How to Clean Globe Sink Faucet Handles!

6 Materials
10 Minutes
Easy
I live in an apartment, and most of them have these acyrlic, glob sink handles in the kitchen, and often for the shower faucet too. And they always looked grimy and dirty, despite cleaning them. Little did I know that it is SUPER easy to deep clean these knobs and get them sparkling again!
Here's a picture of the type of faucet handle I'm talking about. And you can see how the dirt just gets trapped under that and makes it look so gross!


Here’s what you’ll need to clean it:
  • A flat-head screw driver, or some other implement or tool with a narrow edge – sometimes a butter knife will work in a pinch!
  • Hot, sudsy water
  • A washcloth
  • An old toothbrush
  • A few Q-tips
  • A straight pin
How to Clean Inside Dirty Faucet Handles


1.) Fill up one side of the sink with your hot, sudsy water.


2.) Gently pry the cap off of the first handle or knob.  


Every brand of faucet knob is a little different: some of them have a small notch where you can place the edge of your screwdriver, which makes them easier to pop off, but even if they don’t, you’ll get it.


3.) Now use your screwdriver to remove the faucet screw inside the handle.  
Be sure to carefully remove the screw and safely set it aside – away from the edge of the sink so it doesn’t get accidentally dropped down the drain, or even worse, into the garbage disposal!  (Yep…I’ve done it before!)
4.) Once you have the screw removed, lift it straight up to separate the handle from the “stem” below it.


5.) As you remove the caps and knobs on each side, simply drop them in the hot, sudsy water to soak!


This will loosen up the dried-on food and dirt while you clean the faucet handle stems.
6.) Clean the faucet stems.


This is where the toothbrush comes in!  Check out all that grime! Scrub away at it with a sudsy toothbrush.
7.) Clean the faucet handles and caps.
Now that the stems are clean and drying, clean the clear acrylic globes in the sudsy water with a washcloth. Don’t forget the toothbrush trick to get in all the nooks and crannies!
The q-tip comes into play for cleaning those tight spots where even the toothbrush can’t go!


8.) Let the handles and cap inserts dry.


Once all the individual parts all nice and sparkly-clean, you’re going to need to set them in an area where they can dry properly and thoroughly.
9. ) Once all of your components are dry, it’s a snap to put it all back together again…
10.) Now, step back and admire your shiny, like-new, and clean faucet sink handles!


*If you have a HOT/COLD insert like I do, I have tips on how to remove it in my blog post, as well as a FREE easy-to-use printable version of this cleaning tutorial!


If you love easy, smart cleaning tutorials like this one, then you'll love my cleaning ebook Speed Clean the Deep Clean!
Suggested materials:
  • Flathead screwdriver
  • Washcloth
  • Dish soap
See all materials
Katelyn Fagan
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
  2 questions
  • Gua11712914 Gua11712914 on Jun 20, 2017

    Do you need to turn off the water?

  • Laurie Holleman Sherrod Laurie Holleman Sherrod on Dec 08, 2018

    I cannot find the notch on mine and have poked around it a bunch and still cannot figure out how to get the top off. I did get it off once before after reading a blog about it and it told me how to do it - and now I cannot remember. Any suggestions?

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  • Wandamurline Wandamurline on Jun 28, 2017

    Thanks for this advice....I got rid of all my faucets like this with the exception of the guest tub because it was going to be a BIG deal to remove. I will try this to keep it clean.

  • Nelly Balderas Nelly Balderas on Jul 13, 2017

    Thank you, I would like to add, if you place wateproof silicone before you snap the lid, you will not have this problem again. Mine has held up for four months. You can take it off if you need to replace or fix.

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