Spotless, sparkling stainless steel kitchen appliances look so great, don't they? Unless you've just finished a week's worth of cooking that is.
If you use your kitchen a lot, a shiny, stainless steel sink is probably not something you've seen since the day you moved in. In fact, your kitchen that once wouldn't have looked amiss in Ideal Home magazine is probably unrecognisable now.
The spills and stains from everyday life - and endless cups of tea - slowly build up, making your stainless steel less shiny.
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The copper tinged, spaghetti-stained and hard watermarked appliances are a far cry from the sleek stainless steel kitchen you dreamed of owning. From breakfast through to dinner, your sink gets less and less distinguishable from your matt, grey worktops. Leave it long enough, and you might completely forget what it's actually meant to look like.
One day, though - perhaps a visit from your extremely finicky Mother looming - you will reach the breaking point. You'll glance down at that once clean surface, and wonder what on earth happened.
Before you panic grab for the scourer and start sloshing on the first cleaning product you can find, take a minute to consider the following. Fail to do so, and you could be scrubbing for hours.
The key to getting stainless steel surfaces looking great again is not hours of gruelling cleaning, nor expensive products. In fact, it's really very simple - go au naturel.
Going for a natural cleaning solution is a great idea for three reasons:
- Natural, home cleaning products are often much, much cheaper than the store-bought equivalent. These products are relatively cheap to manufacture, but their expensive packaging, reputable branding and required profit margins mean the price is hiked up.
- Some of the chemicals in toxic, store-bought products cannot be broken down at treatment plants before being released into waterways. This means they end up in streams, rivers, and the sea. The consequential effects on sea life are devastating, often resulting in the death of many creatures and their habitats.
- Simply put, natural products are much safer than those found on supermarket shelves. Not only do these harsh chemicals irritate skin, but the fumes can cause respiratory problems too. Additionally, if inquisitive little ones are around, digested cleaning products can prove deadly.
Perhaps you've never tried natural products before, and don't know where to start. Well, I have some good news - far from being complicated, natural cleaning products are actually extremely easy to make and use. The suggested method for cleaning stainless steel involves just two ingredients - I'll put money on the fact you have both of which in your cupboard right now!
So put down your toxic cleaning supplies, take a deep breath, and get ready to transform your stainless steel sink to its former glory. It will be so blindingly bright, you'll be able to see your satisfied face reflected back at you!
The two, natural secret ingredients to shine stainless steel are...
Our old favourite, baking soda, and table salt - that really is it!
The baking soda will work it's usual magic, breaking down grime, dirt and stains. It's the addition of salt, however, that make this combination really special.
Have you ever used an exfoliator? If you have, you'll know how the small particles gently remove impurities and dry skin from your face, leaving you with a flawless complexion. Well, salt serves the same purpose in your natural stainless steel cleaner. The bicarb acts as the base, reacting with dirt to remove it, and the salt provides friction and scrubbing power.
It's the combination of the two elements that will get your stainless steel shining brightly.
For an extremely easy application, I'd recommend popping the solution into an old salt or sugar shaker. That way you can easily sprinkle it on your stainless steel surfaces, in whatever form they may be.
How to make your all-natural, stainless steel shining solution
Ingredients
- 340g baking soda
- 170g salt
- salt or sugar dispenser
Instructions
1.Add baking soda & salt to a jug or bowl & mix with a spoon to combine.
2. Empty contents into your shaker, ensure lid is on & tightly fastened.
3. Wipe stainless steel surface using a wet cloth.
4. Sprinkle powder onto surface, wait for half a minute, then begin to scrub using a firm brush, or soft scourer.
5. Watch in awe as your stainless steel begins to shine once more!
It really is as simple as that. No need for endless scrubbing, sore hands and disappointing results. Just two, all natural, non-toxic ingredients to get your stainless steel shining.
Stainless steel looks so much better when it's sparkling! Will you be trying this all natural solution too?
340 grams of bicarb? Really? That's nearly two pot fulls of the stuff.
Hi Julie. This is to make a solution that will last for a long time, over several months. The quantities, can, of course be halved to suit your needs. Thanks :)
Hi, do you have a tip on how to keep a cream one of those plastic type Sink clean, it was lovely when new! But I only have to empty the teapot and I swill the sink straight away and it's stained again and only bleach will remove it, I have tried filling it with biological washing powder, soda crystals, scouring it with cif, and in one Afternoon it back looking like its never been cleaned for a month, PLEASE HELP
Hi Anne. Have you tried bicarb? Salt may scratch the plastic so I wouldn't recommend that, but bicarbonate of soda is a very powerful cleaner that may just do the trick!
fantastic love these natural cleaning solutions there great and this on really works wow my sinks are ace thank you so so much x
Hi Lynette. I was SO impressed with the results too - glad you liked it! :)
I will most certainly be trying this today ! Thanks for the tip.
Hi Karen. Let me know how you get on!
Put a scoop of stain remover, any brand . Fill with boiling water and leave . The oxygen in the stain remover lifts all stains and grease out and after halfhr. Drain and rinse sink without any rubbing. Your sink will look brand new.
Hi Roger, Thanks for sharing this unique tip with us. We've not tried it before, but it sounds extremely simple and easy to do - we'll definitely be giving it a go! Thanks :)
But is stain remover as ocean friendly I wonder?
Does this tough duo also work on cleaning stubborn dirty baths and sinks (not stainless steel!)? Or is there another `natural`alternative? Look forward to your great advice!
Hi Evelyn. This would certainly work on a ceramic bath sink, however it can be quite abrasive, so if you're using it on your bath, I'd recommend scrubbing with the green side of a worn sponge. I hope this helps, and do let us know how you get on!
Thank you never done this and its cleaning day so giving it a go xx
Happy cleaning, Alison!
Hi, I use your tip for the stainless Steel sinks. Because of the large quantities I use 2 teaspoon baking soda to 1 teaspoon salt in my small sink in the caravan. Works a treat.
Great idea, Ruth! This recipe does make quite a large batch for frequent use.
A simpler effective and cheaper way is rubbing half a fresh lemon all around your stainless steel sink, leave 5-10 minutes if you wish, then rinse with boiling water. Buff if wish with dry microfiber cloth. Not only will it look clean and shiny, it will smell great too. Eau natural cost between 12-16p.
Great idea!
How can I get my bathroom tiles back to shiny? I live in a very hard water area and limescale is everywhere. I'm sure the baking soda and salt would work but the tiles are on the wall so I'm a bit stumped.
Hi Sharon! Have you heard of dish mates? They're sponges that hold cleaning products in the handles. Normally you fill it with washing up liquid and use to wash dishes, but they're also really good for cleaning tiles. You could fill with any cleaning solution, but I find that flash works the best. Once cleaned, go over with a squeegee and/or a buffing cloth.