BEFORE: Blueberry puree creates a tough stain.
AFTER: Less than 10 minutes to a beautiful white sink again.
Non-toxic cleaners are my choice in every area of my home except for one: the kitchen sink.
Although I do use a non-toxic soft scrub recipe for regular sink cleaning, I reach for something more powerful when it’s time to tackle tough stains.
It takes no time at all to re-store my sink to gleaming white and I’m going to show you how to do it.
Don’t have a white sink? This technique is fabulous for bathtubs, too!
My kitchen sink on an average day
The cast-iron sink pictured here is more than 45 years old. It’s the original that came with the kitchen when we purchased our home.
We liked the feel of the original kitchen and wanted to maintain some of its charm while still giving it an update. So we kept the sink and cabinets but replaced the flooring, countertops, appliances, and lighting.
I’d never had a white sink and loved it – at first. It didn’t take long for me to become frustrated with how easily it stains.
Today I made some fresh blueberry puree for my baby boy. When I was finished cleaning up the pots, my sink wasn’t looking too great.
For the purpose of this post, I intentionally poured the leftover blueberry liquid over the entire surface of one side of the sink.
I then let it sit for ~30 minutes so that the stain would be nice and hefty.
Fresh blueberry puree I made for my little boy
What my sink looked like afterward
THE CLEAN-UP
Here’s the process I followed for cleaning my sink:
1. Rinse sink with water
2. Spray inside of sink evenly with Clorox Clean-Up (the one that contains bleach). You really don’t need a lot. I always suggest wearing gloves when using products containing bleach.
3. Leave on for ~2-3 minutes, 5 maximum. Do not think that longer is better. If you leave it on for too long, you may experience some yellow discoloration depending on the condition of your sink.
For this post, I let the Clorox spray sit for 2 minutes.
4. While waiting for the Clorox to work, combine baking soda and Ivory liquid dishwashing soap in a small bowl until the mixture is the consistency of cake frosting. Like this:
Non-toxic Soft Scrub
Optional – Add a few drops of your favorite essential oil for a pleasant scent. The best ones for disinfecting are lavender or tea tree oil. I like lavender, which is also a deodorizer, so it nearly eliminates the smell of bleach.
Other choices that are good for general cleaning but not disinfecting are bergamot, peppermint, and tangerine.
5. Lightly rinse sink with water to remove most of the Clorox spray and wet your scratch-free sponge.
6. Slather your sponge with enough soft scrub to clean 1/2 of the sink, reserving the remainder to clean the other half. Like this:
How much to use
8. Simply scrub the tough areas and wipe the rest of the sink with your sponge.
9. Rinse thoroughly.
Your sink should now be gleaming white and smell terrific! Like this:
After cleaning.
Mama is happy again.
Total elapsed time: just under 8 minutes!
Just under 8 minutes!
Ready to give it a try?
What You’ll Need
Here’s your shopping list:
—Clorox Clean-Up Spray with bleach. Nothing I’ve tried whitens the sink like this product does.
–Kitchen gloves
–No-scratch sponge
–Baking soda
–Ivory liquid dishwashing soap
—Optional: Essential oil – lavender or tea tree are best for disinfecting
–Small mixing bowl. I have a few reserved specifically for cleaning.
—Mini spatula. I get mine at Williams-Sonoma.
Now enjoy your gleaming white sink! And if you’re up for it, this technique is fabulous for bathtubs, too!
Enjoy your like-new white sink!
Looking for other cleaning products I use Around My Home? See my previous post: Top 3 Cleaning Products I Use That You Can Make At Home
Around My Home 
I gave it a try today. My kitchen sink is sparkling.
Great to hear!