Have you ever had to call out 24 hour emergency plumber services in Brisbane when your kitchen sink becomes impossibly blocked? It can seemingly happen at any time, and appears to occur without warning, but actually a clogged kitchen sink is more often a result of a steady buildup of issues that all start with one key source --- failing to clean the sink and pipes properly.

When you’re done with the dishes and glassware in the sink, don’t forget to use the following guide to keep the sink and drains clean.

Step 1: Prepare Your Sink-Cleaning Equipment

You’ll need several key tools to make your sink cleaning mission a total success: rubber gloves, a scrubber (non-abrasive is best), dish detergent, white vinegar, lemon, salt, ice cubes, baking soda and some hydrogen peroxide. To follow this guide entirely, you’ll need all of these things, but don’t worry if you don’t have absolutely everything. Having most of these at hand will still offer a better clean than nothing.

Step 2: Sanitizing

How exactly you do this will depend on what your kitchen sink is made of. Most are stainless steel, so we’ll start there. Steel is very resistant, but doesn’t like too much acid or abrasion (hence non-abrasive scrubbers). Use baking soda as the cleaning agent instead of harsh bleaches. Sprinkle the baking soda around the sink and then scrub with a warm and wet sponge/scrubber.

For a porcelain sink, using hydrogen peroxide and baking soda together on stains is a good move and will really clean the surface well. If there are any signs of rust, you can sprinkle salt onto your lemon and then scrub the lemon on the rust before washing away with warm water. It works like magic (really!)

Step 3: Clear the Drain (And Garbage Disposal)

Baking soda and vinegar is an amazing and easy way to clear the drain without resorting once again to harsh bleach-based chemicals which while powerful can actually corrode pipes and do damage. One part baking soda and two parts white vinegar is the best combination. Pour the baking soda down the drain first, followed by the vinegar. Let it bubble for a quarter of an hour or so, and then wash it away with boiling hot water from the kettle.

If you have a garbage disposal unit too, then baking soda and vinegar are not the best way to clear it. An alternative is using lemon, salt (the coarser, the better) and ice cubes instead. All you have to do is put lemon wedges, salt and ice into the garbage disposal unit. Once they’re in there, start the cold water running and then turn the disposal unit on. Run the disposal until all the ice in there has gone. How does it work? The salt scrubs the blades; the ice helps drive off any dirt, and the lemon generates a lovely fresh smell for when it’s all done.

Step 4: Clean the Taps and Handles

Finally, don’t forget to clean the taps and handles. This is the part that people forget most often. Your non-abrasive scrubber will work fine here, but if you have a more intricate set up of taps and handles, then it can be better to use a toothbrush to get into all the nooks and crannies. Taps that are left uncleaned for a long time tend to get a buildup of lime. If after wiping down once with warm soapy water you still see lime, you can add some vinegar to the water to try and help things along.

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