Cleaning a Bathroom Sink

Take a moment and think of all of the products that wash down your bathroom sink drain. That list might include soap residue, shaving cream, hair, toothpaste, face cleanser, hair dye, makeup, lotion, medicated cream, baby's bathwater, exfoliated skin, drain cleaner, cleaning chemicals, food particles, and even blood. With all of those things in and around your bathroom sink, harmful grime and bacteria may flourish there without your realization.

Cleaning your bathroom sink not only makes it aesthetically pleasing, it helps to rid your home of harmful bacterium. To clean your bathroom sink, you will need a small cleaning sponge with a scrub pad on one side, spray glass cleaner such as Windex, paper towels, a paper disposable drinking cup, and a scouring cleaning agent such as liquid Soft Scrub. Follow these simple steps to clean your bathroom sink:

1. Turn on the tap and quickly rinse the sink basin, while completely saturating your cleaning sponge.
2. Pull up the plug from the drain hole and remove all of the debris from the plug. Squirt a little cleaning agent onto the scrubber side of the sponge and scrub the plug, making sure that you remove all of the grime and residue from the nooks and crannies. Rinse the plug and replace it.
3. Squirt more cleaning agent onto your scrubber sponge, wet it with a little warm water, and then scour the basin of the sink with the scrubber pad.
4. Turn the sponge over to the soft side and scour the chrome ring at the base of the basin around the drain, as well as the faucet, knobs, and any other metal fixtures. Rinse the sponge completely, squeeze out the excess water, and set aside.
5. Fill your disposable cup with warm water and flush the cleaning agent from the entire sink and metal fixtures repeatedly.
6. Spray the entire basin and metal fixtures with glass cleaner, and wipe down with paper towels until dry. Pay close attention to the metal fixtures, and rub them until they shine.

Don't forget to clean the bathroom countertop after you clean your sink. For stubborn stains such as those caused by hard water deposits, buy a specially formulated cleaning product that contains phosphoric or hydrochloric acid. Always wear rubber gloves when you clean with harsh chemicals.

Maintain your clean sink by wiping it down once a week with a mild cleanser, and then once a month thoroughly clean your bathroom sink as outlined above. It is a good idea to keep your cleaning supplies in a location convenient to your bathroom, such as in a cupboard under the sink, or in the bottom of a towel closet.