Care & Maintnance for Sinks

Tips on How to Care for Sinks

The way that you care for your sink, will depend on the type of material that it is made of. The care might be affected by the room in which it is housed. Humidity in a bathroom can directly affect the way you choose to care for your bathroom sink. Here on some various tips about caring for various sinks by the material they are made of:

1. How to Care for Clay Sinks. Clay sinks were the first to enter the market, and were constructed to last a long time. All clay surfaces can be cleaned with simple soap and water. It is recommended that you dry the sink after each use, with a dry, soft cloth. If there is heavy duty oil, or built up grime on the surface, it is recommended that a general purpose cleanser be used.

2. How to Care for Vitreous China. Many people will confuse vitreous china with clay, and make the mistake of using an abrasive cleaner on the vitreous china surface. It is recommended that you use a mild cleaner to maintain the beautiful, glossy surface of the vitreous china sink, and this is especially the case if you have hard water in your water system. Abrasive cleaners and any solvent should be strictly avoided. It will definitely scratch the glossy surface to look dull and uninteresting.

3. How to Care For Glass Sinks. Many items will cause glass sinks to crack. Lower water temperatures to avoid cracking the glass. Do not use steel or metal objects in a glass sink. Abrasive cleaners will scratch and dull the glass surface. Use glass cleaners or plain water to clean a sink. Wipe the sink after each use to keep water spots from forming and dulling the shiny appearance of the glass sink.

4. How to Care for a Copper Sink. There is no need to use copper cleaners to keep a copper sink looking beautiful. The looks will improve with age. Any type of abrasive material should be avoided on copper sinks. Not only will they harm the surface of the copper, but they will destroy the finish too. If you have hard water, keep the sink and drain dry by wiping it out with a soft cloth. This will keep the copper from spotting. Hard water minerals will cause damage if you allow it to remain on the copper for very long. Apply “Renaissance wax’” to the sink and it will make the water roll off of the surface of the copper. Retailers can coat the copper with a protective clear lacquer, to hold off discoloration of the copper. Copper creams are used when the copper has been treated by an acid wash. The cream will help maintain a shiny copper surface.

5. Care of Stainless Steel Sinks. Do not use any type of cleanser that contains chloride to clean a stainless steel sink. If a mistake is made, rinse the sink surface immediately to avoid any type of corrosion damage from occurring. Steel wood and wire brushes will scratch the stainless steel surface. Stainless steel cleaners can be used, and should be applied with a non-abrasive cloth, and applied going with the grain of the stainless steel, never going across the grain.