How to clean a bathroom sink: Your 3-minute guide to eco-friendly bathroom cleaning

No point in mincing words, a dirty bathroom sink is gross. It’s unappealing, unhygienic, and, somehow, despite often being roommates with a toilet and shower, is the least appealing of the three to use when you just want to wash your hands or brush your teeth. From yesterday’s shaving stubble to built-up layers of makeup, toothpaste residue, and soap scum, it doesn’t take very long for a bathroom sink to become icky.

The good news? Ceramic bathroom sinks are very easy to clean if you have the right tools on hand, all conveniently affordable and readily available. This guide will run you through the basics of restoring your bathroom sink to near-showroom condition, as well as cover some tips to help you keep your bathroom sink clean and guest-ready, all while avoiding noxious and harmful chemicals such as bleach, ammonia-based cleaners, and abrasive powders.

Have you ever wondered why vitrified ceramic is the most popular material choice for bathroom fixtures? The short answer is simply that it’s an incredibly durable, chemically inert, and easy-to-clean material. What does this mean in practice? It means you can get aggressiveagainst dirt and grime in the sink without worrying about harming the surface or leaving scratches. 

It also means you don’t need a lot of fancy or expensive equipment to keep your bathroom sink clean, just a handful of basics from around the home:

After removing any ‘sink soldiers’—toothbrush holders, perfumes, razors, or unidentified bottles or objects—add 3 to 4 drops of dish soap into the sink. In our home, we aim for 3 in the sink and 1 between the taps. It doesn’t seem like much, but a little goes a long way. It doesn’t matter if the sink is wet or dry at this point.

Next, dip a portion of the brush into the warm (as hot as you can safely handle) water and allow it to drip across the sink. There’s a golden ratio between soap and water; you’re looking for just starting to foam up, but not enough to run down the sink. From here, about a minute and a half’s scrubbing should loosen all dirt, grime, oils, and residues.

With warm water running (if you have separate hot and cold taps, we don’t know what to say), wipe down the entire surface of the bathroom sink with the microfibre cloth, rinsing as necessary. Make sure to reach the tops of the taps, as well as along the side of the basin and into the drain areas.

Microfibre excels at lifting and trapping dirt, not just moving it around, so you’ll notice the surface return to a shine almost immediately. If you run into any extra-stubborn spots of grime that just won’t give, another quick and localised round with the brush should do the trick.

Cleaning your sink as described in this guide is about as simple as it gets, and honestly cuts down on the effort and costs of more elaborate efforts that yield the same results. Even with that said, there’s no need for a scrub every time. A quick, daily once-over with a dedicated sink cloth after brushing your teeth will prevent any buildup and keep your sinks guest-ready.