Are you frustrated by a dirty kitchen sink?
For me the tough part was trying to clean the drains.
Brown staining always persisted.
This changed once I built my own cleaning brush for about $5.
The brush combined with a few other methods gets my kitchen sink amazingly clean in less than 15 minutes.
After all, who wants to spend all day cleaning? Not me.
Okay, let me show you how I make Mr. Clean jealous 🙂
Supplies for Cleaning Kitchen Sinks
If you’re a fan of mine you may have seen a prior post on how to clean grout.
In the post I show you the Grout Grimebuster. It’s a brush attachment one of my fans came up with.
It’s made from a dish cleaning brush you can find at any grocery store, some nuts, and a bolt. Once assembled you can place the brush in your power drill and clean like a champ.
Once the brush is assembled you’ll need these supplies to thoroughly clean your kitchen sink
- Comet Cleanser with Bleach ($2 – scratch free formula)
- Sponge (FREE)
- Vinegar ($2)
- Paper Towels ($2)
- Toothbrush (FREE, but don’t use your spouse’s or partner’s, unless they really made you mad)
- Grimebuster Brush ($5)
- Magic Eraser ($2)
- Microfiber Cloth ($1)
The total cost is about $14.
Um, yah, that’s not bad considering you can use all the supplies over and over.
Okay, let me show you my secret cleaning method.
Disinfecting Kitchen Sinks
About 10 minutes of cleaning isn’t YOU cleaning.
It’s the Comet cleanser.
I use the scratch free Comet cleanser with bleach for two reasons
- You guessed the first reason, it doesn’t scratch and
- The bleach disinfects
Thoroughly rinse your sink after you remove all the dirty dishes. Try to persuade someone else to do this for you, like a kid or spouse. Hey, those dishes are probably there’s anyway.
Sprinkle the Comet into both basins.
Moisten a normal dish sponge with water then make a paste with the Comet.
Wipe this paste over the entire surface of your sink and the faucet.
Let the paste sit for 10 minutes.
If you’ve got mineral deposits (like me) you can take an extra step.
Mineral deposits like to collect on the surface or base of faucets.
You can use vinegar to neutralize the mineral deposits. Simply saturate a paper towel with vinegar.
Place the towel onto the mineral deposits and let it sit there for 5 to 10 minutes.
Here’s the deal though, vinegar is a mild acid. As such, it could ruin the finish of your faucet.
BUT, I’ve used this method on satin nickel, chrome, and oil rubbed bronze. Each time the finish wasn’t harmed.
Don’t forget to clean your faucet’s set screw. Use a toothbrush for this as the hole is small.
The reason I like to clean the set screw is so that it doesn’t corrode or cake up with grime.
If this happens you’ll have trouble removing the set screw and therefore won’t be able to access the faucet cartridge when it goes bad (and it will go bad, trust me).
After waiting 10 minutes use the Grimebuster, which is super fun.
Use the Grimebuster
The Grimebuster makes cleaning easier and better.
It’s just a dishwashing brush attached to a bolt.
But when you put the Grimebuster into a power drill it turbo charges cleaning.
Kitchen sinks are notorious for having brown residue in and around the drain. Removing this by hand is really hard and cumbersome, i.e. a pain in the butt.
The Grimebuster can reach down into drains and scrub off the toughest stains. I use it to clean the strainer baskets, too.
Rinse off your kitchen sink with water once you’re done with the Grimebuster. Use the sponge to wipe off any remaining Comet cleanser.
Remove the vinegar soaked paper towels from the faucet and clean the rest of the faucet with them.
Now it’s time for the last step – it’s what makes your kitchen sink shine like the sun.
Make Your Kitchen Sink Streak Free and Shiny
These steps literally take 2 minutes.
Grab a Mr. Clean magic eraser and use it to remove any leftover Comet residue or streaking. Do this for the faucet, too.
Then use a microfiber cloth to buff your kitchen sink and faucet. When you’re done the sink should be totally dry and shiny.
You can check out my video to see all the steps, how I use the Grimebuster, and my final results.
Some people like using olive oil or WD-40 as the final step. This makes the sink repel water and shine even more.
But I don’t do this since we use our sink every hour on the hour when we’re home.
My wife did use the olive oil technique when we were selling our old house. She would clean the kitchen sink then apply about 2 teaspoons of olive oil to each basin with a paper towel. It must have worked because we sold the house.
