The sink is probably the busiest part of a standard kitchen. From rinsing food to washing hands, the sink has to handle a lot. While a clean, well-maintained sink enhances the value of your kitchen, a dirty sink is a breeding ground for germs and bad odors. Since kitchen sinks are the most used parts of a kitchen, they can be the dirtiest.

If you think your kitchen sink stinks or it is visually unpleasant, then it’s high time to take a step back and implement new ways of cleaning and maintaining it. So many households ask this question: how do you clean the kitchen sink the right way? We decided to come up with a comprehensive guide to help our audience.

In this guide, we’ll explain how you can use some simple and inexpensive kitchen items to get rid of the most stubborn buildups and stains. You’re just a few steps away from restoring the shine and freshness of your kitchen sink. Let’s first explore whether or not a kitchen sink can be the dirtiest part of a house.

Is the Kitchen Sink Really the Dirtiest Place in Your Home?

Germs and bacteria can live and grow in some of the unexpected parts of our houses. Is your kitchen sink the dirtiest place in your home? Let's see what science says about this.

Your toilet may be cleaner than your kitchen sink. Small food particles resting on the dishwasher can facilitate the growth of dangerous bacteria like Salmonella and E. coli. A person can easily get these germs on their hands and spread them to food.

Many people have this misconception that the bathroom is the dirtiest place in a house. NFS also conducted a study to find the truth. They found that Coliform, a family of bacteria that includes E. coli and Salmonella, is found more on the kitchen sinks and dish sponges as compared to the bathroom.

Aren’t these facts astonishing? You need to make sure your kitchen sink is germ-free and clean. Let’s see what steps you can take to achieve this goal.

How To Clean the Kitchen Sink

Most homeowners have stainless steel sinks installed in their kitchens, so let’s start with that.

Despite the extra effort required to maintain stainless steel sinks, most homeowners choose to install them in their kitchens. If you have a stainless steel sink in your kitchen, follow these easy steps to clean it.

• Clear away all the stuff inside your sink including food leftovers and dishes. The sink should be empty before you start the cleaning process and it shouldn’t be surrounded by dirty dishes or food. Wash items you have around your sink.

• Wash the entire surface of your stainless sink with warm tap water.

• Use a sponge or soft cloth to clean the outer rim, drain, and faucet. Repeat these three steps every time you wash dishes or prepare meals.

• Now let the hot water run into the drain to remove or break down any buildups or clog in the kitchen sink drain. You can perform this simple step if you feel your sink drain is clogged.

• The next step is to prepare a cleaning solution using baking soda and lemon juice. Take ¼ cup of lemon juice and one teaspoon of baking soda to prepare a mixture.

• Pour the cleaning mixture over your sink surface.

• Wait for at least 10 minutes before you rinse the surface with hot water.

• To clean the drain, pour a mix of ½ cup of baking soda and ¼ cup of lemon juice into the drain followed by half cup of white vinegar.

• Let these agents rest there and do their jobs for about five to 10 minutes.

• Now you have to pour hot water down the drain to clear the drain.

• Dry the sink with a cloth.

Baking soda is an amazing cleaning agent that breaks some of the toughest grease and limestone buildups. You can also use a mix of warm water and vinegar to clean faucets and handles. Scrub those areas with a toothbrush to get rid of any stubborn grease deposits.

To polish your sink, you can use flour. All you have to do is sprinkle flour around your dry sink and then slowly buff around the steel. You can repeat this process until you achieve your desired results.

Pro tip: Use Azuna’s All-Natural Spray as a finishing step. Spray directly on your stainless steel kitchen sink. The product is made of natural and pure ingredients that help you remove odor and clean the surface. Get rid of bacteria, mold, and mildew on your sink in a few minutes.

The way you clean your stainless steel sink is slightly different from how you should clean a porcelain sink. Here is how you should be cleaning a porcelain sink.

• Empty the sink and wash it down with warm water and mild soap. This step is to prepare your sink for the rest of the cleaning process.

• You can use a disinfectant or vinegar to kill the harmful bacteria on your sink surface.

• After these basic cleaning steps, spray the sink with hydrogen peroxide and wait for an hour or longer if you can wait. Hydrogen peroxide is a great solution that offers bleaching properties.

• Use warm water to rinse hydrogen peroxide away. It will help you remove most of the stains on your sink. Try scrubbing the surface if you still find some stains.

• To loosen the dirt and grease gathered inside cracks, pour some baking soda over the sink surface. Also, apply a small amount of elbow grease.

• A toothbrush will help you reach and clean the hard-to-reach small cracks.

• If you still have some stains on the sink, try lemon juice and salt. Pour some salt over a stain and cover it with some lemon juice.

• Wait for five minutes and then scrub the stain with a cloth. Don’t scrub too hard as it can damage the porcelain.

• Pour a few lemon oil drops on a piece of cloth and wipe the sink. This is an effective way of polishing porcelain.

We recommend you to use All-Natural Spray as your final step to clean your sink and make it smell amazing. It is an antimicrobial odor eliminator that neutralizes surfaces against mold, mildew, bacteria, and fungus.

Your dish sponge could be dirtier than a kitchen sink? When you feel like your dish sponge is stinking, replace it with a new one. Before you unpack a new dish sponge, clean your sponge holder, sink mat, and dish brush as well. Keep everything tidy: restock sponges and dish brushes on a regular basis.

Your kitchen sink is glowing again and it feels good to work around it. What’s next? Keep your kitchen sink shining all the time. Here are some tips to maintain your sink:

• People who don’t use dishwashers often let the dirty dishes stay in the sink for hours, if not days. Don’t let your dishes sit around and create a bad odor and bacteria in your kitchen area. If you don’t have time to wash them right away, let them soak.

• Pour hot water down the sink drain every time you wash dishes. This will help you keep your kitchen drain clean and clog-free.

• Prepare a natural disinfectant spray using lemon juice, white vinegar, and water. It will help you kill harmful bacteria and keep your sink safe. If you want to use a better product to disinfect and clean the sink surface, buy our All-Natural Spray and clean your sink with ease.

• Rinse out all the food particles to prevent bacterial growth. Wiping out the sink with a cloth will only take a minute.

• While performing some basic sink cleaning steps on a daily basis, thoroughly clean your sink once a week.

• Don’t use harsh tools or cleaners on your sink. A simple mix of water and dish soap or water and vinegar will do the job.

• Use toothbrushes to occasionally clean the spots where you can’t use a sponge or cloth.

• Read the manual to better protect and clean your sink.

Summary

Many households spend plenty of time working around kitchen sinks. It’s a bad idea to keep your sink dirty. Use these simple and cost-effective cleaning tips on how to clean the kitchen sink with ease.

Taking good care of your sink is really easy and simple. All you gotta do is invest a few minutes in cleaning every day. Regular cleaning is the only way to avoid bad smells, diseases, and blocked drains.

About Azuna

Azuna is an amazing online shop where you can find some of the best odor, mold, and mildew elimination products. If you want your clean kitchen to smell amazing, be sure to check out our products.

6 Places Germs & Bacteria Thrive in Your Home | WebMD

© 2011 NSF International Household Germ Study Summary of Findings | NSF

How To Clean Kitchen Sinks and Drains | Better Homes and Gardens