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The kitchen sink is the gateway to the final destination of all discarded food residue, oils, and soap scum. If you have a garbage disposal by your kitchen sink, food chunks go through your pipes as well. These can cause bacteria, mold, and odors to form around the sink, making it hazardous to include in your food preparations.
Learn how to clean kitchen sinks with our how-to guide on keeping your sinks clean and shiny! Most kitchen sinks are made with a stainless steel or chrome material, so we'll be focusing on cleaning these, as well as the sink drain to deodorize your pipes!
What You'll Need
You'll need a couple of things to start cleaning, namely baking soda and vinegar. The combination of these two ingredients has been hailed as an all-purpose, highly-effective, safe, and inexpensive cleaning solution that will get the grease, soap scum, and mineral deposits out of your kitchen!
- Baking soda
- White vinegar
- Hot water
- Salt
- Lemon
- Dish soap
- Scouring pad
How to Clean Kitchen Sink: A Step-by-step Guide
Step 1: Scrub the Sink Clean
First, take a lemon and slice it in half. You'll be using half of it as a scrubber alongside salt to remove the mineral deposits, mold stains, and soap scum left behind on the bowl of your sink from dishwashing.
Give your sink a general wash by scrubbing it lightly using a scouring pad with some dish soap. This will remove any oil or grease residue, and make it easier for you to scrub your sink clean later on. Give your sink a good rinse, then squeeze the lemon juice from half a lemon around the bowl.
Sprinkle some rock salt in the bowl of your sink, and use the lemon rind to scrub the sink clean. The acidity of the lemon juice should dissolve any stains and kill mold, while the salt will act as an abrasive scrubber that won't scratch your sink. Do not rinse the sink, and let the lemon juice and salt eat away at the grime. Scrub the faucet and areas around the sink as well.
Step 2: Pour Baking Soda and Vinegar Mixture Down the Drain
Pour two cups of baking soda down the drain, then immediately follow suit with equal amounts of white vinegar. Let the solution bubble for about a minute. If you have a garbage disposal, pour the same concoction down your disposal as well to clean and deodorize it.
The baking soda will deodorize the pipes, while the acidic vinegar will wash through any residue rotting beneath the drains. The bubbling reaction also helps to clear slow or clogged drains, so allow the mixture to bubble as you pour it down the drain.
Step 3: Pour Hot Water Down the Drain
Pour a steady stream of scalding water down the drain. Kitchen sinks often hold oils and grease that may coagulate in the pipes, so the hot water treatment melts these blockages, opening your drains up, and fixing slow drains.
Use a pot-full of freshly-boiled water to pour down the drain. Let the heat melt any residue, and do not turn the faucet on its cold water setting in the meantime to allow the hot water to work.
Step 4: Let it Sit
Let everything sit for about 5-10 minutes to work. This is the easy way of cleaning your sink and drains as it requires very little scrubbing. The lemon and salt solution should remove most of the stains in your sink, while the drain cleaner should remove any odors or blockages with ease.
Step 5: Rinse Your Sink
After 10 minutes, rinse your sink with your sprayer feature, or simply turn on the tap to remove remaining residue. Your sink should look shiny and spotless! Plus, it's odor-free, and your garbage disposal will smell as fresh as new as well!
How to Keep Kitchen Sinks Clean and Spotless
Keeping your kitchen sink spotless is a relatively easy task. The key is consistency. Since kitchen sinks get their fair share of grime and muck from dishwashing, they are susceptible to stains, mold, and bacteria. Here's how you can keep your sink spotless, while keeping your food safe:
- Scrub your sink clean with a sponge and some dish soap to prevent stains from forming. Doing so every time you wash your dishes will help keep grease away as well.
- Sanitize your sink daily with some rubbing alcohol or an aerosol spray, particularly after washing or handling raw meat and seafood.
- Find time each week to clear your drains from food particles and gunk.
Everything and The Kitchen Sink
At Luce Home, our expert cleaners are well-versed in maintaining every aspect of the home — including the kitchen sink! Trust in us to keep your home clear of any grime! You're just a call away from easy, hassle-free home cleaning services that will upkeep your house.
Check out our blog for more kitchen cleaning tips and tricks!
