish that came with the stove. I am going to call the appliance store tomorrow to see if it is possible to replace just the stainless top and not the entire unit. I am so angry - we tried so hard to make this house nice and practically brand new stuff gets ruined at no fault of my own.

[hopenotlost]

Jul 16, 2014 17:21:46 GMT -5 cosmowife said:

Jul 16, 2014 17:12:52 GMT -5 barefootcontessa said:

I would be very ticked. Not sure what I would do.  Have you tried Hope's Stainless Steel Polisher?

I tried the wolf polish that came with the stove. I am going to call the appliance store tomorrow to see if it is possible to replace just the stainless top and not the entire unit. I am so angry - we tried so hard to make this house nice and practically brand new stuff gets ruined at no fault of my own.

I would be angry too.  It's one thing if I mess up and break/ruin something, but it's completely another when it's someone else who does it.

[IrishBelle]

I would first see if the appliance store had any recommendations to get the scratches out. If it can be easily fixed, I'd probably just fix it myself but I wouldn't use that cleaner any more.

[readyin07]

Oof. What did she use to clean it? Did she say something to you about it? Are they surface scratches or deeper? There are two products I am thinking of if they are shallow scratches...bar keepers friend and cameo (if they still make it). But I would call the manufacturer first and see if they have any recs first. I am sure you are not the first person this has happened to :/

[bostonmichelle]

Ouch. I would call the store about trying to fix it and then potentially a replacement. I would tell DH about this and fire her from cleaning your house. If you can't clean it out, then definitely talk further to her about replacing it.

[purposelyvague]

They can replace the entire top and not the whole unit, you will probably need a service tech to do it, and I don't think it will be cheap. (Though cheaper than a new cooktop.)

[Deleted]

At three years I would expect a few scratches. Not a big deal.

[vanillacourage]

3 year old cooktop?

Your DH needs her?

Don't let her in your house anymore and call it done.

[AAM2012]

I would be mad because it's a mistake in which you should realize it's scratching immediately and stop. But if the cleaning person is good elsewhere and you haven't had any other problems I would just mention it to her and leave it alone after that.

[cosmowife]

Jul 16, 2014 23:17:54 GMT -5 @spenjamins said:

At three years I would expect a few scratches. Not a big deal.

Seriously? The cooktop was flawless prior to this. Why would the stainless steel get scratched ever - it is protected by the grates. How is this not a big deal? It looks awful. It wasn't my fault. It is damaged.

[cosmowife]

The owner of the company came over to my house yesterday night at 9 pm and brought the girl that cleaned with her. Turns out the girl used Comet. They won't be cleaning for us anymore at our house. I can't trust them obviously if they don't think twice about using an abrasive substance on a scratchable surface. I hope they can be buffed out. One of the scratches is pretty deep. This is why I hired a company with insurance. At first the owner told me to call my insurance lol. Too bad this isn't my fault, and my deductible is $2500, so not going to happen. We'll see what happens today when I call the appliance store.

[bryantpark]

Jul 17, 2014 5:06:21 GMT -5 cosmowife said:

The owner of the company came over to my house yesterday night at 9 pm and brought the girl that cleaned with her. Turns out the girl used Comet. They won't be cleaning for us anymore at our house. I can't trust them obviously if they don't think twice about using an abrasive substance on a scratchable surface. I hope they can be buffed out. One of the scratches is pretty deep. This is why I hired a company with insurance. At first the owner told me to call my insurance lol. Too bad this isn't my fault, and my deductible is $2500, so not going to happen. We'll see what happens today when I call the appliance store.

I guess this is a good advertisement for hiring an actual cleaning company. Hopefully they take responsibility for it for you.

[readyin07]

What kind of comet? If you look at the comet site and see the FAQs on the regular powder stuff it says it is safe for stainless steel?

[karinothing]

Jul 17, 2014 8:33:04 GMT -5 readyin07 said:

What kind of comet? If you look at the comet site and see the FAQs on the regular powder stuff it says it is safe for stainless steel?

Yeah, i use comet on my sink and it never scratches. Maybe she just used a rough brush or something.

[Susie]

Jul 16, 2014 16:51:23 GMT -5 cosmowife said:

My cleaning lady scratched my cooktop to shreds today. I am not sure what to do. I feel like something is constantly getting ruined or scratched with them. I am most likely going to fire them at this point. Do I ask her to make a claim to repair/replace it? Can you even repair scratched stainless steel? This is a 3 year old $2000 Wolf cooktop. I am sure if I made her replace it through her insurance she would never work for me again anyway. The other problem is that she cleans DH's shop weekly and I can't leave him stranded with no one to take care of his shop. What would you do?

I think you're overreacting about the cooktop, but I'm guessing (hoping?) there's some backstory that's contributing to that.  If so, do what you've gotta do.  You're getting really bent out of shape about how it's now imperfect "though no fault of [y]our own."  I get that it's frustrating, but they're just things, and life happens.  There's some perspective to be had.

