Caring for Copper Kitchen Sinks

Copper kitchen sinks are becoming more and more popular around the world as a choice for home decoration. This is great except for just one thing, copper sinks needs special care. Caring for copper kitchen sinks is pretty easy to do, as long as you keep a few things in mind. That is what these guidelines are designed to do. The next time you need to clean your copper kitchen sinks, keep these in mind.

• Be careful what you use. Cleaning a copper sink can often be a tricky task. Believe it or not, all you should really need to do is wipe down the sink after you are done using it, and you will be fine. However, if you do feel the need to polish the sink, be sure that you are using a polish that is made for copper kitchen sinks. Otherwise, you will run the risk of destroying the protective layers that many kitchen sinks have.
• Do not air dry. Do not allow your copper sink to be air dried. This will help reduce the chance of any hard water buildup, and the resulting discoloration. Once you are done using your copper kitchen sink, simply wipe down the entire sink with a soft towel until it is dry. There is an added benefit of this as well, which is that this will essentially be polishing your sink. Keeping it looking fresh and new.
• Periodically restore your sink. One easy way to keep your copper kitchen sink looking fresh and new is to periodically wax it. Yes, wax it! However, you will want to make sure that you are using a special kind of plumbing wax that has been made for plumbing fixtures. This will help to prevent any build up of minerals which can ruin the look of your kitchen sink.
• Avoid using abrasives and acids. Simply put, you will want to avoid using anything harsh near your copper kitchen sink. This means that you should not use any type of abrasive cleanser. In addition, this also means that you need to avoid allowing any citrus, or other kinds of acids, to have direct contact with the copper. The acids and abrasives can end up etching the copper in your sink, which will allow black spots to form, and lead to a bad odor (similar to a "wet penny") which can be next to impossible to get rid of. If you are faced with this situation, about all you can do is call a professional in to either replace the sink, or have it resurfaced.