Mm, been decorating. How to get paint off stainless steel sink when dry?

[minxthemanx]

yes, yes, I know I should have cleaned it all up when the paint was wet, but it was all a long and stressful job, and the final pot of paint got dumped in the sink and forgotten about. So now i have dry hard white paint on the sink. White spirit has done nothing, nor did a scouring thingy. Any thoughts?

You have to get under it with your finger nail or a stanley blade.

What kind of paint? Emulsion will just dissolve given time. Oil based not so much.

Scourer will scratch your sink to bits.

oh dear. watching with interest....as we have paint in our plughole...

agree with using a blade, even a sharp knife would do it, if it is a small area and accessible (plughole isn't really).

Nail varnish remover?

Chemicals won't shift it if it's dried.

You need to use mechanical force [buwink] I just mean dislodge or chip away at the bits.

DP and ex DP are both decorators...you can trust me on this.

Merry, you could always change your waste. Take off trap, unscrew old pluggy hole, put in new one (with a bit of silicon) and job done.

Thanks ladies, I will try chipping away with a knife. Just hoped there might be some miraculous product that would save me the effort! I think it's mostly emulsion, but poss a bit of gloss. God I hate decorating.

Ooooh! I know, I know!

Bicarbonate of soda is your friend here. Very little amount in a damp cloth and a gentle circular rub. It DOES leave little scratches, but nothing really obvious without a magnifying glass.

I did it on paint that was about 4 years old and it did take a few days of sporadic applications, but I do now have a paint free sink.

A metal scourer thing - not a brillo pad but stainless steel will do the trick.
Will see if I can find a link

One of these

Would probably try some brush cleaner before using an old knife; certainly cleans up brushes and not dear.

thanks ladies, great tips. will try the bicarb.