Kitchen Cleaning Tips

Your kitchen sink sees a lot of use. There are dishes going from the sink to the dishwasher, food scraps being tossed down the garbage disposal, and hands and produce being washed in the sink basin. Despite all the soap and water running through your kitchen sink, it still needs to be cleaned thoroughly and frequently. According to scientists, there is more E. coli in your kitchen sink than there is in your toilet. Bacteria grows on the food residue left on dishes and scraps that have washed down the drain. The warm, moist environment of the sink allows that bacteria to multiply. Don’t panic at this thought. You can keep your kitchen sink clean and safe by using these simple kitchen sink tips.

1. Scrub it! Make it a habit to scrub down the sink after every time you load the dishwasher. All you need is a bit of dish soap and a clean kitchen rag or fresh sponge. You could also use a powdered cleaner, like Mrs. Meyer’s Surface Scrub. Just wet the sink, sprinkle on the powdered cleaner, and let it soak in for a few minutes. Then scrub it down with a sponge, and rinse it clean. Be sure to scrub all of the sink’s surfaces to remove food residue, soap scum, and water spots. Select your cleaner carefully based upon the type of sink in your kitchen.

2. If you have a white porcelain sink, you can clean it using bleach and paper towels. Place paper towels in the sink, and pour bleach over the paper towels. Allow the mixture to sit for about half an hour. Then throw away the towels and rinse the sink with water. If you have colored porcelain, do NOT use bleach; the bleach will make the color fade. Instead, use a gentle liquid soap – the soap that you use to wash dishes is fine. You can also use vinegar, baking soda, or a combination of the two. Be prepared that vinegar and baking soda will bubble up when mixed.

3. Take care of your sink to prevent scratches. Place a plastic sink mat in the bottom of the sink. This will protect it from scratches. If your sink is made of a porous material, don’t leave acidic foods in it. The acidity can damage the finish of the sink.

4. If your sink is made of a solid surface, like Corian, clean it with baking soda and water. You can make a paste out of the two ingredients, and scrub the mixture into the sink with a sponge. Just scrub it down and rinse it daily.

5. Remove stains from your sink using lemon juice and borax. Make a paste with half a cup of powdered borax and the juice of half a lemon. Rub the mixture into the stains and rinse it with water. It will remove stains from stainless steel, porcelain, and virtually any other type of sink.

6. Clean water spots with vinegar. Do you have white, cloudy spots on your sink? Those are lime deposits that are caused by hard water. Just pour some vinegar onto a paper towel, and wrap the wet paper towel around the area that has lime deposits. Let it sit for 10 minutes. Remove the wet paper towel, and polish with a dry paper towel.

These tips will help to keep your kitchen sink clean and in pristine kitchen. If your kitchen sink needs to be replaced or repaired, call Scott English Plumbing. We are available around the clock to help with all of your plumbing needs.