how to clean a porcelain sink

Porcelain sinks are notorious for scratching and staining. Many think you need to grab harsh chemicals, like bleach, to really get it clean and white again, but there is an easy method that completely whitens, brightens, and cleans a porcelain sink with no harsh chemicals and minimal work. Ready to see how to really clean a porcelain sink?

Title Image: How to Naturally Clean a Porcelain Sink. Scrubbing a porcelain sink with a sponge. Today we're talkin' sinks. I have a porcelain sink in my kitchen and it seems to stain and scratch so easily. (This may, or may not, have something to do with the fact that I pile all sorts of dirty dishes in it.) For the longest time, I used diluted bleach to clean it, but I really didn't love using such a harsh chemical, and it didn't remove any of the scratches, so I thought I'd look for an alternate cleaning solution. I have two sides to my porcelain sink, so I tried out two different methods. My intention was to share both cleaning solutions with you, but one was so far superior in cleaning the porcelain sink, I decided to just share one! (I'll share what didn't work as well, so you don't waste time with that method.)

What You Need to Clean A Porcelain Sink

Items needed to clean a porcelain sink: Baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, and a sponge

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Baking Soda
Hydrogen Peroxide
Sponge

How to Clean A Porcelain Sink

Begin by rinsing the sink to wet down the bottom and sides. Once the bottom and sides of the sink are wet, plug the drain and sprinkle on some baking soda. You just need a fine layer of baking soda; no need to heap it on.

Using a sponge to clean porcelain sink with baking soda Scrub the sink using a sponge. This is like a magic stain eraser. The brownish color in the sink started disappearing before my eyes and was soaked up in the baking soda. This did not require a ton of scrubbing at all. (Yay!) Now, add a small amount of hydrogen peroxide to the sponge and scrub some more.

Adding a small amount of hydrogen peroxide to a sponge in order to clean a porcelain sink The scratches will start to disappear and the sink will whiten up. You will have baking soda clumps in the sink. No worries; this is normal. After thoroughly scrubbing with the hydrogen peroxide, rinse everything down the drain.

Results

Before and after pictures are always a good way to see the results, so here you go.

Before and After images of a porcelain sink after cleaning with common household items

See this Cleaning Tip in Action

As I mentioned, I tried an alternate method using equal parts Cream of Tartar and Vinegar. I scrubbed and scrubbed, and while it worked a little, it was nothing like the method described above. Here's the process on the other side of the sink.

Photo collage: Left shows sink prior to cleaning. Middle shows an after image of a porcelain sink being cleaned with a method involving cream of tarter. Right shows after of a porcelain sink cleaned with baking soda and hydrogen peroxide

How Much Do You Save?

Buying Sink Cleaner on Amazon

Bar Keepers Friend= $7.99 for 21 oz.- The reason I chose this particular sink cleaner is because it had a lot of great reviews and it looks like it does an amazing job. If you are interested, go for it. However, I am looking for a cheaper, more natural version.

Making Your Own Porcelain Sink Cleaner

Approximately 1/4 Cup Baking Soda= 7¢ (based on Walmart's price of 54¢ for 16 oz.)
Approximately 2 Tbsp. of Hydrogen Peroxide= 3¢ (based on Target's price of 97¢ for 32 oz.)

The total amount made was 3 ounces, based on 2 oz. of Baking Soda and 1 oz. Hydrogen Peroxide.