Just like bathtubs and showers get residue buildup from washing our bodies, your kitchen sink gets dirty from washing dishes, pots, and pans. Grease, food particles, and other stuff that comes off your plates and utensils create a dirty film on your sink—and a germ-infested breeding ground for bacteria and mold.
Fats, Oils and Grease. These are the three most infamous kitchen sink cloggers out there. Unfortunately, they're also the most common. The problem is, these substances are all perfectly suited to clogging drains.
Giving your sink a wipe after use will prevent germs and grime from building up. Use a damp cloth with a washing up liquid solution or an anti-bacterial spray. Always clean your sink after preparing raw foods and rinse away liquids like tea which might stain lighter coloured sinks.
Avoid leaving steel and cast iron cookware in your sink for extended periods of time. Iron plus moisture on top of stainless can lead to surface rust and staining. Rubber dish mats, wet sponges and cleaning pads are a no-no for a lengthy stay in your sink. Since they trap water, discoloration and staining can result.
The combination of baking soda and vinegar proves effective on just about any slime. The chemical reaction of the baking soda and vinegar, which has antibacterial properties, can break up the slime. If you pour in boiling water after you dump in the vinegar and baking soda combo, it will wash away any leftover slime.
When you are using a baking soda and vinegar solution to clean out your drain, you are actually causing the rubber and plastic that are used for the drain's pipes to be eaten away by the mixture. Over time, this rubber and plastic will break down, causing the drain to become even more blocked.
Black/Dark Brown Water Stains
Cause: Black or dark brown staining around your drains and fixtures is usually caused by high levels of manganese.
Make sure to use a 1:1 solution of distilled white vinegar and water. Spray it onto the sink, leave for a minute or two, then wipe and rinse. The solution shouldn't be left on the sink for longer because it can damage the stainless steel in the long term.
Vinegar can indeed damage your stainless steel surfaces if precautions aren't taken during its use. However, by diluting acidic cleaners like vinegar before application and regularly wiping down surfaces afterwards with warm soapy water, you can keep your stainless steel in pristine condition for years to come!
Hygiene expert, Lisa Yakas, has revealed to Bon Appétit that we should be disinfecting our kitchen sink at least once a week. If you have been handling raw meat or scrubbing dirty potatoes in the sink, however, you'll need to up your cleaning game and get scrubbing immediately.
'The easiest kitchen sink material to maintain is going to be one made of stainless steel, copper, cast iron or enamel because they will not support microbial growth as they are not cellulose material,' says Darren Hudema, director of training and technical services at PuroClean.
One common reason for sink clogs is due to material like hair and soap scum becoming lodged in the “P-Trap” under the sink. It is quite literally shaped like the letter “P.” A P-trap is a plumbing fixture that has several purposes.
Most bathroom drain clogs result when dirt, skin flakes, and especially hair binds to soap scum on the walls of drain pipes. Over time, this gunk accumulates and reduces water flow.
A manual drain snake, also known as a plumber's snake or a drain auger, is a small boring tool that rotates slowly as it's physically pushed through a stubborn clog. The terminal end of the device is a corkscrew-shaped hook that is fed into a clogged drain or toilet.
A: The best way to keep a stainless steel sink clean is to regularly clean it with mild dish soap and warm water, using a soft cloth or sponge. Avoid using abrasive cleaners or scrubbing pads that can scratch the surface.
If dish soap or your chosen cleaning product hasn't removed the stains on a stainless steel sink, baking soda can come to the rescue. Sprinkle onto a damp sink then use a non-scratch cloth or sponge to tackle the stains. Follow the grain of the stainless steel as you work, and rinse thoroughly when you're done.
Just like cooking oil, bleach is one of those things you shouldn't pour into your sink. You should also never use bleach to unclog your drains. Doing so can even burst your drain pipes, and you'll be left with a nasty and expensive mess.
Baking soda is a powerful all-purpose cleaner. Its slight abrasiveness won't harm your stainless steel, but it will help unstick stuck-on stains. Make a thick paste with baking soda and water (here's how), and glop it on tough stains. Let it sit for 20 minutes, then wipe, rinse, and dry.
Clean with a natural detergent or multipurpose spray and microfibre cloth in the direction of the brushed grain. This avoids any abrasions on your stainless steel sink. 3. Polish with a specified stainless steel cleaner when your sink is dry, ensuring a microfibre cloth or magic sponge is used to buff the surface.
Baking soda mixed with liquid dish soap makes a good paste that can gently rub out stains. Baking soda is a very fine abrasive that is unlikely to seriously scratch the stainless steel surface.
Red or reddish-brown stains are deposits from the water, or transferred from objects left in the sink. Typically, when red spots appear on a stainless steel sink it is simply surface discoloration due to iron and mineral deposits in the water, or transferred from an object left in the sink.
Pouring boiling water is quite risky as it might lead to a steam burn or scalding. Another thing to keep in mind is what type of material you are pouring in into. If you have a porcelain sink, it is likely to crack due to the heat. All in all, pouring boiling water down your drain will only cause issues down the road.