How to Clean a Stainless Steel Sink

Over the years you will notice that your stainless steel sinks do not look so new, clean and shiny as they looked on their first day in your house. Many people don’t know this, but a kitchen sink is often more dirty than the toilet bowl. Instead of thinking of replacing it, try these easy tips for restoring its shine, and follow them on a regular basis to make sure that your sink looks its best every day.

There are two ways to clean your sink: one is using store-bought cleaning products, while the other one is using homemade solutions.

1. To clean your stainless steel sink with commercial cleaners, you’ll need a cleaner (any cleaning product for stainless steel sinks should be fine), a sponge, or a soft cloth, and paper towel. Start by emptying the sink and spray it with water to soften any hardened food remains. Then apply the cleaner and follow the instruction from its label. Usually, you’ll have to leave the sink covered in the cleaner several minutes. After that, start rubbing the surface of the sink with the sponge, using circular motions. After you’re done with the entire sink, and you’ve made sure any hardened particles are gone, you can begin rinsing the sink clean. Wipe it dry with the paper towels, or you can use dry towels, and voila! Repeat this process on all stainless steel sinks that you may have installed in your house, and you should have new-looking sinks again.

2. On the other hand, if you prefer to clean your sinks using more natural solutions, that’s even better. All you will need is water and baking soda. Make a solution using one cup of warm water and two teaspoons baking soda. Stir, so the baking soda can get dissolved quickly. Afterwards, use a sponge, or a soft cloth, to apply the solution on the sink’s surface. After you’re done with the whole sink, rinse it with water, and then wipe it dry. If you don’t have baking soda in the house, try a solution of vinegar and water, it will work just as good as the baking soda mixture at removing spots and stains.

To always have beautiful stainless steel sinks, you need to make sure that you do a few things on a daily basis:
-never use a scouring/steel wool cleaning pad that can destroy your sink’s finish, by scratching it;
-avoid using cleaners with bleach, and other household cleaners in your sink;
-when cleaning your sink, never allow cleaners/solutions to dry on the surface of the sink;
-try to avoid leaving food residue in the sink for long periods of time; these can cause spotting;
-after cleaning a sink, make sure that you rinse it thoroughly and dry it using paper towels or soft cloths.

Following these simple steps will help you keep your stainless steel sinks clean and germs free.