How do you clean a sterling stainless steel sink?
To avoid water deposits from forming, wipe the sink with a soft cloth after each use. Clean stainless steel at least once per week. Always apply stainless steel cleaner with a nonabrasive cloth or sponge, working with, not across, the grain. Do not use steel wool, wire brushes or abrasive sponge pads.
A better quality stainless steel kitchen sink is the 18-gauge, which is 0.0500 inches. Many home improvement choices recommend 16 to 18 gauges as a good choice for a stainless steel kitchen sink. The more costly, a 16-gauge stainless sinks is often touted as a luxury sink and are 0.0625 inches thick.
Stainless steel sinks also resist chipping and cracking, however, are likely to be scratched through everyday use and often show water spots. Although they are easy to clean, they require regular maintenance to look their best. If you don't wipe them out regularly, they can quickly look dingy.
Vinegar is safe to use on stainless steel and helps remove oil and grime. Fill a reusable spray bottle with a combination of 1:1 white vinegar and water. Spritz it on, and wipe it off — no need to rinse!
To easily clean off grease and food splatters from your stainless steel appliances, use a mixture of Dawn® Platinum and water, then rinse off and wipe dry. Durability: Stainless steel is known for being more rust resistant than other materials, and so it can outlast most other metals.
TYPE 409. Ferritic (plain chromium stainless category) stainless steel suitable for high temperatures. This grade has the lowest chromium content of all stainless steels and thus is the least expensive.
As a general rule of thumb, the higher the percentage of these materials, the higher quality your stainless steel sink would be. The grade is another thing to look out for when purchasing a stainless steel sink. Grade-304 is regarded as the best grade for stainless steel sinks.
The maximum gauge I would recommend for any stainless steel kitchen sink is 18 gauge. The best choice is of course 16 gauge, however either 16 or 18 gauge will provide the same top value in terms of cost, performance and overall satisfaction. Don't bother with higher gauges (20, 22, 24) which are significantly thinner.
Baking soda makes a great stainless steel sink cleaner because it is abrasive enough to scrub away light hard water deposits and stuck-on grease and food, but not so abrasive as to scratch shiny stainless steel fixtures like faucets. Try cleaning your sink with a paste of baking soda and water.
- Simply mix up a bit of dish soap with warm water and dip in a microfiber cloth.
- Then, rub the piece of silver – whether it's jewelry or silverware – with the soapy cloth.
- Rinse it with cold water.
- Dry with a soft, clean towel.
- Buffing with a soft cloth specially made for silver.
What should you not use on stainless steel?
- Harsh abrasives.
- Scouring powders.
- Steel wool.
- Bleach and other chlorine products.
- Glass cleaners that contain ammonia, such as Windex.
- Tap water, especially if yours tends to be hard water (use clean distilled or filtered H2O instead)
- Oven cleaners.
Just add a few drops of baby oil onto a paper cloth and wipe your stainless steel sink. It will add a layer of shine to your sink that you probably have not seen since you first got it.
