Fantastic Ways To Clean & Disinfect Your Sink
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A clean sink is the perfect way to set the standard for a clean home.
When dishes are piled up in there, it just makes the rest of the kitchen and dining area seem cluttered and messy.
Plus, kitchen sinks harbor tons of germs and bacteria when not cleaned thoroughly!
Keeping your kitchen sink clean is sometimes easier said than done. Creating good habits make it much easier to tackle this task and prevent waking up to a smelly kitchen sink.
Read on for how to clean a kitchen sink and awesome ways to keep your sink shiny and clean!
Why You Need To Keep Your Sink Clean
The kitchen is the heart of the home for so many families.
You want to feel good about the appearance and cleanliness of your home.
But when you really think of all the germs that are around, it makes you shudder a bit!
I saw this article stating a kitchen sink has more E.coli than a toilet seat, and immediately gagged. Then I proceeded to attack my kitchen with allll the cleaning tactics!
Pro tip: Never, ever wash raw chicken in the sink! While this used to be advised as a way to reduce bacteria on chicken, it actually makes things worse.
Washing raw chicken increases the possibility of contaminating so many other areas.
That actually increases the chance of you and your family contracting food poisoning.
If you wash raw chicken, it’s recommended to stop. The cooking temperature is plenty high to kill surface bacteria without spreading germs all over your kitchen.
How To Clean Porcelain Sinks
I’m a huge fan of lovely white farmhouse sinks. They’re so homey and beautiful!
But that gorgeous white porcelain can look dulled over time, especially when scratches from pots and pans & utensils occur.
My secret for this is using Bar Keeper’s Friend. It’s truly the best product I’ve ever used for removing those unsightly scratches while being gentle enough on the sink.
You’ll want to test it in an inconspicuous spot first, just to make sure it’s safe for your sink.
Run water to make sure your sink is damp, then sprinkle Bar Keeper’s Friend.
Use a damp scrub brush or rag lightly to remove the scratches and stains.
Rinse well, then wipe with a clean cloth to remove any remaining cleaner.
You can do a final wipe with vinegar to sanitize and add shine to your sink.
How To Clean Stainless Sinks
A shiny stainless sink is room-changing. It makes the kitchen seem so perfectly pulled-together. I highly recommend Bar Keeper’s Friend for this task.
First, I like to clean my stainless sink with regular dish soap after finishing the dishes, and rinse well.
Then sprinkle a bit of the cleaner inside and scour away to remove scratches from stainless steel sink, along with hard water stains and rust spots.
Rinse well, then wipe with a clean cloth. You can do a final wipe with vinegar to add shine while disinfecting your sink and preventing water spots.
How To Clean Crevices Around Your Sink
Okay, so the sink is clean but what to do about all the grime that seems to accumulate at the edges?
I love using my trusty pan scraper with a damp rag to scrape out any gunk that’s slipped under the edge of the sink.
If you don’t have a pan scraper, here’s a great pack from Lodge that can be used on cast iron skillets and other pots and pans. You could instead use a knife, but be careful!
How To Clean Garbage Disposals
UGH. Garbage disposals can get so gross! When we lived in Puerto Rico, the endless heat and humidity in the afternoon made it a regular source of kitchen sink smells.
At least, until I learned how to stay on top of it.
The first step is to use a long handle scrub brush like this one. An old toothbrush would work as well.
Drizzle a bit of soap on then stick it in and scrub away.
Make sure to scrub under the rubber gasket, as that’s where gunk from all kinds of food particles tend to gather.
Once that’s done, toss in a handful of ice cubes along with lemon slices. Let it whirl and it’ll get rid of garbage disposal smells and freshen up the kitchen.
Here’s a great way to stay on top of keeping your disposal clean!
Fill an ice cube tray with diced lemon and vinegar. Freeze, then keep in the freezer.
Toss a couple cubes in every few days to prevent stinky smells from building in your garbage disposal.
How To Clean Sink Faucets
Cleaning the sink faucet is an often overlooked part of cleaning the sink. One simple way to clean your water faucet is to tie a small bag filled with vinegar to it and let it soak for 20 minutes.
Then you can use a scrub brush to clean the nozzle and your faucet will be clean, disinfected, and may even work better once any buildup is removed!
Easy Ways To Maintain A Perfectly Clean Sink
Now you’ve got your sink all clean and beautiful. The hardest part is maintaining it without it becoming a huge project every week.
The first rule is to empty it before going to bed. I know, it sucks to have to deal with dishes and cleaning after a big meal, when you’d much rather chill on the couch with that glass of wine that’s been calling your name.
But waking up to a shiny, empty sink is just so nice, it makes the extra effort well worth it.
Another quick step to keep your sink clean and sanitized is to wipe it with vinegar after emptying it each night.
Now go relax and you’ll be greeted with a clean, shiny sink in the morning!
Ready to deep clean the rest of your kitchen? See the blueprint to deep cleaning a kitchen here!
