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Cleaning stainless steel: Here’s how to look after your sink

It’s here at last: your new stainless steel sink! The shine of a newly installed sink will attract plenty of admiring glances. If you want to keep it that way, you need to know how to clean and maintain stainless steel properly. This includes daily cleaning, removing limescale and monthly deep-cleaning.

How To Clean Stainless steel sinks

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Overview:

Every stainless steel surface is different

Stainless steel isn’t all the same! In their original form, stainless steel surfaces with a natural finish are resistant. These surfaces may be treated with both anti-limescale or lemon or vinegar cleaning agents. Linen-look, satin matt and Durinox surfaces may also be cleaned in this way.

Durinox is extremely hard for uncoated stainless steel and is thus twice as resistant as conventional stainless steel surfaces; however, you should not use any polishing agents on it, either. A damp microfibre cloth or a soft sponge without any detergent are fine for daily cleaning. One major advantage is that Durinox stainless steel sinks are also impervious to fingerprints.

Surfaces with a stain polish or brushed finish require a little more care. These materials should be polished along the direction of brushing.

Surface finishes for stainless steel sinks:

Satin polish surface

Satin polish

A polished stainless steel sink is a real kitchen showpiece.

Brushed surface

Brushed finish

In a matt finish, the slightly polished stainless steel sink blends subtly into the overall kitchen concept.

Durinox surface

Durinox

The specially developed Durinox gets scratched less easily than any other type of stainless steel sink.

Linen surface

Linen

At first glance, it looks rough yet wonderfully delicate – how about stainless steel in a linen look?

Dark Steel Sample

Dark Steel

The dark gray stainless steel has a pleasant, warm feel that does not require any coating at all.

Maintain the shine and look of your sink with the right kind of cleaning.

Avoid these cleaning mistakes

  • Do not use aggressive cleaning agents, abrasive cleaners or bleach containing hypochlorite
  • Do not use cleaning baths for silver
  • Do not use prickly brushes or the scratchy side of sponges (especially pot scouring pads)
  • Never use steel wool for cleaning

All of these things can cause scratches and permanently damage the stainless steel surface of your sink.

BLANCO stainless steel sink is dried with a microfibre cloth

Daily Cleaning

All stainless steel surfaces are best cleaned immediately after they have been used. This helps prevent limescale. The process is quite simple: squeeze some detergent onto the soft side of your sponge. Clean the stainless steel surface by working in the direction of brushing. You will be able to see the direction if you look at the stainless steel from an angle. At the end, simply rinse with clean water and rub dry with a microfibre cloth. This also helps to prevent limescale. And you’re done!

Here’s how to clean it properly: when cleaning, avoid circular movements, as this can cause permanent changes to the surface structure. This is particularly applicable to surfaces with a satin matt finish. Note also that vigorous polishing in a particular spot may cause changes to the level of gloss in this area.

BLANCO stainless steel sink is sprayed with BLANCO DailyClean+, the professional limescale remover.

How to remove stubborn limescale

Vinegar- or lemon-based cleaning agents are good for dealing with limescale. They clean thoroughly and are easily biodegradable. However, if your cleaning agents contain any additives, you need to tread a bit more cautiously: ingredients added to such detergents tend to be too aggressive for most stainless steel surfaces. If they also contain limescale-removing substances, small particles in the fluid may rub against the stainless steel surface and cause it to change appearance.

To be on the safe side, it’s best to opt for pure vinegar essence of the sort your grandmother might have used. Dilute the vinegar essence with water in a mixing ratio of 1:10. Alternatively, you could use the BLANCO Care products: These formulas were specially developed for using on BLANCO sinks and mixer taps. Theyclean gently yet effectively.

The same applies here: when cleaning stainless steel, always work in the direction of brushing. Avoid circular movements. Afterwards, rinse surfaces down thoroughly with clean water so that no traces of the cleaning agent remain. Finally, rub the sink dry with a microfibre cloth.

Draining surface of a BLANCO stainless steel sink is cleaned with BLANCO DeepClean Stainless Steel.

Regular basic cleaning

You should give your stainless steel sink a basic clean with a suitable polishing agent every 3 to 4 weeks. One exception is stainless steel sinks in Durinox, satin matt finish, natural finish or a linen look. As these materials are more delicate, you should avoid using polishing agents on them.

The following applies to all stainless steel versions: the polish seals the surface, so that less limescale can form. In addition, your sink becomes less susceptible to unsightly fingerprints. If cleaned regularly, a protective layer will form over time, making scratches disappear and increasing the shine.

