What Is the Best Way to Clean Stainless Steel Sink? How to Clean (2023)
The chore of washing the dishes does not end because you have to clean the sink as well!
Here are six easy steps on how to cheat your chores and easily clean a stainless steel sink using household materials and ingredients, too.
Best Way to Clean Stainless Steel Sink
Things You'll Need
Tools:
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Rubber Gloves
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Cleaning Cloth
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Sponge
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Spray Bottle
Materials:
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Hot Water
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Baking Soda
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Lemon or Lime
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Olive Oil
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Vinegar
Rinsing the Sink
To begin, you need to clear your sink off from food chunks. To do so, follow these steps:
1. Manually pick up huge chunks of food, debris, or utensils that may block your drainage system.
2. Open your faucet or faucet sprayer and run your sink with hot water.
3. Wait until any food bits loosen and come off on their own.
4. Finish this step by ensuring that no food scraps, dish soap residue, rubber mats, and sink grids are left and visibly seen. Pick the scraps up yourself if you need to.
5. Don't forget to fully dampen even old water spots and places with visible elbow grease.
Coating the Sink
To start a coat, layer the surface of your sink with baking soda and lemon juice.
Baking Soda Layer
Simply follow these steps:
1. First, dampen your sink.
2. Coat your sink basin with a thin layer of baking soda.
3. Sprinkle baking soda on ALL edges of your sink.
4. You should have a layer of baking soda paste by the end of this procedure.
Lemon Juice Layer
Get ahold of your fresh lemon as we add another layer to your sink coating!
1. Cut the lemon in half.
2. Use these lemon halves to sprinkle some juice on your layer of baking soda paste.
3. You should have a layer of baking soda paste and lime juice by the end of this procedure.
4. Remember why you're doing this: this layer of high acid levels helps fight bacteria and provides you with a pleasant citrus smell.
Scrubbing the Sink
Coating your sink is just a preparatory step to scrubbing it.
Make sure you have your sink surface fully covered with baking soda and lemon juice.
This will be quite straightforward: you have to scrub the coated surface of your sink gently to keep it undamaged.
To safely clean your stainless steel sink, remember these:
1. Wear rubber gloves. Unless you want to feel all the dirt from your kitchen sinks, then you might want to consider protecting your hands.
2. Use the softer side of a kitchen sponge or a microfiber cloth.
3. Do not use abrasives such as steel wool!Scrub in the direction of the grain. Are some lines of your steel sink visible to you?
4. Those are the grains you should follow. This direction will make your life easier and your sink last longer.Lastly, make sure to rinse the sink properly after scrubbing.
Spraying Vinegar
If there are any more stains, go and spray some vinegar!
Vinegar is perfect for targeting leftover stains after scrubbing and a water stain remover:
1. Use a spray bottle and spray the vinegar across leftover stains and water stains. Avoid spraying this all over your sink as is.
2. Let the sink rest for 3-5 minutes.
3. Rinse afterward.
4. Repeat this procedure if stains are still visible.
5. If you don’t have a spray bottle, you can easily pour the vinegar over your kitchen sink. Remember to always be careful.
How About Vinegar As A Layer?
Some prefer to use vinegar instead of the juices from the lemon halves as a layer with the baking soda.
However, both are just as acidic, resulting in the same chemical reaction observed in the previous step.
Try avoiding this because vinegar might damage your kitchen sink in the long run. Again, make sure to rinse the sink with water afterward and leave dry.
Buffing the Sink
Protect your sink and sprinkle a little bit of oil.
After everything you've done so far, you can finally protect your sink by layering it with some olive oil. Use a cloth to layer this evenly.
Here are a few things you should remember while doing so:
1. Layer your stainless steel sink with olive oil once. Adding too much can make your sink look greasy.
2. Wipe off the oil with a paper towel.
3. Only use it on the sink. Do not use it on the faucet or handles.
4. An alternative to this can be baby oil.
5. This step adds a protective layer to your sink and also adds a shine finish to it.
Dry and Shine
The final step is to make sure that everything is dry and shiny. You should have a clean and glistening sink by now.
There are just a few things you should keep in mind for the entire process:
1. Remember the multiple rinses you've subjected your sink in? Make sure that no water spots or water residue are left after. Use a cleaning cloth if you must.
2. And if you start to notice that your oil layer looks too greasy, go ahead and dab it with one or two paper towels.
3. Lastly, feel free to repeat any steps should you find out that you still need to.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is the Best Cleaner for Stainless Steel Sinks?
The best cleaner for stainless steel sinks are the classic club soda and water combination. There are chemical-based cleaners out for purchase in the market, but nothing beats the use of household ingredients like these two.
In addition, you also need one trusty sponge or cloth.
How Do I Get My Stainless Steel Sink to Shine?
To get your stainless steel sink to shine, simply apply some olive oil. You'll soon find your sink glistening in no time.
What Is the Best Home Remedy to Clean Stainless Steel?
The best home remedy to clean stainless steel are baking soda, lemon juice, vinegar, and oil. These ingredients are abrasive yet gentle enough to clean shiny surfaces like stainless steel.
Lime juice and vinegar may be acidic in nature, but they are great cleaning materials if used correctly.
Conclusion
One of the best ways to clean a stainless steel sink is to use house ingredients such as baking soda, lemons, vinegar, and olive oil.
In just six easy steps, you won't ever have to skip this chore ever again!