Despite the extra work required to keep the finish clean, stainless steel sinks remain a popular kitchen choice. Cleanup just got a whole lot easier with this pantry-based routine. To remove scratches, spots, and stains from your sink and restore the stainless steel sink’s original shine, follow these simple steps.
Admit it: You spend a lot of time and effort keeping your stainless steel appliances fingerprint-free, gleaming, and clean, but your stainless steel sink, which is often hidden behind a stack of dishes, often goes unnoticed. That is, until now. Get rid of stuck-on food, streaks, and stains once and for all! You can polish your sink with little effort and even less money by using products from your pantry.
Project summary
- Clean the sink with faucet water.
- Coat the sink with baking soda.
- Scrub in the direction of the steel grain.
- Spray on undiluted vinegar.
- If necessary, apply a paste of vinegar and cream of tartar.
- Rinse again.
- Buff with a few drops of olive oil.
Step 1- Rinse the sink with faucet water.
Clean the kitchen sink by removing any food debris left in it. Make sure the faucet and the surrounding countertop are still wet. If the stuck-on food is stubborn, squirt a little dish soap on it and rinse with hot water.
Step 2 – Coat the sink with baking soda
After that, sprinkling baking soda on the sink is a good idea. This powdery material is soft enough not to scratch the surface but durable enough to remove light, hard water deposits, and grease. Furthermore, it eliminates odors without the harmful chemical residue that some commercial cleaners can leave behind. Try pouring the baking soda into an empty (and washed out) Parmesan cheese dispenser first, then gently shaking the powder onto both sides of the sink for easier control and even distribution. This helps to clean stainless steel sink stains effectively.
Step 3 – Scrub in the direction of the stainless steel grain
Rub the baking soda in the direction of the metal “grain” with a soft to medium nylon scrub brush. (Avoid using steel wool, steel brushes, or other abrasive scrubbing pads; they can cause further scratches or leave rust-prone metal particles behind.) For smaller spaces and tricky turns around the fixture, countertop, and drain, a toothbrush comes in handy. The tiny hairline scratches on your sink will become less visible when you rub in the baking soda.
Step 4- Spray on undiluted vinegar, wait for a few minutes, then rinse again.
Spray undiluted vinegar over the residual baking soda residue after scrubbing but before rinsing. The two substances will begin to fizz as soon as they come into contact. Consider it an extra scrubbing action. The acidity of vinegar dissolves the calcium deposits that cause water stains, and it also works as a natural disinfectant. Allow several minutes for the chemical reaction to die down before thoroughly rinsing. To stop water spots, dry the sink right away. Vinegar acts as a great stainless steel sink cleaner.
Step 5- Rub in a paste of vinegar and cream of tartar
If stubborn stains remain, combine one cup of distilled white vinegar and 14 cup cream of tartar in a mixing bowl. (Cream of tartar is an essential ingredient in many homemade stain removers due to its acidic properties and slightly abrasive texture.) Directly on the stain, apply a dollop of the vinegar-tartar paste. Enable the paste to stay on the stain for five minutes after gently rubbing it in with a cloth. This mixture should only be used as a last resort; vinegar alone should be sufficient to clean most spots. After the stains have been removed, clean the affected areas with warm water and dry the sink.
Step 6- Buff the sink with olive oil
Last but not least, the finishing touch: now that your sink is clean and dry, it’s time to shine it up. Buff the sink and fixture with a lint-free cloth and a few drops of olive oil until they sparkle.
What is the best cleaner for stainless steel sinks?
Baking Soda
Baking soda is an outstanding stainless steel sink cleaner because it is abrasive enough to extract light hard water deposits as well as stuck-on grease and food, but not so abrasive as to scratch gleaming stainless steel fixtures such as faucets. Create a paste of baking soda and water to clean your sink.
How do I make my stainless steel sink shine?
It’s not difficult for your kitchen sink to become filthy. After all, you clean your dishes, cutlery, and other kitchen utensils there, so it’s no surprise that they get dirty easily. Even though stainless steel is a good material to use, most people do not preserve the fresh shine that emanates from a stainless steel sink.
Using baking soda
This is the most popular approach for cleaning stainless steel sinks and restoring their lustre. To do so, simply make a paste with baking soda and water and spread it over the sink. Baking soda is highly effective at removing food stains, grease, and water deposits. Add a small amount of vinegar to the paste to make it fizz, and then wipe it up.
