Hello World! Welcome Friends! A proper 24-inch stainless steel sink can be the pride of your kitchen if you know how to maintain it properly. Most modern apartments have an all-steel finish in their kitchen areas or trendy backsplashes that complement a steel kitchen.
Old apartment owners often gawk at the newness or shininess of steel in the kitchen sink section of stores. You may not believe it right now, but it is not that difficult to keep your steel sink clean and spot-free. You can even give your old stained Hahn sink a new sheen by following the next few steps, instead of spending your time window-shopping stainless-steel doodads.
A Piece of Advice for New Homeowners
Firstly, if your sink isn’t that old, you might want to consider cleaning the new stainless-steel sink daily. Daily care can prevent all sorts of stains and scuffs that sinks accumulate over time. Take out any food scraps from the bottom, use a sprayer to wash down the soap suds and give the steel a good wipe with a microfiber kitchen towel. Remember not to leave your forks, graters, and knives in the sink to prevent scratches on the topcoat.
Do not scrub you sink with steel scrubbers if you don’t want permanent scratches on the sink of yours. It might seem like the easier way out to get rid of dried up peels and food particles, but it can cost you dearly in the long run. Proper TLC can bring back part of the lost shine to your kitchen sink faster than you can imagine. Remember to make cleaning a regular part of your regime to enjoy a stain-free stainless-steel sink for the coming decade or even longer.
What is the Easiest Way to Clean a Stainless-Steel Kitchen Sink?
If you have a double bowl sink, store the unwashed utensils on one side and keep those with sharp edges beside the sink instead of keeping them inside. Fill the other sink with warm soapy water for hassle-free and scrubbing-free cleaning of the steel surface. Always remember to work on one side/bowl of the sink at one time. Working on one bowl will keep the other one free for emergencies at the time of cleaning. Most homes choose double-bowl sinks for the convenience of use. Check out the double-bowl top-mount and under-mount sinks at https://www.kraususa.com/kitchen/kitchen-sinks/stainless-steel-sinks.html.
You can use a packaged cleaning solution for your sink. While shopping for a packaged formula, check for genuine user reviews and ratings on a third-party site. Do not go for the cheapest one available at your nearby hardware store at all times.
Always remember to dilute it to proper proportions as per the instructions on the back of the packet or bottle. The preferred method of cleaning includes plugging the drain and pouring hot water in the sink to the brim. Then add the liquid or cleaner powder to the water and mix it properly. Next, let the mixture sit for some time and get rid of the plug once the time’s up. If you are using your hands to clean the sink, always wear thick gloves. Give your sink a final rinse after the cleaning solution drains completely.
How Can you Clean Old Sink Faucets?
Cleaning the bowls is not enough. You need to clean the faucets and the edges of the stainless-steel sink as well. You can go with a soft brush if the dirt is not stubborn. If your sink is old and there is grout at the edges and under the faucet, you might want to wear scrubbing gloves and use a longer and harder brush to reach the grime. Use soap or detergent to get rid of the grout quickly. Make sure not to use bleach on the kitchen sink as it can permanently damage the sheen of the steel.
Clean the entire faucet with warm water and soft soap solution at first. You can use a soft nylon scrubber or a large toothbrush soaked in warm soapy water to get rid of calcium deposits, old water spots, and soap spots. Using over-the-counter solutions for calcium deposits works the best for areas with hard water.
If you don’t feel like stepping out, find a plastic bag, fill it with a solution of vinegar and water (1:1) and tie it around the faucet. Make sure that the solvent is covering the metal parts of the tap completely. Leave it on for an hour to as long as you like. Wash off with cold water and follow it up with a good buffing with a cotton cloth.
Avoid harsh acidic cleaners and scrubbing the faucet directly with detergent to prevent unsightly patches. The vinegar process might take time to show effect, especially if there is considerable calcium build-up from hard water. However, it is efficient in re-glossing almost all metal surfaces with gentle care.
Why is Glossing a Stainless-Sink Important?
Every time you finish using your sink, you can use the same cleaning agent you had used earlier to give it a good gloss. Do remember to use a clean cloth, preferably cotton or microfiber, to give your sink a good wipe down after every use and every glossing. There should be no remnants of water or cleaning solution after you complete cleaning the stainless-steel sink.
Although glossing might seem like an unnecessary hassle for an old sink owner, glossing your sink time and again will return its lost sheen in no-time. You will forget window shopping for kitchen sinks at malls and online stores because you will be busy gawking at your own kitchen for the next couple of days.
Do you want to know a secret? This entire process works for almost all stainless-steel equipment in your house. If you have one of those fancy two-door steel finish refrigerators or steel door ovens, you can use the same cleaning solution and tools to get rid of grime build up from their surface as well as nooks-and-crannies.
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