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Kitchen & Bath Cleaning Tips

Elkay's tip on care and cleaning for your stainless steel sink

With the stainless steel sink being one of the hottest trends in kitchen decor, Elkay provides professional care and cleaning suggestions to maintain the beautiful shine of your stainless steel sink.

Elkay has tested and researched household cleansers to find those that best maintain the finish of stainless steel sinks. They found the following cleansers to be most effective: Bar Keepers Friend, Zud and Lawrence Right Work. Other cleansers, which are still effective, include: Comet, Shiny Sinks Plus, Luneta, Soft Scrub, Mr. Clean and Flitz.

The following are a few hints for cleaning Elkay's stainless steel sinks:

• Rinse thoroughly after each use by running water a few minutes and rubbing the cleaned area with a sponge.
• Towel dry after each use to prevent mineral deposits from building on the surface of the sink.
• Scour the sink once a week by rubbing in the direction of the satin finish lines, using one of the recommended cleaners listed above.
• Don't scour the sink across the satin finish lines. This may damage the original sink finish.
• Don't allow liquid soap or other household cleaners to dry on the surface of the sink, because most brands contain chemical additives which will affect the original high luster finish.
• Don't leave standing solutions of chlorine bleach and water in the sink for extended periods of time. Chlorides, which are found in most soaps, detergents, bleaches, and cleansers, are very aggressive on stainless steel. If left on the sink too long, they can cause surface pitting.
• Don't use a steel wool pad to clean your sink because they have a tendency to break apart and the small particles of steel can become embedded in the surface of the sink. The steel particles will rust and give the appearance that the sink itself is rusting.
• Don't use rubber mats or dishpans in the sink to protect the finish. Leaving rubber mats or dishpans in the sink can lead to surface rust or possible pitting. If you do use mats or dishpans, remove them after each use.
• Don't leave wet sponges, cloths or cleaning pads on the sink. This can lead to surface rust.

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