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Care and Cleaning of Elkay Stainless Steel Sinks

Your Elkay sink is made from the finest nickel bearing stainless steel. Its mellow satin surface harmonizes with any color scheme...Any decor. Timeless. Elegant. And, like fine silver, its beautiful finish becomes lovelier with use and age. Your Elkay sink is solid stainless steel and with proper care and maintenance will give you a lifetime of service.

Elkay Satin Finish

Elkays original highlighted satin finish is produced by an abrasive grinding operation which lends a uniform pattern of satin finish lines to the metal surface. All exposed areas then undergo a series of progressive machine and hand polishing operations. It is this careful polishing that makes an Elkay satin luster finish so beautiful...and so easy to clean and maintain.

Recommended Cleansers

Elkay has tested general household cleansers to measure their effectiveness in cleaning stainless steel sinks. The most effective cleansers consist of Bar Keepers Friend, Zud and Lawrence Right Work. Other cleansers, which are still effective, but less aggressive include Comet, Shiny Sinks Plus, Luneta, Soft Scrub, Mr. Clean and Flitz. So to help maintain the beautiful finish of your stainless steel sink, use one of the cleansers that Elkay recommends.

Recommendations For Cleaning

• Do...Rinse thoroughly after each use. Thorough rinsing can be done by running the water for a few minutes and rubbing the cleaned area with a sponge.
• Do...Towel dry after each use to prevent mineral deposits from building up on the surface of the sink.
• Do...Scour the sink once a week, being sure to rub in the direction of the satin finish lines, using an Elkay recommended cleanser.
• Don't...Scour the sink across the satin finish lines. Scouring across the satin finish lines can damage the original sink finish.
• Don't...Allow liquid soap or other household cleansers to dry on the surface of the sink. Most brands contain chemical additives which will affect the original high luster finish.
• Don't...Leave standing solutions of chlorine bleach and water in the sink for extended periods of time. Chlorides, which are found in most soaps, detergents, bleaches, and cleansers, are very aggressive to stainless steel. If left on the sink too long they can cause surface pitting.
• Don't...Use a steel wool pad to clean your sink. If a more abrasive product is needed, use a Scotch Brite® pad being sure to rub in the direction of the satin finish lines. Steel wool pads have a tendency to break apart and small particles of steel can become embedded in the surface of the sink. The steel particles will rust and will give the appearance that the sink itself is rusting.
• Don't...Use rubber mats or dishpans in the sink to protect the finish. Leaving rubber mats or dishpans in the sink can lead to surface rust or possible pitting. However, if you do use mats or dishpans please remove them after each use.
• Don't...Leave wet sponges, cloths, or cleaning pads on the sink. This can lead to surface rust.

Following these recommendations for the care and cleaning of your stainless steel sink will insure that it will provide you with many years of service.

Chlorides

Today, chlorides are found in most all soap, detergents, bleaches and cleansers; chlorides can be aggressive to stainless steel. However, chlorides are very water soluble. Therefore, THOROUGH RINSING of your sink after each use to remove any chloride residue and a weekly scouring is all that is required to keep your sink looking bright and shiny.

Scratches

Like many metallic surfaces, your stainless steel sink will scratch. These are merely usage scratches and over time will blend into the overall finish of your sink.

Knives

Your sink is designed to serve as many things but not as a cutting board or chopping block. This type of use will lead to deep scratches in the sink finish and will dull your knives. Elkay does offer various cutting boards which will provide an additional work area.

Water Quality

The quality of your water can affect your sink's appearance. If your water has a high iron content, a brown surface stain can form on the sink giving the appearance of rust. Additionally, in areas with a high concentration of minerals, or with over-softened water, a white film may develop on the sink. To combat these problems, we suggest that the sink be towel dried after use, and again, on a weekly basis, the sink should be cleaned using a recommended abrasive cleaner.

Foods

Heavy salt concentration or foods containing high levels of salt should not be allowed to dry on the sink surface. Rinse your sink thoroughly after use.