How to clean a kitchen sink, by sink material
To clean a kitchen sink, empty it, rinse it, sprinkle baking soda over the wet bowl, and scrub with a soft sponge and a drop of dish soap. Clean the faucet, the drain and the splash guard, rinse everything, and dry it with a microfiber cloth. Stainless steel, porcelain and composite sinks each need one small change, covered below.
The whole job takes about ten minutes once the dishes are out of the way.
What do you need to clean a kitchen sink?
- Dish soap
- Baking soda
- White vinegar, mixed half and half with water in a spray bottle
- A soft sponge or non-scratch pad
- A small brush or old toothbrush for the drain and faucet base
- Two microfiber cloths, one wet, one dry
- Oxygen bleach powder, for stained white sinks
Leave out steel wool, green scouring pads and gritty powders on any sink you care about. They scratch, and scratches hold stains.
How do you clean a kitchen sink step by step?
- Empty it. Dishes in the dishwasher or the rack. Pull out the drain basket and dump what's in it.
- Rinse the bowl with hot water to loosen food film.
- Sprinkle baking soda over the wet surfaces, add a drop of dish soap to the sponge, and scrub the bowl, the sides and the rim where the sink meets the counter.
- Do the drain and splash guard. Lift the rubber flaps on a disposal guard and scrub the underside with the small brush. Food gets trapped here and starts to smell.
- Clean the faucet. Brush around the base of the faucet and the handles, where grime collects in the seam. Spray the faucet with the vinegar mix and wipe.
- Rinse everything.
- Dry it. Wipe the bowl and faucet with a dry microfiber cloth. A dry sink stays spot-free and looks finished.
How do you clean a stainless steel sink?
Stainless has a grain, the fine lines running in one direction. Scrub and wipe with the grain, never in circles, and the finish stays even.
Baking soda and dish soap handle daily grime. For water spots, spray the vinegar mix, wait a minute and wipe dry. Don't let chlorine bleach sit on stainless, and keep steel wool away from it. Both can leave marks that look like rust. A few drops of cooking oil buffed in with a dry cloth after cleaning gives it a soft shine and makes the next round of spots easier to wipe off.
How do you clean a porcelain or fireclay sink?
White porcelain, enamel over cast iron and fireclay farmhouse sinks show every stain. Baking soda paste and a soft sponge handle a lot of it.
For coffee, tea or tomato stains, plug the drain, fill the sink with warm water and a scoop of oxygen bleach powder, and let it soak for an hour or two. Drain, wipe and rinse.
The gray streaks you see in a white sink are usually metal marks from pots and pans. A non-scratch cream cleaner on a soft sponge rubs them off. Use a rubber mat or a rack in the bottom of the sink to stop new ones.
How do you clean a composite or granite composite sink?
Composite sinks are tough but can look chalky when hard water dries on them. Clean them with dish soap and a soft sponge, use baking soda on stains, and wipe the vinegar mix over white haze before rinsing. Dry it every night. Check the maker's care sheet before using any bleach on a dark composite sink.
How do you get rid of a smelly kitchen drain?
Check for food caught in the splash guard, the drain basket or the disposal.
- Scrub the underside of the splash guard and the drain basket with dish soap.
- Run cold water with the disposal for a minute after each use, so food clears the pipe.
- Grind a handful of ice cubes to knock buildup off the disposal blades.
- Pour a kettle of hot tap water down the drain once a week to move grease along. If your pipes are plastic, skip boiling water.
Baking soda and vinegar fizz and can freshen a drain, but they won't clear a clog. A slow drain needs the stopper pulled and cleaned, then a plunger or a drain snake.
How do you get hard water buildup off the faucet?
Unscrew the aerator at the tip of the faucet, or wrap a bag of the vinegar mix around it with a rubber band, and leave it for an hour. Brush the screen with a toothbrush, rinse and screw it back on. Wipe the white crust around the base of the faucet with the same vinegar mix, then dry it.
Does a house cleaning include the kitchen sink?
Yes. Standard House Cleaning, RoutineCare, cleans the sink and faucet, the countertops and the backsplash on every visit. On Deep Cleaning, PureRenewal, the sink and faucet are descaled and polished.
A sink full of dishes slows a cleaning down. You can run the dishwasher before the visit, or pick the dishes add-on when you book: it washes and puts away one sink load, or runs one full dishwasher cycle.
See what's covered at House Cleaning. For the rest of the room, read how to maintain a clean kitchen.
FAQ
How do you clean a stainless steel sink? Sprinkle baking soda over the wet sink, scrub with a soft sponge in the direction of the grain, and rinse. Dry it with a microfiber cloth so water spots don't form, and skip steel wool and chlorine bleach.
How do I get stains out of a white porcelain sink? Plug the drain, fill the sink with warm water and a scoop of oxygen bleach powder, and let it soak for an hour or two before draining and wiping. Gray marks from pots usually come off with a non-scratch cream cleaner and a soft sponge.
Why does my kitchen sink smell even when it's clean? The smell is usually coming from the drain, the disposal or the rubber splash guard, not the bowl. Scrub the underside of the splash guard with a small brush and dish soap, and run cold water with the disposal for a minute after each use.
Is baking soda and vinegar good for unclogging a drain? It fizzes, and it can freshen a smelly drain, but it won't clear a real clog. For a slow drain, pull the stopper and clean out what's caught under it, then use a plunger or a drain snake.
Does a house cleaning include the kitchen sink? Yes. Standard House Cleaning cleans the sink and faucet on every visit, and Deep Cleaning descales and polishes them. Dishes are an add-on you choose when you book.
Book a cleaning
We clean homes across South Jersey and Central Jersey. Book online at tinascleanteam.com/book-now, or call or text (609) 831-4455.
