VIDEO: How to Clean Your Kitchen Sink Like a Pro | Easy and Effective Methods

By Matt Schmitz

June 26, 2025

Hey, first-time homeowners, does your kitchen sink stink? You need to clean and sanitize it at least once a week. And yeah, you read that right: The place where your dishes, hands and other stuff gets washed … needs washed. Over time, tiny food particles, grime, grease and other gunk can build up on the surfaces in and around your sink, resulting not only in a sickening stench but possibly in foodborne illness. You can avoid this ick by cleaning and sanitizing your sink regularly.

Watch the video above to learn how to clean a kitchen sink, with tips coming courtesy of the experts at The New York Times’ Wirecutter. (And if you learned something once you’re finished watching our video, be sure to like, share and subscribe for more helpful DIY home-maintenance how-tos every week!)

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Follow these steps:

1. Remove dishes and other obstructions from in and around the sink.

2. Rinse food flotsam and jetsam into your sink strainer or garbage disposal.

3. Empty the sink strainer into the trash or run your garbage disposal along with the cold water for at least 20 seconds.

4. Clean up grease remnants — even if there’s no visible grime — by putting dish soap on a sponge or brush and scrubbing out the sink.

5. Thoroughly rinse soap out of the sink before sanitizing to avoid inadvertently mixing cleaning products into dangerous concoctions.

6. Grab a spray bottle and mix a bleach solution containing ⅓ cup of liquid chlorine bleach per 1 gallon of water or the proportionate amount for your bottle.

7. Spray down the inside of the sink with the bleach solution and scrub it with a clean sponge or rag.

8. Now, kill off stubborn bacteria and viruses by spraying down the sink again — including the faucet and handles — with your bleach solution and letting it sit for at least 5 minutes.

9. Wipe it all down with a clean, wet rag.

10. Let it all dry before resuming use.

Be sure to watch the video above for a visual demonstration on the best DIY ways to clean a kitchen sink and how to sanitize a kitchen sink. Our tutorial covers:

  • Kitchen sink cleaning tips

  • Deep cleaning your kitchen sink

  • Removing stains from your sink

  • How to disinfect your kitchen sink naturally

  • Best sink cleaning hacks

  • How to clean a stainless steel sink

  • How to clean a sink drain

  • How to get rid of sink odors

  • Best way to sanitize a sink after raw meat

  • Easy DIY methods to clean a kitchen sink

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