by LaSabra Caldwell

Created on: August 29, 2009   Last Updated: August 30, 2009

You know your stainless steel sink is clean when it shines. A shiny sink is like a smile when the sun reflects off of it. It is your kitchen's way of showing it's a happy kitchen. When your sink is clean and shiny, it helps the rest of your kitchen and even your home fall into place. You tend to want the rest of your home to be clean to complement your shiny clean sink. To achieve this is simple.

Fill one sink at a time with hot water. Add a small amount of bleach to the hot water and let it sit for an hour. Use tongs to pull the drain plug out when the hour is up. This not only helps break up anything that may be built up on the sinks surface but it also helps to clean your drains and deodorize them. You can scrub your sink with a cleaner once a week after doing this. Make sure your sink is rinsed out well with warm water and any cleaner residue or food particles are rinsed away.

Now take a cloth and wipe down your sink to dry it. This is where you put the shine to it. Take a glass and surface cleaner or even just a window cleaner will work (Windex or a homemade glass cleaner you may have made yourself.) Spray your sink and faucet down with the cleaner. Wipe it down with a clean cloth. I usually take a napkin and shine my faucet after I do all of this. I "polish" it, so to speak, to make sure there are no streaks or water spots.

Some people like an added shine and a way to protect from water spots. The trick to this is car wax. It protects your sink the same way it does your car. Not to mention the longer lasting shine it adds. You can shine your sink with car wax once a week or less. This helps the water to roll off and not leave behind water spots or streaks after you have cleaned and shined it - the added bonus to all of this. It takes, at most, 10 minutes to clean your sink like this after the initial soak.

A few reminders about caring for your stainless steel sink. Do not use anything abrasive on it. Stuff that can scratch your sink are a big no. Do not use steel wool to clean your sink. Use a scrub brush that is not too stiff. Do not use really abrasive cleaners on your sink, either. If you take good care of your sink, it will look brand new every day.

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