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Housekeeping

Find cleaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Housekeeping forum.

Original poster

My white sink is turning me into a compulsive cleaner!!

27 replies

Notcontent · 14/09/2021 21:36

I have a white corian worktop and sink. It looks great and the worktop is pretty easy to keep clean. But for some reason the sink seems to stain quite easily and I am scrubbing it every evening. In my old shabby kitchen I had a basic metal sink and whine it was not pretty, I never worried about it… Am I doing something wrong? In the first few weeks of having the new sink I was not careful and left some used teabags in it, which was a bad mistake….

Is it just me or are those types of sinks high maintenance?

OP posts:
PunchyAnts · 14/09/2021 21:49

Possibly my standards are lower than yours, but we have a white sink. Yes, they are comparatively high maintenance. I get grumpy when people empty half drunk coffees in there and don't rinse. I digress.

I give it the sides a good wipe down with the soapy dishwater every night after the dishes, fill it about a third full of cold water and throw a denture tablet in to soak overnight. That has been a game changer.

Ragwort · 14/09/2021 21:53

I think they are very high maintenance... I had a ceramic butler sink in my first home - never again - then a corian white one, also difficult to keep clean, now a bog standard stainless steel (?) one which doesn't look as nice but at least is easy to clean!

Original poster
Notcontent · 14/09/2021 21:55

Ok - glad it’s not just me!!! I guess I am just used to being able to dump stuff in the sink and not worrying if there are bits of food etc left in there overnight but that’s a no now! I guess it means I have had to raise my housekeeping standards. 😂

OP posts:
ExpectingToFly · 14/09/2021 22:05

Bleach spray! Soz not sure if it's OK to use on corian but it works on my ceramic sink

blueshoes · 14/09/2021 22:14

Yeah, I have to wipe down my white ceramic sink all the time and scrub the surfaces (washing up liquid, bleach) at least once every 2 days otherwise it is covered with a thin layer of food scum. However, we wash most of our dishes by hand and not using the dishwasher, so the sink gets dirty.

Glad it is not just me.

soundsystem · 14/09/2021 22:27

Barkeepers Friend is your, um, friend here! But yea it's normal to spend a lot of time cleaning then. Like a PP I had a beautiful one in my first kitchen and then never again! (See also rectangular bathroom sinks)

PunchyAnts · 15/09/2021 12:42

I'm not any kind of sink expert, but I was specifically warned against using bleach on my sink when I bought it because apparently that causes yellowing over time. That would annoy me even more! Maybe worth doing a little more investigating.

mumonthehill · 15/09/2021 12:46

I so wanted my white sink when we redid our kitchen, now I absolutely hate it! It never looks clean and if I could I would change it- I have many thoughts on how to damage it beyond repair to get a new one.

MrsPelligrinoPetrichor · 15/09/2021 12:47

Cif is what you need.

0blio · 15/09/2021 12:52

I stupidly got a black sink (in a really hard water area) and it never looks clean. I bought a matching basin, keep it in the sink and try not to look at it too much.

JassyRadlett · 15/09/2021 13:01

White sinks are the work of the fucking devil. Cannot wait until we can replace our kitchen and ditch the stain magnet. Every time I look at it I want to burn it with fire.

Ozanj · 15/09/2021 13:06

I think you all had low standards with stainless steel sinks tbh. I have always had them and they are ridiculously difficult to keep looking immaculate and buffed as they scratch so flipping easily. Compared to that the white ceramic butler sink is a doddle to clean; but you do need to do it ‘properly’. I do a quick daily wipe with a paste of vinegar and baking soda, let it sink in for a bit, then rinse out with hot (not boiling) water. I also use a sink protector to prevent scratches from pots and pans.

BeenAsFarAsMercyAndGrand · 15/09/2021 13:36

White sinks are very trendy right now, but a complete pain in the arse because they're so high maintenance. I know people that are very houseproyd and keep on top of cleaning, but even their ceramic sink ended up stained.

I refused to have anything that stained so easily when we put our kitchen in a couple of years ago - stainless steel all the way and no regrets.

clara443 · 15/09/2021 15:16

I just fill mine with water and leave bio washing powder in overnight..it gleams. For a few days at least.

HappyTimeTunnelDinosaur · 15/09/2021 15:21

It's weird how different people have different experiences. I find my ceramic white sink much easier to clean than the previous stainless steel one, it just seems to rinse off with no effort. Also I found the stainless steel one got scratches really easily.

Cynderella · 15/09/2021 17:57

I had same issue with white sink. I now have a dark grey composite sink, in a hard water area - really easy. Wipe round with washing up water. Job done.

LittleWingSoul · 16/09/2021 00:27

I agree @HappyTimeTunnelDinosaur Ours doesn't stain or take any effort to clean at all. The stainless steel sink we had before though, in a hard water area... Constant cleaning and buffing!

urbanbuddha · 16/09/2021 01:27

My uncle had a white sink in his kitchen. I used to visit him quite frequently when I was a student. I will never ever get one.

thelegohooverer · 16/09/2021 05:49

I find my white sink easier to keep clean than the stainless steel one in the utility. Maybe because it’s pretty, I’m more inclined to wipe it down. The steel one always shows water marks unless I buff it and life is too short for that

blueshoes · 16/09/2021 11:24

@clara443

I just fill mine with water and leave bio washing powder in overnight..it gleams. For a few days at least.
It must take quite a lot of water to fill a sink. Isn't this a waste of water?
blueshoes · 16/09/2021 11:29

@thelegohooverer

I find my white sink easier to keep clean than the stainless steel one in the utility. Maybe because it’s pretty, I’m more inclined to wipe it down. The steel one always shows water marks unless I buff it and life is too short for that
I agree.

It is satisfying to clean a white sink. I do it as I go along with minimum water or 'brown' water e.g. clean run off when I am washing a glass. Quick swish with a sponge and the white surface is gleaming and sparkly.

I have used stainless steel sinks in holiday cottages. They don't show up food scum as much but you cannot get them as clean and sparkly as a white sink due to the water marks. Buffing takes more effort.

TwoLeftElbows · 16/09/2021 11:40

I find white ceramic brilliant. It's extremely stain resistant, and resilient to cream cleanser and bleach which makes it so easy to clean. Oh, and pretty cheap, from IKEA. I couldn't be doing with anything that stained though, life's too short.

CuckooCall · 16/09/2021 11:52

I have a white composite sink and I find it considerably easier to keep clean than the black one we had previously which always showed white water stains on it no matter how much I scrubbed it. I also find it easier than the stainless steel sinks we've had in the past that always looked scratched and water marked.

I just spray a watered down bleach/water mix on it, leave it for a minute and then wipe. It's stain free. I don't know if I'm supposed to put bleach on it but I've been doing it for a very long time and no damage to the sink yet. Also apparently a borax mix works well as well.

Furries · 16/09/2021 13:40

My white sink was looking awful. Housework minimal for a number of reasons.

I got a spray bottle of white vinegar, sprayed liberally and left it for a while. Used a damp J cloth to wipe and then rinsed the sink out. Was stunned by how well it came up. I now just spray a bit every night before I go to bed and quickly wipe/rinse in the morning. The sink being clean is helping me to start tackling the rest of the house!

Cynderella · 16/09/2021 17:26

People with lovely white sinks - what made ours hard work was everyone emptying cold tea or coffee out of their mug before making another, or before consigning to the dishwasher.