Cleaning my Corian sink

Gayle Loney
by Gayle Loney
I have a Corian sink which has some yellow around where the water goes down. How do I clean this?
  4 answers
  • Janet Pizaro Janet Pizaro on Oct 11, 2016
    Try making a paste with baking soda and peroxide. Rub into the stain and leave on long enough to aid in the removal.
  • William William on Oct 11, 2016
    DuPont, the maker of Corian, tested the material against a wide array of cleaning products. It found that bleach is fine, with the caveat that you should rinse it off within 16 hours. That’s also true for many other household cleaners, including those containing abrasives, ammonia, strong detergents, oxalic acid, diluted hydrochloric acid and diluted trisodium phosphate, or TSP. Acidic drain cleaners, paint removers containing methylene chloride, and some other solvent-based cleaners can damage the material, but these aren’t products you’re likely to want in your kitchen sink anyway. Light brown stains can be caused by tea or coffee. To remove them, try a scrub powder with oxalic acid, such as Bar Keepers Friend or Zud. If that isn’t enough, use bleach in water. In its advice about disinfecting Corian surfaces, DuPont recommends using a solution of half bleach and half water, so even that strong a solution should be okay for removing stains. Or you can use a product that has bleach included, such as Comet Cleaner With Bleach or Soft Scrub With Bleach. It’s safe to scrub with a green Scotch-Brite pad on a Corian sink (but not on a countertop, because it will dull the surface). To get an even sheen, DuPont recommends going over the whole sink surface with the pad. Keep it damp. ***** Use a paste of baking soda and 3% solution hydrogen peroxide (what you find in most stores). Mix this up – you can even do it in the sink itself – and then let sit, covered, for a few hours. The recommendation is to cover with plastic wrap, but since I hate plastic wrap, perhaps just try a rag. After a few hours, just rinse clean. If that doesn’t work, fill the sink with water and drop a couple of denture cleaning tables in. Again, let sit for a few hours. The Mr. Clean Magic Eraser may also be a solution. Many people swear it is the best thing for getting stains out. Here’s the thing. It is made up of formaldehyde-melamine-sodium bisulfite copolymer. Although that sounds scary, the ingredients are basically all bound up in the polymer, and you really aren’t going to get exposure to anything offgassing like you might most conventional cleaners. It is hazardous if ingested. The reason I don’t like it is because it is a petrochemical based foam, and isn’t good for the environment – uses non renewable resources and clogs up the landfills. But in terms of a home’s indoor air quality, it shouldn’t affect it (any formaldehyde would be minute).
  • Karen Karen on Oct 11, 2016
    Barkeepers Friend.. Cleans grease, food and drink stains off stoves and counter tops as well.
  • Roberta Stewart-Fite Roberta Stewart-Fite on Oct 12, 2016
    I use straight vinegar for all my cleaning. Spray it on and walk away for an hour. If the vinegar does not work thoroughly, I use 100% pure lemon oil. Feel free to contact me about where to purchase. twosocksmom@gmail.com