Asked on Dec 27, 2017

I have a very porous kitchen sink with lots of stains. How to clean it

Victoria
by Victoria
Over the years this sink has gotten some horrible stains and no matter what I use, I can't get it clean. Any suggestions?

  15 answers
  • April Brown April Brown on Dec 27, 2017

    If porcelain then use baking soda to scour each time you clean. Over time that will return the shine. You can also take paper towels and dampen them with lemon juice and lay over the worst stains and renew this when dry and try to bleach them naturally. smells great...or even hydrogen peroxide the same way.

    • Victoria Victoria on Dec 27, 2017

      I honestly don't know what this sink is made of. It's not porcelain. Not anything like a typical sink that cleans easily. I've been told not

      to use anything abrasive on it. But nothing else has worked so I tried your basic Comet and that did nothing to the stains. I will try the lemon juice and/or the peroxide that you suggest. Thank you!

  • Barbara Barbara on Dec 27, 2017

    Have you tried Bar Keepers Friend, this is a pretty good product. Also check out Pinterest for more help.

    • See 1 previous
    • Amazing Grace ! Amazing Grace ! on Dec 13, 2021

      Bar Keepers is hands down better than comet, soft scrub, etc. But what you might try, is a toilet stone. It isn't an actual stone but it may help. It is sold at Walmart (well it used to be) now I have to get them at Ace Hardware.

      It is used to remove the hard water lines off of toilets, heck for a couple of dollars, it's worth a try.

  • Cindy Hagemann Cindy Hagemann on Dec 27, 2017

    I like Bar Keepers Friends with bleach.

  • Kay Kay on Dec 27, 2017

    I have a white fiberglass kitchen sink that I've had the same problem with since 1 year after I installed it! All the suggestions so far recommend using powdered formulations- milder and less gritty than Comet cleanser, but will still rough up the surface to a small degree. Yes, even baking soda! These cleaning methods are what creates the problem in the first place!! Same is true with the fiberglass tubs. They come with a very smooth, shiny surface. But when you start using the wrong cleaning products on them that have even a tiny bit of abrasiveness to them, you gradually remove the protective smooth and shiny finish. When that happens, the surface becomes VERY POROUS and it will absorb any liquid that comes in contact with it and will leave immediate stains. Think coffee, koolaid, wine, tomatoes in any form, etc. So only a few drops of anything with color inside a glass is enough to create a new stain. And soy sauce residue, tomato sauce, catsup, A-1, anything dark colored left on plate when you put it in the sink will also stain the sink. The only thing I found to dramatically improve the looks of the sink is to bleach it once a week. MY way : dry the sink out first so the bleach will not be too diluted to work well!! I put straight bleach (no water added!!) in a 20 ounce spray bottle so that I can just leave it under the sink between cleanings. Anyhew, next I spray the heck out of the whole sink. Then I go do something else for as long as I feel like it. Then come back to it and rinse it well. Then use your liquid dish soap on your dish cloth or sponge and clean the sink with that, which serves to knock down the bleach odor in the sink. NO SCRUBBING necessary. My permanent solution will be to replace the sink with a much more practical stainless steel version within the next few months. The crappy fiberglass sink I have will look beautiful buried in my garden up to the rim of the sink, with flowers planted in both bowls, or bury it to the rim and turn it into a little fountain. In either case, the faucets will stay on the sink, and if I turn it into a fountain, the water will of course come out of the spout. Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. My motto. I'm jus sayin...

  • Janet Pizaro Janet Pizaro on Dec 27, 2017

    Make a mixture of cream of tartar and lemon into a paste. apply to the stains leaving on ling enough to help get rid of them.

  • Victoria Victoria on Dec 27, 2017

    Thank you for your suggestions. I will try your bleach method asap!

  • April Brown April Brown on Dec 27, 2017

    Does it have any chips where black shows? if yes then it is porcelain. But if it is a plastic like some have been made...then the baking soda is a safe abrasive to use. It never scratches and will eventually will have a soft glow. My dad has those plastic sinks in his bathrooms and they are awful as he has iron in his water and it stains them red... nothing has worked. I suggested he repaint them with epoxy.

  • Barbara Barbara on Dec 27, 2017

    Not at all

  • Barbara Barbara on Dec 28, 2017

    No

  • Gail Gail on Dec 28, 2017

    Try half a "grapefruit" & little salt or baking soda to clean stains. Once sink is as clean as you can get it & your ready to accept it til you can replace it, here's a tip to help keep it looking shiny & more stain resistant. This might also get rid of your stains -- get a good auto finish restorer & put on sink. When it becomes hazy, Buff it just as you would a car. That will help to bring back shine as well. After you're done, wash sink out with mild dish soap & soft rag or sponge & rinse well.

  • Victoria Victoria on Jan 04, 2018

    Turns out that I have something called Moenstone. And guess what, the business is out of business. And apparently there is nothing to remove the stains. They are permanent. However I will try different remedies suggested by you. And I thank you all for trying to help me!

  • Jill Van Denburg Jill Van Denburg on Dec 03, 2018

    today I used Lime-A-Way toilet bowl cleaner (from Dollar Tree) on my VERY porous and stained antique wall hung kitchen sink. I caused some of the porous problem by using grout cleaner on it.. mistake.....Anyway- I poured some on, scrubbed JUST a little - I couldn't believe the results...it worked for me, but my sink is legit super bad and nothing else has worked. I would advise caution if using on a undamaged surface. Now, I need to somehow seal it.

  • Victoria Victoria on Dec 03, 2018

    Great idea; thank you so much for your help!! I'll give it a try for sure!

  • Deb K Deb K on Jun 06, 2021

    Hi Victoria, hope this helps you out,

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sI0hbRS9dtw