I was disappointed from the outset. This is billed as a stainless steel kettle. If it is, it's extremely light for steel. It feels more like a cheap camping kettle. We've had it just over a year now, and from early on, the black finish has been peeling. We've only ever used a soft cloth and washing up liquid to clean it. It really isn't up to the standard we'd normally expect from vonhaus. Such a shame, because everything else we've bought has been great quality.