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Water spots on stainless sink

I have a stainless steel sink and it always has water spots on it. Is there anything that can be used on these sinks to keep this from happening?

Johnnie Lee
homeowner - Dallas, Texas, US
2004

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First of two simultaneous responses --

Nope, that's caused by impurities in the water that dry and crust. It's not stains on the metal, they wash off, to remove them just use amonia based window cleaner.

Marc Banks
- Elizabeth City, North Carolina
2004

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Second of two simultaneous responses --

Use a quality metal polish, preferably one that is wax free and pH. neutral, hand polish the sink,and get it to the finish that you want.

Wipe over regularly, to prevent water standing on the surface any more than neccessary.

Stop using ammonia ⇦ this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] or anhydrous based detergents and only use pure soaps.

Stainless is not stainproof, nor maintenance free, and many chemicals will etch into the surface and cause stains. Stainless has a much higher resistance to corrosion than most other metals, but can stain and discolor just the same.

House hold water can contain many minerals, these are what cause the stains when the water evaporates. A wipe over with a dry cloth after use is all it takes once the surface is in good shape.

Steve Clark
English Custom Polishing - Belfast, Maine, U.S.A.
2004