What’s Next
Our other tutorial showing how to clean greasy kitchen hoods is awesome – you’ll be amazed at the results.
If you’re doing a bathroom remodel and need help, join one of our online courses – they’ll make your bathroom renovation much easier!
Let me know if you have any questions and I’ll do my best to help.
Thanks as always for reading, watching, and being part of our awesome community.
Cheers,
Jeff
I don’t have a stainless steel sink, mine is black. How do I clean that??
Black, well I’d try Barkeepers Friend first Paige. It doesn’t contain bleach and is safe on a ton of different surfaces.
Here’s the link to their website
http://www.barkeepersfriend.com/about-us
Now is there a way to remove all the scratches in a stainless steel sink? Without having to buy anew one.
Good question Hazel. We have scratches too – what can I say, I get a little aggressive with the sponge.
I’m willing to live with them and haven’t investigated a solution.
Does anyone have a solution to scratches on stainless steel?
For very light scratches use a Scotch Bright abrasive pad being sure to follow the grain in the sink. Note: Takes a lot longer than 15 minutes – LOL but works beautifully. Finish off with vegetable oil applied with a soft cloth and rubbing in a circular motion.
For deeper scratches use wet or dry sandpaper still carefully following the grain. Beginning with medium grade and then using finer and finer until scratches are gone. Again finish with vegetable oil. (BTW, vegetable oil has more polishing effect than olive oil).
Thank you so much Patricia for your great tips.
I need to do this on my own sink. Maybe I should do a tutorial 🙂
A bunch of other people will like your tips, I know that much!!!
Dear Tutor,
I do enjoy your tips! You helped me with a loose toilet paper hook- after I used the glue you suggested, it lasted a year w/o moving instead of a month. Heaven! This time I am concerned about using vinegar on granite. Someplace I read its not good for it as it is an acid. I have not found another way to get rid of that nasty mineral deposit. (by the way, we have a water softener AND a water filter…and still those deposits show up! We must have HARD water!) I have even resorted to a craft knife…I KNOW! But it was suggested. I will be anxious to hear what you have to say about the vinegar. Love that stuff!
Beth in AZ
The best thing you could do is ask the installer about which product to use Beth. Vinegar is mildly acidic but over time it could remove the sealer in the granite. I could be totally wrong on this but granite is so expensive!!!
We’re lucky enough to have granite in the kitchen and I clean it with an antibacterial spray and paper or cloth towels. I’m sure that’s not great for the counter either. I then seal it using a recommended product. So far the counters have held up and still look good after 5 years.
Wish I had a better or more precise recommendation but this is the best I’ve got for now. If you find out anything else please let us know since a lot of people will be curious.
What about a porcelain sink? What are your tips for those?
Thanks
Wish I knew Deb so I could tell you. I don’t have a porcelain sink but would imagine the same process could work well.
Growing up my Mom taught us to use Comet on the bathtub, which worked just as well and didn’t scratch it’s finish. You could also try Barkeepers Friend since it’s safe for porcelain. It doesn’t have bleach in it and that’s what makes it different from Comet.
Barkeeper’s Friend works great on porcelain
Baking soda (soft scrub) and a dash of dish washing liquid. Scrub with a sponge. Rinse with hot water. Done. A good rinse is necessary as any left over baking soda will will leave white stains. I usually just use dish washing liquid unless I really have a mess to avoid seeing the white marks later. According to Consumer Reports, ALL dish washing liquids work the same, so use the cheapest one. Olive oil or WD-40? Only if the mother in law is coming or the Pope. I got my under mount sink, drains and grids s/h for $149 on eBay and it has been in use for 8 years. The little rubber legs started to wobble on my stainless steel grids, so I cleaned them and gave each a shot of “Shoe Goo” found by the shoe polish at Walmart. They are rock solid now. New grids are now around $60 each. Crazy. Shoe Goo takes a while to set, but I glue all my suction cups for my shaving mirror etc. in the shower and those suction cups don’t fail to hold after a year or so.
I hear ya Joe on the olive oil, rarely does the Pope visit our house. Only once for the 4th of July – long story. At least we know it’s an option if you want a polished look.
It’s crazy how expensive all kitchen stuff can be. Good job finding great deals online. I’m doing more shopping this way and have found some really awesome prices on quality items.