Our recommendations

BLANCO DailyClean+

BLANCO DailyClean+

Professional limescale remover for all surfaces and fittings

To the BLANCO Shop
BLANCO DeepClean Stainless Steel

BLANCO DeepCleean

The cleaner for stainless steel sinks and basins

To the BLANCO Shop

Questions about stainless steel sinks

Can stainless steel sinks rust?

Stainless steel stays just as it is: resistant and rustproof. This is due to its passive coating, which is constantly regenerating itself. You should clean your stainless steel sink thoroughly in order to ensure that it stays shining for years to come. It is particularly important to remove all dirt and limescale deposits. However, your sink will not respond well to cleaning agents containing chlorine or hydrochloric acid. Strong sodium chloride solutions that take too long to work are also a no-go.

But what if you’ve spotted a couple of tiny reddish-orange marks on your stainless steel sink? If stainless steel comes into contact with rusty objects, such as cheap, unprotected steel, the rust can transfer onto your sink. This is nothing to worry about. You can wipe the rust away in one swipe using a damp sponge and a special stainless steel cleaning agent, and your sink will be spotlessly clean once again.

What causes small marks on the surface of a stainless steel sink?

Even showpieces like our stainless steel sinks sometimes get little marks on their surface. This is usually due to limescale deposits caused by water. These limescale deposits like to gather dirt particles, so you’ll notice small marks on your otherwise sparkling sink. Another origin is small iron and rust particles from the water pipes. These appear to leave traces of rust on your stainless steel sink.

However, you can get all this under control in no time. Impurities and traces of limescale can be removed in a trice with a damp cloth. If you’re struggling to remove any stubborn limescale, it’s time to try a special cleaning agent. Once that’s done, your stainless steel sink will look the way you remember once again: sparkling clean.

How can I prevent small marks from forming in my stainless steel sink?

Such radiant shine requires a little care. It doesn’t take much effort, but it needs to be done frequently. So if you want to avoid little marks on your stainless steel sink, rub it dry after each use. You don’t need to scrub it vigorously. After rinsing, simply wipe it with a soft cloth and a mild cleaner, then dry it – all done!

If you do spot an unwanted mark, use a descaling cleaning agent specially designed for stainless steel. Together with a suitable stainless steel cleaning sponge, the surface will be so spotlessly clean that you’ll wonder where those marks went so quickly.

Why is my new stainless steel sink showing scratch marks after only a few weeks?

Brand new but a few little scratches already: your stainless steel sink will be a little susceptible to this at first. However, there’s no need to worry. This is completely normal, even with our top quality stainless steel. Just wait and see: after a few days, many of the little scratches will appear to have vanished again. What’s happened? The scratches haven’t vanished into thin air; instead, they close over slowly, thanks to the effect of oxygen. This is constantly renewing the passive coating. As such, the stainless steel sink in your kitchen heals itself.

Taking good care of your sink will start to pay off within just a few weeks, so use care products and a sponge on it regularly. The more attention you give to your sink, the more scratch-resistant it will become.

How can I clean my basket strainer?

The strainer basket ensures that your sink drains freely. Nevertheless, it needs to be cleaned every now and then. To do this, spread powdered dishwasher detergent, add hot water and let the solution soak in. Brush away any deposits, rinse clearly and you're done. In the FAQ section of our service page, we show you in detail how to get the strainer basket clean.

How to clean stainless steel sinks?

Pure vinegar essence in a mixing ratio of 1:10 with water makes it easy to clean the sink. Or you can use our special cleaner BLANCO DailyClean+. This was specially developed for BLANCO sinks. Always work in the brushing direction of the stainless steel. Rinse with plenty of water. Then rub the sink and draining board dry with a microfiber cloth.

How to polish stainless steel sinks properly?

Make your stainless steel sink an eye-catcher in your kitchen and polish the bowl and drainboard. When polishing, observe the brushing direction of the stainless steel. Always polish in the direction of brushing. We have developed BLANCO Polish for polishing. For sinks made of Durinox, you do not need a polishing agent to make your sink shine. A damp sponge or a microfiber cloth with a little dishwashing detergent is perfectly adequate for care here.

How to get scratches from a stainless steel sink?

Small scratches often disappear on their own due to the formation of the passive layer. In addition, you can polish away scratches depending on the surface finish of your sink. Our polishing agent BLANCO Polish is suitable for this - however, if you have a sink made of Durinox, you should do without it.