Day 1

I have become overwhelmed by my home and the chaos that I have been living in. Keep in mind that my home did not get this way overnight and it is not going to get clean in a day.  I have decided to take baby steps and establish little routines for getting rid of my clutter and maintaining my home.

That little voice I hear in my head keeps telling me that I am behind and I have to get it all done now! I am going to quiet those negative voices that are beating me up constantly and replace them with a loving gentle voice that tells me that I am not behind and I can do this one baby step at a time!

My very first baby step is to go shine my sink. I am not listening to those voices that tell me that it is not going to help my messy house. I am taking this babystep in faith and doing it.   I researched how to shine my kitchen sink.  Here is what I came up with and this is exactly what I did.

Shiny Sink 101
Here's to a great shine!
I followed this procedure the first time I shined my sink.  I will NOT need to follow this method everyday. I am just going to keep up the shine with a little window cleaner.
I want to smile from ear to ear when I gaze upon my shiny sink.
Here is how I did it:
BE SURE AND RINSE WELL BETWEEN EACH STEP OF THE WAY!

1. Take all the dishes out of the sink.


2. Run some very hot water into the sink. Fill to the rim. Only do one side at a time. Then, pour a cup of household bleach into the hot water. Let it sit for 1 hour. Now, pull the plug with a pair of tongs. If you don't have tongs, then scoop some of the water out of the sink into the other sink and use your hand to pull the plug (wear gloves and don't get the bleach-water on your clothes).


3. Rinse your sink well.


4. Use some cleanser (Comet, Ajax, or Baking Soda) and scrub your sink. Ensure you rinse ALL of the cleanser from the sink.


5. Take a sharp edge and clean around the rim of the sink, just like you would clean dirt out from under your fingernails.


6. Clean around the faucets too. You may need an old toothbrush or dental floss.


7. Now, get out your window cleaner, I use Windex, and give it a good shine.


8. If you still don't like the way it looks, then you could try some car wax. Just know in your heart that you have cleaned it very well now and it doesn't have to be perfect. Our perfectionism is what got us in this situation in the first place.


9. Every time I run water in my sink, I take my clean dishtowel and dry it out (I am lying out a clean towel every night with my bedtime routine). Before you know it, I will be doing this every time I leave my kitchen. The rest of the family will too. My husband is respecting my process but since it is not his process – doesn’t remember to do this.  That is OK; as long as I am drying out my sink before I go to bed!  No more water spots (eventually). You will have a clean and shiny sink.


10. Don't have a fit if someone doesn't take as much pride in your sink as you do. It is very easy to fix. You have already done the hard part. You will never have to go through this process again. Daily maintenance will keep it looking this way all the time. Nasty hurtful words are not as easy to repair. Just be sure and tell your family what you are trying to do.


11. If you don't have a dishwasher, don't worry. A dishwasher is just a dirty dish disposal. Clean out a place under your sink and put a dishpan in there. Teach your family that instead of putting their dirty dishes and glasses in the sink, place them into the dish pan. Get into the habit of putting your dishes away as soon as they have been washed and are dry. If your old dish drainer  is nasty, you may want to soak it in the sink full of bleach water at the same time you soak the sink or go buy a new set.


12. To insure that your family remembers this, put a note in the sink. It will get their attention and remind them where to put the dishes. Be patient! They have never been taught either. It is going to take some practice.

Now if you have a stainless steel sink, I recommend all of the above directions with one extra instruction added: after you soak your sink, rinse well, and use SOS pads to scrub it. This will buff the finish. It will look like new.
If you still can't get it to shine after the Windex, put a light coat of lemon oil or olive oil on it. I mean just a tiny bit on a cloth and rub it. This will make you smile. Some people have had very good results from Bar Keepers Friend.


Go Shine Your Sink!


Last note: ensure you don't mix cleansers like Comet, etc. with Windex (or other ammonia based cleaners), you can create dangerous gases!

It is worth repeating: rinse well between each step.

Use organic cleaners – Mother Earth needs your help!