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Sound technical content, curated with aloha by
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Pine Beach, NJ

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Chemically damaged stainless steel sink

I had to use a "Drano [affil links]" product to unclog my sink. But, the chemicals damaged the finish. Is there a way to restore the finish on my stainless steel sink? I've tried all the different cleaning products. Is there a buffing mechanism that would polish it back to it's original shine? It's an undermount sink and would be very difficult to replace.

Martha Nalepa
homeowner - Austin, Texas
2005

Hello, Martha, you're not alone with that problem -- in fact, we needed an FAQ on the subject of damaged finishes on stainless steel. I didn't know that Drano would be that rough, but two things to especially avoid with stainless steel are steel wool and bleach.

People have reported success with a number of different approaches on the FAQ, and there is at least one kit available specifically for the problem. Please check out Scratch-B-Gone [a finishing.com supporting advertiser] .

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
October , 2006

I used my stainless steel kitchen sink to wash out my tile float and trowel and now the stainless steel has lost its luster. Can I refinish/polish it back to its former sheen?

Cindy Weintraub
- Los Gatos, California
2007

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