I Tried Good Housekeeping’s Favorite Sink Cleaner and My Stainless Steel Is Sparkling (It’s Only $10!)

I love my kitchen sink. No, I mean, like love. It’s the first sink I’ve ever been able to choose for myself, and on top of that, it’s a workstation sink, which was an investment I’m so glad my husband and I made. The sink allows me to do a good deal of “sink” work, like washing berries and dicing onions right in the empty space occupied by the sink. It’s not only convenient and space-saving, but it also helps keep our kitchen counters cleaner. 

I could drone on about the sink’s features (in fact, I did!), but let’s talk about the other part: cleaning it. I’ve always been an avid sink-cleaner; clearing dishes out of the sink and scrubbing it down with a powdered cleanser is part of my nightly kitchen shutdown routine. My mother taught me that the kitchen sink is one of the dirtiest places in the house, so she got me into the nightly scrub-down habit when I was young.

As far as kitchen sinks go, I like to think mine is cleaner than most. So when I came across a product that promised to make my stainless steel sink even cleaner, I was intrigued.

HOPE’s Perfect Sink Cleaner and Polish won one of Good Housekeeping’s Best Cleaning  & Organizing Awards, so I just had to try it for myself. (If you’re looking for more organization stars, check out the second annual Apartment Therapy Organization Awards here.)

This sink cleaner is unlike anything I’ve used before. Not only is it designed to clean the sink and remove tough stains, but according to the brand, it also “leaves an invisible barrier that repels water and makes cleaning easier!” Of course, it seemed too good to be true.

The instructions were straightforward: Shake the bottle of cleaner well and then apply with a paper towel or soft rag. I made the mistake of squirting it around the sink, which used more product than necessary (oops!). Then, you’re supposed to rub until clean and rinse thoroughly with soapy water. (I squeezed a soapy sponge around the sink and then rinsed.) Finally, dry the sink. 

My experience with HOPE’s Perfect Sink Cleaner was honestly pretty exciting — I couldn’t believe how much gunk came off the stainless steel surface! Given how grimy my paper towel turned out, you wouldn’t have thought it was a sink I scrubbed every night. It definitely got me rethinking how much I relied on that habit solely to keep my sink fresh.

Once all that hidden grime was gone, the sink revealed a really smooth, shiny surface underneath. HOPE’s delivered on its promise to repel water too. As soon as I was done polishing and gave the sink a rinse, I could see a visible difference in how quickly the water beaded up and ran down the drain. There’s definitely some kind of repelling going on and I am a huge fan. 

I don’t know yet how long the effects of one application will last, but it’s been several days and the sink’s shine and water repelling are still going strong. HOPE’s Perfect Sink Cleaner and Polish now has a permanent home under my kitchen sink, and will be making a regular appearance in my nightly maintenance regimen.

Buy: HOPE’S Perfect Sink Cleaner and Polish, $9.95