How To Polish Stainless Steel Sink | The Best Kitchen Products

There are many ways to polish a stainless steel sink — including with vinegar, olive oil, or a special cleaner — but the craziest (and cheapest!) all-natural cleaner we've discovered is flour. 

No one seems to have a good explanation as to why flour is such a wonderful polisher, but we're not complaining. Life hacks — especially ones like this flour trick that only require materials we already have at home — can truly be a godsend for those problem areas in your home. 

And while you don't need to polish a stainless steel sink every weekend, this knowledge will come in handy the next time you're having guests over and you want your kitchen to look its best. 

How to Polish a Stainless Steel Sink With Flour

In addition to a bit of flour, you'll also need some dish soap and a few rags, so go ahead and grab those. All set? Here's how to polish a stainless steel sink with flour in five easy steps.

Step 1: Give your sink a good cleaning with dish soap and a rag. Make sure you're thorough with your cleaning; giving yourself a clean base to start with makes every other step easier.

Step 2: Dry the sink with a clean rag. This step is super important: If you try to pour flour into a wet sink, you'll find yourself with sticky goop and an even bigger mess than before. Don't forget the sides and the drain, too!

Step 3: Pour 1/4 cup flour into the sink. You should have a relatively thick dusting of flour, but don't let it pile up too high.

Step 4: Buff the sink with the flour using a clean rag or paper towel. Polish like you're polishing a car, and don't skimp! The top of the sink, the handles, the drain, and any nooks and crannies where dirt can hide need your attention. You'll notice food bits will start to lift, and the sink will start to shine underneath the flour.

Step 5: Wipe out the flour with your rag — don't rinse it down the drain, as this may clog your pipes — and then stand back and enjoy your handiwork.  Giving your stainless steel sink a thorough polish once a month should be enough to get to that built-on food and dirt your sponge won't loosen. 

Once you try this kitchen hack, you'll wonder how you ever finished this chore before. After months (or years even) of staring at a sink that looks grimy no matter how many times you clean it, rejoice, because you've finally found a foolproof method for polishing stainless steel!