Good morning cleanly gods and goddesses! Today, we’ll be talking about stainless steel sinks.  For years, stainless steel has been the new black when it comes to kitchen sinks – and that’s no surprise. It’s cheap, it’s durable and it doesn’t take a whole heckuva lot to keep it looking pretty.  Of course, there are some things you should do in order to keep your polished stainless sinks looking shiny and pristine. Whereas stainless steel is impervious to nearly everything that other sinks are susceptible to (heat, stains, chipping), it is still vulnerable to hard water stains. Stainless steel sinks won’t give you much trouble on a day-to-day basis but  communities with hard water (such as rural communities and any neighborhood south of the Mon in Pittsburgh!) will quickly declare hard water stains their arch nemeses (depending on how OCD you are).  So, let’s talk about hard water stains first:

How to Clean Hard Water Stains From Polished Stainless Steel Sinks

The best way to have a hard water stain-free stainless steel sink? Prevent the hard water stains from appearing in the first place. Believe it or not, it’s not all that hard to do, in spite of the fact that your sink is perhaps the one place in your home that will receive the most exposure to hard water. You can do this in one of two ways:

• Get a water softener – This won’t fix things completely, but if your water is really, really hard, then a water softener might be good for your overall plumbing regardless.
• Wipe it up! - Standing water on your sink is a recipe for hard water stains. After your doing washing your hands, washing dishes or using your stainless steel sink, just wipe it down. Keep a towel near the sink expressly for this purpose.

Now, of course, we can’t always be so diligent. Hard water stains will appear on your stainless steel sink no matter what you do. So, when this happens, there are a couple handy methods for nixing those pesky stains.  My favorite is to use a normal dish sponge with a little bit of hand dish washing detergent and warm water. Wipe it all down like it was one big stock pot and then rinse it thoroughly. Then, use a paper towel or a soft cloth to dry it.

Warning: Do not use abrasives or solvents such as Bar Keeper’s friend or SOS pads. These will, obviously, scratch your sink and take off the varnish.

If you want to get a little extra shine on  your stainless steel sink, use this trick:

Dip a paper towel or cloth in a little bit of vinegar or ammonia and wipe down your sink after cleaning it.

…or…

Dampen your sink with a clean, wet sponge. Sprinkle a little baking soda on your sponge and then rub it in gently. Rinse. Dry.

You could even combine the above methods and make a paste of white vinegar and baking soda to work into the sink for a one-two punch.

To clean your stainless steel sink faucet or handle, try this:

Fill a plastic baggy with white vinegar and put it around the faucet. Attach it to the neck with a rubber band and let it sit there overnight. Voila! Your faucet is cleaned inside and out. Try this on your shower head, too. If none of this works, you’ll have to escalate. Products such as Lime-A-Way

and Jelmar CLRare excellent for removing hard water stains, but if you don’t want to invest in a product you might only use once or twice, you can try using some all purpose kitchen cleaners with mineral dissolving agents. I have some friends who swear by Franke Inox Crème Stainless Steel Polish… I haven’t used it, but I will attest that they have some of the shiniest stainless steel sinks I’ve seen (but maybe it’s just because they are angels). Also, I’ve heard anecdotal reports that Tide works well if you fill up your sink and let it soak for 20 minutes. This is likely because most laundry detergent has water softeners in it. However, remember to never use any abrasive powders. If that happens, you’ll be referring to our forthcoming tutorial on removing scratches from stainless steel sinks .

I’ve made an Amazon widget with some cheap stainless steel sink cleaning supplies. Let me know if you find any other good deals!