Stainless Steel Kitchen Sinks

Care for Stainless Steel Sinks

Shopping for a new sink? If you're considering a stainless-steel model, it's important to know upfront what it takes to care for it. You'll need to develop these habits to keep stainless steel looking shiny and new for years to come.

• Rinse your sink thoroughly to maintain its shine, especially after using soaps, salty foods, and chloride-base chemical cleaners.
• Use soapy water or an ammonia-base cleaner to remove dirt and stains.
• Don't use a steel wool pad for cleaning. The small steel particles may become embedded in the sink surface, causing the finish to look dull or tarnished.
• Don't leave rubber mats, wet sponges, dishcloths, cleaning pads, detergents, or metal cans in the sink; they can mar the finish.
• Don't use your sink as a cutting board. While most scratches blend into the surface, using the sink for chopping dulls knives and can cause deep scratches.
• Look for a sink with a gauge between 18 and 20. This is the ratio of the chrome and nickel in the sink. The gauge also indicates the thickness of the sink. 20 gauge is thicker than 22 gauge. The thicker the steel the quieter the sink and the less it will dent.