While the sink will never look the same as the day you installed it, it will always be a striking centerpiece in your room that you will use heavily. It’s a very unique looking and beautiful material, but it’s also a very strong and resilient metal.
The patina helps protect the sink from corrosion, so you’ll never have to worry about rust or brittleness of the metal. Because of this, maintenance is very simple: just keep your sink clean. Here are a few tips on the daily care and maintenance:
- Clean after use with warm water, a gentle dish soap, and a soft cloth
- As with any surface that comes in contact with food, avoid harsh chemicals
- Clear out food debris and dishes to prevent temporary discoloration
- Apply Sinkology Copper Armor or our Copper Care IQ Defend Protec¬tive Sealant regularly to protect and shine your copper sink’s finish
Restoring Patina
It’s inevitable. Discoloration will occur with a copper sink; it’s the nature of the metal. There are many reasons why discoloration occurs: harsh chemi-cals, long exposure to acidic materials (lemons, ketchup, toothpaste, etc.) or other types of food, general heavy use, etc. But, don’t panic.
When discoloration happens, time and patience are typically all that are needed for your sink’s patina to restore and blend in. You may see shiny spots, but rest assured: the patina will return to these areas and even out across your copper sink. You don’t need to do anything in particular to allow the patina to eventually return, but if you would like to help the colors blend more quickly, here are a couple of tips:
- Wash your sink rigorously with hot, soapy water and a Sinkology Breeze Scrubber. Scrub hard enough to lighten the patina a few shades in problem areas, but be sure not to take the patina completely off
- Rinse clean with hot water and dry with a microfiber cloth (included in the Copper Care IQ Kit). This intense scrubbing combined with hot water will help accelerate and blend the natural patina of your copper sink. Avoid using Copper Care IQ Defend on shiny spots to let the patina process occur naturally
If you don’t clean your sink regularly, you may also see some green build-up on particularly dirty areas. Don’t be alarmed; this is just oxidation. Simply scrub the area with your Sinkology Breeze Scrubber or your fingernail until the build-up is removed and then clean the area.