You wouldn’t eat a piece of food which fell on your toilet seat, would you? If you answered ‘no’ you better think twice the next time you pluck a fallen morsel out of the kitchen sink. Your home’s kitchen sink is the second most germ-ridden place in the house, topping even the toilet bowl! It falls short only to sponges used to scrub filth off every surface. And yet the kitchen sink is the area where you clean your food, dishes, and potentially even your young child! Because of this, it’s important to always maintain a clean kitchen sink. We’ve put together our favorite methods for cleaning your kitchen sink like a pro!
Start Your Kitchen Sink Maintenance with a Clean Bowl
Your sink doesn’t get germy by itself. The reason a kitchen sink is the harbinger of home bacteria is because of all the food scraps and standing water left sitting there. Over time, bacteria grow in even minute food scraps left behind. The best way to start maintaining a pristinely clean kitchen sink is by not letting it get too dirty in the first place. Scrape your plate of leftover food before tossing it into the sink. If you’re not washing it immediately, at least rinse off any residue from a dish before letting it hang out. Once the dishes are out of the way, disinfect the entire sink bowl. You can do this by filling the sink with warm water and adding a quarter cup of bleach. Be careful not to get the bleach on yourself as it’s a corrosive substance. After ten minutes, thoroughly rinse out the sink. Substitute vinegar instead of bleach if you have a stainless steel sink; bleach corrodes a stainless steel finish. If you have any stainless steel hardware, you can polish it by rubbing the inside of lemon across the surface and wiping it clean with a microfiber cloth.
It’s What’s Inside That Counts
Internal care is just as important as external in the prevention of bacteria. You can have a spotless sink bowl but if the drain is filled with foul-smelling bacteria you’ll still be putting your family at risk. To maintain a flawlessly clean kitchen sink, ensure your faucet and drain are as clean as possible. To disinfect the faucet, fill a plastic bag with vinegar and rubber band it around the neck of the hardware. The faucet should be completely submerged in the vinegar for at least ten minutes. Remove the bag and flush thoroughly with hot water. A drain is handled in nearly the same manner. Run some ice cubes through the disposal for a full minute to dislodge any large jams. Flush the drain with hot water, add half a cup of baking soda, and flush with vinegar. The baking soda adheres to dirt while the vinegar acts as a disinfectant. When the two compounds meet, their chemical reaction causes bubbling. This bubbling lifts grime off the inside of your sink, to be flushed away with hot water after a minute or two.
Maintaining a Clean Kitchen Sink for the Long Run
Keeping your clean kitchen sink maintained starts with an ounce of prevention. Not putting things into the sink is the easiest first step for keeping it bacteria-free. Keep food scraps to a minimum and try to avoid letting water stand. Add wiping down the sink right after you do the dishes to every evening’s chore list. This keeps any mess from becoming insurmountable. Complete regular disinfecting routines for both inside the bowl and inside the drain for maximum cleanliness. Last but not least, periodically check in with a trusted local plumber to make sure your pipes remain completely free of grime. For more kitchen advice and other plumbing tips please contact Sin City Plumber.
