Having a clean sink is one of the easiest way’s to make your apartment or house look so much cleaner, FAST. It might seem like a small detail, but you will truly notice a difference when you ACTUALLY CLEAN the sink. Your guests will notice too!
Not to mention, the sink harbors so much bacteria, mold, and left over food that you certainly do NOT want to miss cleaning your kitchen sink. Doing your dishes just isn’t enough.
But no worries! Here is the BEST way to clean your sink in 10 minutes or less!
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Here’s what you will need:
Dawn Dish Soap
Tried and true! This is the only dish soap I use. It smells the best and gets off grease better than any other dish soap I’ve used! It’s the only dish soap that exists to me.
Garbage Disposal Cleaner Pods
I’m a cheapskate so I was hesitant to buy this product. I had heard great things about it but I thought it was “too expensive”. Really, it’s not that much, but you know how it is sometimes. Once I finally caved and used these, I totally got the hype! This product is well worth the money. Even if it isn’t that much to other people.
Scotts Scrub Brush
Having a good scrub brush is essential! It makes cleaning the kitchen so much easier. I use it on so many things… the sink, countertops, the stove, and more. It gets off all the crusted on food that you let sit too long!
Bar Keepers Friend
This product has been around for a really long time and it is the key product in this sink cleaning method. It’s tried and true! Both my mom and my grandma have sworn by this product for years. If you haven’t heard of this by now, well it’s time to try it out!
Microfiber Cloth
WOW. I just got microfiber clothes for the first time and wow. Just wow. These things are amazing! Plus, it is great not having to use so much paper towel. If they get messy, who cares! Chuck them in the wash and start all over again. You NEED microfiber cloths. Really!
Bleach (optional)
I don’t use bleach that often, but I do use it every few weeks. Bleach is one of the harshest cleaners. Which is great when you are disinfecting! But, having some bacteria around is actually a good thing. So I don’t use bleach too much.
Here’s how:
Time needed: 10 minutes
Here is EXACTLY how I get my apartment kitchen sink sparkling like it is brand new!
- Rinse the sink
Get rid of all of the loose gunk that’s just hanging out in the sink. Make sure to clean out the drain catcher and turn on the garbage disposal (turn it off when you’re done). You don’t want any backup coming up from the drain while you’re in the middle of cleaning.
- Do a light pass scrub with Dawn Dish Soap
Give the sink a quick scrub just to clean the surface and rinse. This is just prepping the sink for what’s to come. You don’t need to spend much time on this step at all.
- Sprinkle on Bar Keeper’s Friend and let it sit
Now that your sink is prepped and ready to go, sprinkle on Bar Keeper’s Friend on the rust spots and any spots that are heavily soiled with stuck on food. Just sprinkle it on… no scrubbing yet! You don’t need to do your entire sink unless you want to.
Your scrub brush should be able to do most of the work. However, the scrub brush alone definitely will not take off the rust spots. Make sure you give the product adequate time to set. - Scrub the backsplash and faucet with Dawn Dish Soap
While the BKF is doing its thing, scrub the backsplash, behind the sink, around the sink, and the faucet. All you need is Dawn Dish Soap and some water for this step.
- Scrub the Bar Keeper’s Friend and rinse
Now it’s time to scrub the BKF. Give it a real good scrubbing and then rinse. If you still see stains, repeat the process. Either your stains are set in hard or you didn’t let the product sit long enough. But trust me… this stuff WORKS! It’s incredible.
- Wipe down the backsplash with water on a microfiber cloth
Now back to the backsplash and outer sink… Wipe down the outside of the sink and the backsplash with a microfiber cloth with some warm water. Make sure these areas are not soaking wet. You don’t want to leave a bunch of water around the seal of your sink.
- Scrub the sink with Dawn Dish Soap and rinse
Now back to the sink… Give the sink a good quick scrub with the brush and some dish soap. This will get any of the left over gunk and food that might still be left. Rinse it all out after you finish scrubbing. No need to let it sit.
- Clean the garbage disposal
Now that you’ve gotten the gunk out of your sink, it’s time to get it out of your garbage disposal. I clean the disposal last because food will continue to accumulate in there while you are scrubbing the sink out.
I like to use the Lemi Shine Disposal Cleaner. It works great, smells amazing, and the foaming action is super satisfying! Follow the instructions per the product you are using. - Rinse and bleach
After the disposal is all clean, there will likely be a little bit of left over foam and some food that comes back up. Because it is all still wet, it will rinse right back down the drain. After you’ve completed your final rinse, lightly spray the entire sink with bleach and let it air dry. Bleaching your sink is optional, but it is a good way to completely disinfect your final product. I only do this once every few weeks.
And BOOM! There you go. A nice sparkly clean sink in under 10 minutes! Wanna see this method in action? It truly works! Check it out:
This post has been all about how to clean your apartment kitchen sink, step by step, and in under 10 minutes! Want more inspiration and quick tips? Check out these posts:
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