Sinks - Double or Single?

[Pinkfizzy]

(Apologies - boring thread alert)

I have only lived in houses with single large sinks, and don't know what the purpose of 2 separate bowls is. Can someone explain?

Thanks!

If you handwash your dishes, you can have the soapy water in one and hot non-soapy water in the other for rinsing.

A second sink (at least one of the little extra ones) makes it easier to pour something away, or rinse something quickly while you have a basin-full in the main one.

You can leave things to soak in one and use the other.

Double all the way, I want our single replaced. Wash in one and rinse in the other. Makes washing up so easy.

We have one and a half?

I find the small sink great for rinsing vegetables and fruit while cooking or prepping as the sink will usually have dishes stacked in the bowl waiting for the dishwasher, or soapy water for wiping down surfaces and equipment.

We have a dishwasher though.

Double sink def.

Wen with a dishwasher, If you have say a non stick pan that can't go in dishwasher you can leave to soak in large sink, and rinse any veg/ tip leftover tea down other.

Sometimes we also hand wash an item of clothes/ of soak stains out of kids clothing in one sink, and can continue using the other

If theres stuff in the sink (dishes, veg peelings, something soaking, baby bottles sitting in cold water to cool, water for mopping the floor) and I have pasta or something cooking, I don't want to have to drain it on top of whatever is in the sink. One and a half sinks is enough.

OK convinced! I think probably 1 and a half will do us.

Thanks for all the responses.

1.5 is perfect if you have a dishwasher IMHO.

if you have two you have to clean two....bear this in mind

Or clean one on alternating weeks....

I'm planning on having a single butler sink in our new kitchen with drainer. We have a dishwasher so really don't find the need for a second bowl. Would that put any of you off buying a house?

I don't particularly like butler sinks. But I don't think it would be a problem - presumably you would usually use a basin in it anyway, and have plenty of room to tip things down the side?

I have to say I never used a basin in the previous house, just partially filled the sink. I suppose you have to be careful that you don't break glasses in it or something. I just really love the look of them.

I've just spent a week in a holiday let which had a 1.5 bowl sink. I have a single at home. couldn't see the point of it, too small for anything useful, draining pasta water and water goes everywhere. dishes went straight in dishwasher, and anything in sink just got splashed.

had a single bowl for 10 years, yet to be convinced otherwise

1.5 at least. There is always some clown who didn't empty out their tea/coffee cup when you are doing the odd bit of washing up; you can't empty that into the washing up water.

and yes, things can be soaking in one and the other is still there. Mine is currently full of fresh spuds from the garden while the mud soaks off!

ps a butler sink would not put me off the house, but it would be straight on the rip-out list. Instant backache.

One to use and one to fill with clutter and waste work surface space.

One big sink you can get baking sheets and the marble cake icing/pastry board in is far more use.

I have 1.5 sink which I hate. Smaller sink too small for anything other than pouring tea dregs down, the larger sink not big enough for washing large things.

When I have my new kitchen I will have one huge sink. Easy for washing fridge bits/oven shelves/roasting tins. I can use washing up bowls to create a double sink effect when needed and the bowls could be lifted right out of the sink if needed e.g to drain pasta and the drain will still be accessible for pouring of dregs.

I agree Iggy, nothing more annoying than a too small sink. Single, double or 1.5, doesn't matter as long as you can get an oven shelf in the main bit.

Our sink is tiny and as it's a cut out bowl set into a granite work top I'm going to have to live with it for another 20 years. I can't imagine why the previous residents thought it was a good idea

i have 1.5 stainless steel. the big one is big enough to get roasting dishes in/large chop boards etc and the small one a good size for soaking stained clothes, washing veg, bleaching dishclothes and draining veg. i have a special colander thing that fits exactly over the half drainer that came with the sink. i also have a glass board which goes over the main sink but i never use it.

love having 2 sinks!

If theres stuff in the sink (dishes, veg peelings, something soaking, baby bottles sitting in cold water to cool, water for mopping the floor) and I have pasta or something cooking, I don't want to have to drain it on top of whatever is in the sink. One and a half sinks is enough.

No idea why that posted twice. ...sorry

I'd have a larger than average main one and then a half in my ideal kitchen.

Definitely worth doing the oven shelf / grill pan test as it's very annoying when your sink is too small to fit it in for a wash.
Useful to have a 2nd sink though - hence the half.

SebsMum - probably wouldn't be a deal breaker if everything else in the house were good, but it would definitely put me off a bit and if I saw a similar house that didn't have a Belfast sink then I'd choose the other (all other things being equal - but you don't want to have to start ripping out your sink when you move in).

sebs I prefer a butler sink, preferably double.
I suspect it's like an Aga, you either love them or hate them.

We had a 1.5 sink in the kitchen when we moved in. When we replaced the sink because it was badly stained we went back to a single sink. The extra 1/2 bit was totally pointless - too small to do anything with other than tip things away. I use a bowl to wash up in the single sink so I can still tip around it and we use the dishwasher most of the time.

I wouldn't bother with more than a single sink unless you have a huge kitchen.