Achieving a Super Model Kitchen Sink
Having lived in our current home for over eighteen years, my husband and I have grown accustomed to the wear and tear brought on by two adults, working from home, and a furry family that has ranged from two to five indoor cats. The cats can be blamed for tearing up carpet in certain areas, scratch marks on hardwood floors and tearing up different textiles, though surprisingly few. The rest is on their humans.
When we purchased this home, it was brand new. We contracted with a builder and chose finishes and were so excited when we moved in. Over the years, we realized that the level of finishes in a home were not as high end as we had hoped. Builders do the bare minimum to make a big impact, but their materials are not always the best. I have had no fewer than six door handles come apart in my hand as I was pulling them open. That’s just the first example that comes to mind.
One area that has always disappointed my husband, James, is our kitchen sink. Like all kitchen sinks, it sees the daily messes. That’s not an issue. Soft Scrub, Ajax and most recently plain old baking soda, can get it clean. Clean, however, is not sparkling. James is a person that notices that, along with the scratches from various kitchen gadgets being tossed into the sink. He is meticulous about keeping things like his car (twelve years old, by the way) looking brand new. It pays too. Whenever he trades in a car or sells one, he gets beyond what we expected as top dollar. Not exactly a shock since it is the same principle that I preach to my seller-clients about creating buyer enthusiasm in their homes.
Last week, I came into the kitchen to see James furiously scrubbing away at the sink. It wasn’t with any of the typical cleaning products mentioned above. He had already cleaned the sink with baking soda and Dawn. He was on to his final step which involved White Diamond Metal Polish, a product found in automotive shops. Once applied, it turns black and you rub it off as you would wax on a car. The result was a truly sparkling sink, which is pictured at the top of this post.
This is not the first time an automotive product has been used in the Cleland household. Plexus, a plastic polish used on motorcycle helmets, is something that our cultured marble bathroom sinks have enjoyed to reinvigorate their own shine. James has even used Plexus on our plexiglass shower door.
A day after polishing our kitchen sink with White Diamond, I was absolutely stunned at how sparkly it still looked, even as a was cleaning dinner plates out in it. Despite a chunk of food prominently displayed on its countenance, this sink was absolutely gleaming to the point of feeling it was winking at me. That is when our sink become Sinky Crawford.
If a product works, it works. And I have to say, White Diamond Metal Polish is not a bad idea for stainless steel kitchen sinks. It takes more elbow grease than a simple clean with a household cleanser. Buffing off the polish until your cloth no longer has any signs of the black residue is where most of your time will be spent. James took a swipe at it with seventy percent isopropyl alcohol to speed up the removal process.
When you are about to put your home on the market, or just want a sparkling kitchen sink that is blindingly beautiful, try it yourself.
Chris Ann Cleland
Associate Broker
VA License #0225089470
Long & Foster Real Estate
Call or Text: 703-402-0037
Email: ChrisAnn@LNF.com
www.UncompromisingValues.com
The opinions expressed in this blog are those of Chris Ann Cleland, not Long & Foster. All content is written by Chris Ann Cleland without the aid of artificial intelligence.