Good Housekeeping’s Favorite Sink Cleaner Sounded Too Good To Be True — Then I Tried It

I really, really love my kitchen sink. 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 we made. The sink allows me to do a good deal of “sink” work, like washing berries and dicing onions right in the space occupied by the sink. It’s not only convenient and space-saving, but it also helps keep the kitchen cleaner. 

I could go on and on about the sink’s features itself (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 is part of my nightly kitchen shutdown routine, but in addition to that, I also scrub the sink with a powdered cleanser nightly. I know it’s one of the dirtiest places in the house, and my mother got me into the nightly scrub-down habit as a child. 

As far as kitchen sinks go, I 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, and I just had to try it for myself. (Pssst! Check out the brand-new Apartment Therapy Organization Awards here.)

This sink cleaner is unlike anything I’ve used before. Not only is the cleaner designed to clean the sink and remove tough stains, but according to the back of the bottle, 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 well and then apply with a paper towel or soft rag. I made a mistake and squirted it around the sink, which used more product than necessary (oops!). You’re then 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 surface of the stainless steel! You wouldn’t have thought it was a sink I scrubbed every night, that’s for sure. (It’s got me rethinking how much I rely solely on that habit to keep my sink fresh, let me tell you.) 

Once that grime was removed, the sink revealed a really smooth, shiny surface underneath. In addition, Hope’s delivered on its promise to repel water. As soon as I was done polishing, I could see a difference in how the water beaded up in the sink and therefore ran down the drain faster. 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 sink maintenance regimen. Maybe it’s just me, but I’m honestly excited to use it again. 

This post originally published on Apartment Therapy. See it there: I Tried Good Housekeeping’s Favorite Sink Cleaner and My Stainless Steel Is Sparkling