How To Clean A Stainless Steel Sink
16 Comments 
For General Care:
First clean it with hot soapy water, drain, then choose one of the following methods…
- Use a soft cloth soaked in some white vinegar and scrub the surface
- Sprinkle baking soda around the surface then scrub it down with a damp sponge
For tougher jobs:
- Linda Cobb suggests mixing 3 parts cream of tartar with 1 part hydrogen peroxide and then using a damp cloth, massage the mix into the surface. Let dry then wipe with a damp cloth.
- 1 part vinegar, 1 part hot water, 1/2 part baking soda. Scrub mixture into surface using a damp sponge or cloth. Rinse well then dry with a cloth.
- I’ve also been told a tip to spray a layer of hot water over the sink to cover, then spray a layer of household ammonia. Cover with a plastic bag (stretched across the top with ends taped down on counter top) and leave overnight. Rinse the ammonia off in the morning then wash with hot, soapy water and dry with a cloth.
To make it shiny:
- Wash the surface well then rub in baby oil, or olive oil, or windex and buff dry with a soft cloth
Good scrubbers to use:
- Soft nylon bristle scrubbers or nylon pot scrubbers. Don’t use anything too abrasive that will scratch the stainless steel.
after cleaning stainless sink, spray with WD40 and massage it in with paper towel. In addition to a great shine, this makes your next clean up easier too.
great if you want your kitchen to smell like an auto repair shop
Instead of wd40, I used furniture polish. The water is beading off.
Would this effect the septic system?
The baking soda, vinegar, water worked awesome and then olive oil for a shine! Thanks
You can get the stainless steel sinks REALLY clean with the “Magic Sponge” by Mr. Clean–the white sponge–dampened with water. My sinks have a “grain” to them, and if you wipe with the grain, then rinse with warm water, then dry with a towel/paper towel—-presto, clean and shiny sinks!!
use those sponges for many cleaning jobs. On my stainless sinks since the sponges first came on the market.
Just finished cleaning the outside of my stainless steel kettle. After many years of not cleaning the kettle came up beautiful. It was not hard todo either only took me half an hour to do while I was waiting to go out. Now I can see myself in it. Lovely Thank you. I will be using more of your tips for cleaning
First I used the vinegar and baking soda on a sink that had not been cleaned for years (bachelor tenant). All the stains disappeared. So, to get it even more clean, I tried the peroxide and cream of tartar. It wiped off even more grime and left it looking almost new. Tonight, I’m going to use the hot water and ammonia covered with plastic, just to see if it gets even better. Thanks so much for the tips. Now we will not have to replace the sink.
I tried the cream of tartar & peroxide on one area of my sink and it seemed to oxidize the finish, a lot of black came off on my rag. It left it looking shiny but every little scratch seemed to be highlighted. So then I tried the baking soda & vinegar and also the magic sponge. Either of these methods would work great except for they do not take off the hard water deposits. I’m going to try something else to take those off and then one of these methods should work for keeping it shiny. Thanks!
Hard water deposits: Try soaking a cloth in vinegar and leave sitting on the hard water deposits for an hour or so (overnight if they are super tough). I did this and it worked wonderfully!
I want to get rid of bacteria and brown discoloration. Not worried about shine.
have used vinegar for years, awesome for buildup. My Daughter just bought an older house that had lots of build up on faucets and windows so after reading an article to heat up the vinegar I placed a cloth over the faucet and damped it a few times over a l/2 hr period and bingo all of the build up is gone, Much faster. love, love the fact that I am not using chemicals and can’t beat the budget……..
Need help with tiny brown spots that appear to be rust (brand new sink, just moved in about two weeks ago). Tried windex and magic eraser, but they don’t come out. What next?
Also, is it best to use those sink liners to keep from getting scratches in the sink? I’ve never had a stainless steel sink before and I’m not sure what I did wrong already.
Cerama bryte for stains
Lysol toilet bowl cleaner for hard water buildup
Can I use bleach to clean a s/s sink