How to Make a Bronze Sink Look Old Again

Your Guide to Copper Sink Cleaning and Intendance

Oct 2016

Many people make the assumption that a copper sink is hard to care for and loftier maintenance. While a copper sink is very unique and unlike than a stainless or porcelain sink, information technology is not any more than difficult to maintain. You clean your porcelain sink, right? You get food and build up in your stainless sink, right? The same goes for copper. There are, however, some tips and extra steps that y'all can take with copper that make cleaning and intendance a little easier. Simply, before we get into the details about care, information technology'south important to review the nature of copper. Copper is a very different material than those used in about sinks and has some very unique qualities.

Understanding Copper and Patina

Copper has a "living finish." This ways that the color and tones of your copper sink will keep to change and shift over time – that's merely the nature of copper, whether it's in a sink, a penny, or the Statue of Liberty. Now, this doesn't hateful that your copper sink will change from a coppery tone to a imperial, green, or yellow! It simply means that certain areas of your sink may shift from a lighter copper tone to a darker copper tone. This is completely normal and it's what gives copper it'due south unique rustic blueprint qualities. This shifting in tones is known equally the patina process.

The patina that develops on the surface of copper (and other metals like bronze) is a natural process of protection. The darker tones that develop over a shiny new penny is the copper'south style of protecting itself from the harsh elements. So, naturally, with the heavy utilize that your copper sink will encounter, you can expect the patina process to occur.

What Affects the Patina

Because the patina process of copper is natural, many things tin can affect how your copper sink will patina. Certain things will bear on how quickly the patina volition develop and other things can cause the patina to strip. Either style, your copper sink is not being harmed – it is just the patina that is existence affected. Spotting in the patina of your copper sink is not indicative of the health of your copper. Patina is natural and your copper sink will last a lifetime – whether the patina strips or not. When the patina strips, you volition see a coppery shine in the surface of your copper sink. Don't worry! Over time this shiny bright spot will patina and alloy in with the world tones on the residue of your kitchen or bathroom sink.

Below is a list of several items that tin strip the patina from your copper sink:

• Acidic foods (like citrus, tomatoes, ketchup, pepperoni, soda, oils / oily food like chips, etc.)
• Cosmetics (toothpaste, brand-ups, shaving cream, etc.)
• Abrasive chemicals (avoid bleach, drain unclogging chemicals, etc.)
• Even oil from your fingers can affect patina (particularly on a naked copper finish)

If yous betrayal these items to your sink, don't worry! Showtime, try to remove them and their residue as rapidly as possible. If you get out them on for an extended menses of time, they volition strip the patina. That'south okay! Don't panic! But accept a deep breath, sit back, relax, and let the patina process take over. Over the course of several days, you'll discover that the bright, shiny copper is returning to the rich tones yous see in the rest of your copper sink.

Some people love the mixture in tones that develop as a result of the patina process; some people adopt a more consistent tone. Patina is a natural process, so information technology's not completely within our ability to control it, but there are some steps you can take to go along as consistent of a tone as possible.

Embracing the Patina

If you dearest the changing of tones, and so y'all're only step to care for your sink is to clean it regularly. When cleaning your sink, brand sure to use a balmy soap, warm water, and a soft textile or sponge. Avoid abrasive chemical cleaners, metal scrubbing pads, or steel wool.

Only like a pair of jeans, a leather jacket, or a sturdy pair of piece of work boots, a copper sink will age based on how much you use information technology. The integrity of the copper or the construction of the sink volition never fail on yous (because of this, all Sinkology sinks come with a lifetime warranty), just the end and the colors volition fade, darken, or brighten over the years. This look is what and so many copper sink owners love. Similar denim or leather, a copper sink gets meliorate with age.

Helping to Control the Patina

If y'all would adopt a more consistent tone in your copper sink, there are some steps you can take to help control the patina. This does non mean that yous can completely control what happens with patina and your copper sink – patina is a naturally occurring process that can sometimes be out of your command.

• The showtime stride is to clean your copper sink regularly. When cleaning your sink, make certain to employ a balmy soap, warm water, and a soft textile or sponge. Avoid abrasive chemical cleaners, metal scrubbing pads, or steel wool.

• Next, you'll want to apply a coat of protection on your sink. Sinkology has developed Copper Armor that is designed to prevent h2o spots and help protect your sink from other spotting. Using Copper Armor is especially important if you have hard water that could pb to mineral deposits. Sinkology Copper Armor is available for both kitchen and bath copper sinks. Get the Copper Armor as part of the Copper CareIQ Kit here.
  • If you ain a Sinkology copper kitchen sink or copper bathroom sink, you tin receive a free Sinkology Copper CareIQ kit by posting a photo of your installed sink to our Facebook or Instagram. Simply post your copper sink photo to our feed with #showusyoursink, and direct message us your home mailing address.

• On an ongoing footing, yous'll want to rinse your sink out after each utilise and never leave food or dirty dishes sitting in the bottom of your sink. Certain foods have qualities that will strip the patina abroad and bring out the natural polish of your copper sink. If you're in the kitchen, you'll want to avoid leaving citrus or acidic foods in the lesser of your sink (things similar tomatoes, ketchup, pepperoni, etc.). In the bathroom, you'll want to avoid leaving toothpaste and other cosmetics in the bottom of your sink.
  • To help you continue your copper kitchen sink bowl free from food and muddied dishes, Sinkology has developed our sectional line of bottom grids. These lesser grids (available on select copper kitchen sink models) are designed to complement the tone of your copper kitchen sink and are coated in a thick vinyl to ensure they concluding. Come across our listing of copper kitchen sink bottom grids here.
  • Sinkology also provides a mode to keep your dingy sponges and dish wands out of your sink with our Sidekick Sponge Assistant. Fastened past a elementary magnet system, the Sidekick volition keep rags, sponges, dish wands, gloves, or any other products out of your style and off your copper surface.

Other Care Tips

Regular cleaning and care should resolve most of the issues you would run into, simply under a few circumstances, yous might detect you need a little extra help.

• Vivid spots – If you run into a small bright spot announced on your sink from a leftover slice of lime or forgotten blob of ketchup, don't worry! The area will re-patina back to a darker tone with time. To help it fade more than evenly in with the sink, make clean the surface area with water and a mild soap, and then consider using a stiff bristle to clothing off some of the darker patina around the edges of the spot. This will allow the expanse to blend better with the rest of the sink as it ages and darkens.
• Dark-green spots – Overexposing your sink to moisture for prolonged periods of time could crusade some green spotting. This is just a mineral build-up that can hands be removed with a soft cloth or even a fingernail. This volition typically occur around the faucet, drain, or other area where water pooling tin can occur. To preclude this, keep water from gathering and sitting in these areas. If it does occur, don't worry! It'southward very hands to wipe off or scratch off with your fingernail (avoid scratching information technology off with annihilation metal or too hard). Some soaps may cause green spotting if it is left to sit down on the sink's surface for prolonged period.
• Dark-brown film – Sometimes there may be build-upwardly of the patina in certain areas of the sink where water tin collect or pool (similar to green spotting). Any chocolate-brown film build-upwardly can easily be wiped off with a cloth or scraped off with a fingernail.

Summary: Practice'southward and Don'ts

Hither is a brief but important list of Do'due south and Don'ts.

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Source: https://www.sinkology.com/blog/guide-copper-sink-cleaning-care/

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