Nice method, thanks! I’ve been using Old Dutch cleanser on our dual stainless sink and it works wonderfully, with very little scrubbing if you let it sit (once pasty) a few minutes. But the cleanser is getting very hard to find, and cleaning the drain/disposal was still an icky part of the chore. This cleaner is a great idea! You might want to mention to be sure folks get a brush with softer bristles vs the really stiff ones. The Comet might be scratch-free, but a stiff-bristled brush sure won’t be! 😉 I’m going to make a couple of them… I’m thinking it’d work great on the stove-top too! And for cleaning the butcher block as well. Hmmm… I wonder if it’d be possible to rig something with a soft cloth to do the semi-annual, food-grade mineral oil treatment as well? Sure would make that chore go more quickly! Oh, btw, I have followed up with Windex and paper towel, which gave me a beautiful streak-free shine AND got rid of any excess cleaner residue. I also used to use the vinegar trick on the faucet, but over several months it ended up kinda pitting the chrome. Maybe I didn’t rinse/wipe well enough?? Anyway, thanks for the inspiration, Jeff! 🙂
Thanks Kiki, I agree with you on the Vinegar. Using it sparingly is a smart idea. Our water is so hard that we get mineral deposits regularly.
I use a soft brush like you mentioned and haven’t experienced any scratches. Good idea though to get the softest one available.
There are so many different applications for this brush, it’s crazy awesome!!
We have corian composite sinks in the kitchen, porcelain sinks in the bathrooms and low grade stainless steel in the laundry room. I just scrub them with all with baking soda. I don’t worry about the shine because it’s gonna get dirty real quick anyway. The grimebuster would also work well on fiberglass tubs and shower enclosures.
Thanks Kelly, boy you have to be careful with all those different sinks.
I agree with you about the shining part. It doesn’t matter all that much to me unless we’re having company for a holiday.
Great to hear from you 🙂
Jeff, where can I buy the Grimebuster?
Hi Mary, thanks for asking. You can actually build it yourself for $5.
I made a tutorial on how to do this and you can see it by clicking on this link
http://hrtllc.wpengine.com/the-best-way-to-clean-grout/
Let me know if you have any questions, I’d be happy to help
Another excellent tool is a toilet brush.
We have a garbage disposal and the rubber flange skirt thingy gets very grungy underneath. I use a toilet brush and comet to clean underneath and in the drain. Works great and eliminates any smells. Just be sure to start with a new brush and keep it just for cleaning the sink.
Good suggestion Joe. I like the toilet brush idea because it’ll fit perfectly down into the drain. And starting with a new one is key, haha.
Thanks for your tip 🙂
Thanks for this tip Joe. I always dreaded cleaning that rubber stuff in the disposer. I just don’t like putting my hands in there (even wearing rubber gloves) and knowing there is germs, gunk & crud underneath that I can’t see. I’m off to buy a new toilet brush just for the kitchen. Two thumbs up for a great idea!
All I can say is WOW! My stainless sink has never looked this good the past 8 years we’ve lived here (until I had a friend of mine make me a Grimebuster) and I used the no – scratch Comet. Love this technique!
Hi Jeff,
In the pic it seems that the vinegar saturated paper towel is sitting on top of a marble counter top. Just a word of caution… marble is porous. The label on MY vinegar bottle (“Heinz”) warns NOT to use vinegar on marble as it can stain. Perhaps some people have a special coating on their marble counter tops, but these too can wear down after many years. The label recommends checking with the installer. Better safe than sorry.
Love your website & receiving these tips!
Great stuff, Jeff.
I know this sounds crazy and I accidentally stumbled on to this but if you want the shine test steel sink ever use toilet bowl cleaner. After cleaning Sink with your regular cleaner and rinsing, squirt the toilet bowl cleaner all around sides to drip down, rub entire sink with cloth, little water, and then rinse and wipe dry. It is amazing.
If you are seeing mineral deposits with use of a water softener, those are likely salt deposits from sodium chloride in the water softener pellets. A gentle scrub with baking soda helps but do not use vinegar in granite, it will dull and even strip or pit the finish. Comet is safe with a non-abrasive scrub pad. Rinse well.
How to remove all the scratches in a black sink? Without having to buy a new one.