Kitchen Sink Care
Stylish® stainless steel sinks are made from premium quality chrome nickel steel, which offers excellent strength and hardness, is highly resistant to staining, rust and corrosion - plus it won't chip, craze, flake or break.
Discolouration and most marks on stainless steel are caused by water-borne deposits clinging to its surface. They are always the result of an outside source rather than coming from the steel itself.
Please follow these quick tips for daily sink cleaning and care:
Rinse and dry your sink with a clean soft cloth, working with, not across, the grain; to prevent surface spots and lime build up stains caused by the water we use.
Use mild non-abrasive liquid cream cleaners that do not contain chlorine, sodium hypochlorite or hydrochloric acid to help maintain the original appearance of your sink.
Products like ‘Shiny Sinks’ or ‘Flitz & Bar Keepers Friend’ (available from most major supermarkets) can be used daily. It is helpful to dry the sink thoroughly after cleaning.
THINGS TO AVOID
Using abrasive sponge pads, wire brushes, metal scrub packs or steel wool as these items will scratch your sink as well as dull the finish.
Leaving salt, vinegar, citric fruit juices, mustard or pickles on the surface for any length of time as they can cause corrosion. Certain foods, when left for prolonged periods, can cause pitting and corrosion. Examples are citric fruit juices, salt, vinegar, mustard, pickles, and mayonnaise Strong acids can damage stainless steel (i.e., photographic developing liquids or denture cleanser). If they come in contact with the sink, they should be washed away immediately with clean water Steel wool pads are not recommended for cleaning stainless steel sinks
Abrasive cleaners such as bleach as these products will dull and tarnish the finish. Bleaches containing hypochlorite will attack stainless steel and cause pitting and staining. Silver dip cleaners contain acids which attack stainless steel and leave a permanent stain.
Defrosting frozen food directly on the surface of your sink as it will discolour the stainless steel. It is recommended to use a plate or pot which is placed in your sink.
Leaving wet sponges or cloths in or on the sink surface for long periods of time as they too may discolour the sinks. Similarly, the use of rubber coated mats may discolour the sink under prolong use.
HOW TO REMOVE SCRATCHES ON A STAINLESS STEEL SINK
The surface scratches which appear on stainless steel sinks rarely have any appreciable depth and will become less noticeable with age. All stainless steel sink will develop a patina with time and will look better a year after installation than during the first few months of use due to the fact that the scratching will have evened out. All sinks manufactured in stainless steel perform in exactly the same way in this respect be the Stylish’s manufacture or by a competitor.
We recommend the use of products like 'Bar Keepers Friend’ (available from most major supermarkets). It is helpful to dry the sink thoroughly after cleaning.
Tough Stains and Rust:
Most stains are a result of water-borne minerals. Such stains are often seen as a rainbow effect and can generally be avoided with the daily care recommendations above. Rust stains are a result of iron particles from an outside source (i.e., water, cookware, etc.) and can be removed with cleaners containing oxalic acid (such as Bar Keepers Friend). Steel wool pads leave tiny particles that will develop into rust spots. Stainless steel is, by itself, metallurgically incapable of rusting.
Never use steel wool to clean your stainless steel sink. Persistent stains, including rust, can be removed with a variety of mild non-abrasive stainless steel cleaners such as 'Autosol Shine' cream, and others. Always rinse thoroughly after using any cleaner, and wipe your sink dry with a clean soft cloth.