Using flour
This method isn’t well known, but it can be extremely successful! Put a few tablespoons of all-purpose flour in the sink and rub it around with a soft cloth.
This does, admittedly, necessitate some elbow grease (though not an excessive amount!). Simply rinse it away until it’s done. Your stainless steel sink should have recovered some of its lustre and will appear cleaner as well.
Vinegar for water spots
Water spots on your stainless steel sink can be unsightly, but they are simple to remove.
Start rubbing with a sponge dipped in white vinegar. Cleaning water spots from a sink does not require much effort, and the vinegar can eliminate them immediately. After that, all you have to do is run the water through the sink to clean up! In fact, if you have rust, you can easily remove it with rubbing alcohol.
Baby oil for shine
Finally, did you know that you can restore the lustre of your stainless steel sink with baby oil? Simply clean your stainless steel sink with a paper towel soaked in a few drops of baby oil. It will give your sink a coat of lustre you haven’t seen since you first bought it. This is a straightforward suggestion that is seldom implemented.
Finally, did you know that you can restore the lustre of your stainless steel sink with baby oil? Simply clean your stainless steel sink with a paper towel soaked in a few drops of baby oil. It will give your sink a coat of lustre you haven’t seen since you first bought it. This is a straightforward suggestion that is seldom implemented.
How do you restore a stainless steel sink?
When attempting to restore the shine of a stainless steel sink, harsh abrasive cleaning pads and scouring items may scratch the surface. If you’re remodelling your kitchen and want to restore the shine of your sink, the following tips will help you remove stains and hard water deposits without scratching or marring the wall.
If you don’t clean your stainless steel sink on a regular basis, it can get rusty and scratched, regardless of the finish you pick. Food scraps and soap scum stick to your sink more quickly after it has been scratched or dulled. Since there are so many factors that can fade the shine, such as hard water spots, scratches, and food stains, restoring the shine can be a multi-step operation.
To remove scratches-
Some stainless steel finishes and weights scratch more quickly than others, and others have a “satin” or matte finish. This technique won’t work on a satin-finished sink because it won’t buff it to a high shine.
Materials-
- Baking soda
- Water
- Fine grade steel wool
Instructions–
- To make a thick paste, combine two parts baking soda and one part water.
- Apply the paste to the sink’s scratched areas and buff with a fine quality steel wool pad.
- To clear any baking soda residue, thoroughly rinse the sink.
To remove rust
In the United States, there is no requirement for the manufacturing of stainless steel sinks. This means that each sink’s thickness and chemical composition will differ. Although the majority of stainless steel sinks do not rust, older models can rust around the edges over time. Fortunately, this can be removed.
Materials–
1- Rubbing alcohol
2- Soft cloth
Instructions-
- Using a soft cloth soaked in rubbing alcohol, buff the rusted areas of the sink.
- Rinse thoroughly and pat dry.
To remove stubborn food stains
Some foods can leave a discoloration or stain on the finish of your stainless steel sink, which can be difficult to remove.
Materials-
- Hydrogen peroxide
- Cream of tartar
- Soft cloth
Instructions-
- Combine 1 part hydrogen peroxide and 3 parts cream of tartar in a mixing bowl.
- Enable the paste to sit for a few minutes before rubbing it into the stains on the sink.
- Remove the paste with a damp cloth and thoroughly clean with water.
What should you not use on stainless steel?
From pans to utensils to appliances to countertops, stainless steel is arguably the most versatile material for kitchen equipment. It’s highly long-lasting, corrosion-resistant, and heat-resistant. However, this does not indicate that it is impenetrable. Abrasive pads, the wrong cleaners, and even commonplace products like water and salt can damage stainless steel.
1.Don’t use steel wool or steel brushes
Steel wool and steel brushes leave tiny particles on the stainless steel’s surface. These particles rust over time and can stain the steel’s surface. Steel wool and brushes are abrasive and will damage the stainless steel surface. Instead, for general cleaning, use plastic scouring pads, scrubbers, or brushes, or a soft cloth.
2.Don’t bleach stainless steel
Be aware that different types of cleaners can contain bleach or chlorides. If you have chlorine on your stainless steel by mistake, easily and thoroughly clean it off.
The surface will be scratched and the finish will be dulled if you use abrasive cleaners.