Also:

Is Comet® safe to use on stainless steel?
Yes. Comet® Powder Cleansers, Comet® Soft Cleanser and Comet® Bathroom Cleaner Sprays are all safe to use on stainless steel.  

cometcleanser.com/faqs.htm

I can't say it would occur to me to use Comet on our stainless range, but with use instructions like that I'd be hard pressed to be too pissed at a cleaning lady who did, unless you gave her really specific instructions about what you DID want her to use on the cooktop.  Then that might be a different story. 

Hopefully those scratches can be buffed out.  It definitely doesn't look "scratched to shreds" to me.  The hyperbole probably is more likely to get you written off as the crazy stove-obsessed lady than it is to get results that you're looking for.

[readyin07]

This is from the Comet site...http://www.cometcleanser.com/faqs.htm

I guess I would probe into this more to see what kind of scrubbing "device" she used, but I would also be calling Comet b/c I don't think that should have happened on a stainless steel surface unless she was using something else. I know it's frustrating, but I don't think you can blame your cleaner b/c she "didn't twice about using an abrasive substance on a scratchable surface" when the product claims it is safe for that surface.

There is also a product called Sheila Shine that might be helpful.

[cosmowife]

Well, I called both the appliance store and Wolf directly. When I told them each that the cleaning person used comet, they both gasped in horror. They literally both had the exact same reaction. I wouldn't even dream about scrubbing some comet on a stainless steel refrigerator or dishwasher, so I don't know why a cooktop would be any different.

I am so surprised that anyone is telling me to let it go. Regardless of the age of the stove (which in my mind, is practically brand new), the stove was flawless yesterday morning. Now it is damaged. The cleaning lady was directly responsible for the damage. It really looks awful. I don't expect to replace my expensive Wolf appliances after three years, so I don't know why I should just be like, Oh well, shit happens! There are extensive scratches under 4 of the 5 burners. I am waiting to hear back from a local Wolf servicer. The cleaning lady needs to do whatever it takes to return my stove to the condition that it was yesterday morning before they started cleaning. So if she needs to file a claim with her insurance, so be it. That's what it is there for. That is the risk you take while operating a company.

[msmerymac]

I find it odd that she's never used comet on it before, decided randomly to do it today (did she run out of some other cleaner?) and kept using it when it was obviously she scratched the hell out of it. Isn't this housecleaning 101?

If you do call your insurance first, though, I guarantee they will go after the cleaning company's insurance. Insurance companies don't like to pay for things if they don't have to - they'll find someone else to pay for it. And *usually* in that case you wouldn't need to pay your deductible (which yeah, would be pointless).

[karinothing]

Did you know comet makes a line of stainless steel cleaning comet? Things you learn when googling stainless steel and comet

Anyhoo, this would bother me for all of a day. Then I would not care. I am not sure why one would replace the appliance when it still works just because it doesn't look as perfect.Expecially when it is under the burner.

But anyway, you care so hopefully they fix it for you.

[lolo]

I would be unhappy too and would likely ask her to file a claim. If you decided to sell for some reason, buyers would not be pleased and you'd end up being out money.

[mollybrown]

Jul 17, 2014 9:28:52 GMT -5 cosmowife said:

I am so surprised that anyone is telling me to let it go.  

Me too.  I don't think it's unreasonable at all to expect them to repair damage caused by the employees negligence.  That's what their insurance is for.  If this isn't a time to use the insurance, when is? And your insurance is not going to cover damage done by a cleaning person, so don't even call them.

[sunnysideup488]

How do you not notice you are scratching a stove top that badly?!

It's not like the are minor scratches that you wouldn't notice you were causing. Holy Shit.

I'd be pretty upset. And I'd probably request they file a claim. That's obnoxious.

I don't think she used just Comet... I'm guessing there was steel wool or one of those green scrubbers involved..

[CloudBee]

I wouldn't be too worked up about those scratches. But if things like this are a common occurrence, I would find another service to use. This seems pretty minor, IMO.

Here's some info on getting the scratches out: home.howstuffworks.com/appliances/new/how-to-remove-scratches-from-stainless-steel-appliances1.htm

with wet sandpaper is recommended for deeper scratches. Sandpaper comes in various grits, so check first with your appliance manufacturer about which kind of sandpaper will work best for your stainless steel.
•If you have a lot of scratches, there are a few DIY scratch removal kits, such as Scratch-B-Gone or the Siege 63001 Stainless Steel Sink and Cookware Scratch Remover pack, that will take you step by step through the scratch removal process. These kits feature products similar to the two described above in one kit and will cost you a little more out of pocket.

One piece of advice is universal -- always rub or buff the scratch with the grain of the metal. If you go against the grain of the steel, you'll only make the scratch worse!

When in doubt, call a professional. Maybe you've tried everything, or maybe your scratch is more like a gash. There are professional stainless steel restorers who will come to your home to give you an estimate for repairs. This route will cost the most, but if you've tried everything or if it's too big a job, leave it to the experts.

[CloudBee]

Jul 17, 2014 10:17:23 GMT -5 sunnysideup488 said:

I'd be pretty upset. And I'd probably request they file a claim. That's obnoxious.

I think it is absolutely obnoxious, but not at all worthy of a claim.