The Totally Unexpected Way To Polish Your Sink (Hint: It's Already In Your Pantry)

If you've just found the perfect no-bleach method to disinfect your kitchen sink, and you can rest assured it's been thoroughly sanitized, the only thing left to do is give it a dazzling shine that reflects how clean it is. Enter flour, the common pantry staple used for everything from a basic loaf of bread to homemade pasta. This ingredient surprisingly has all the right qualities to polish your sink and give it a spotless appearance, too.

Flour is a powder that can be made by grinding a number of ingredients, with raw grains like wheat being the most typically used. The end result is a product that consists of very fine, mildly abrasive particles, which can do wonders at gently buffing away stubborn residue or grime without scratching your appliance up. So next time you're wondering if it's time to throw out your flour, see if you can get one last use out of it to execute this cleaning hack first.

Since flour is really only working to restore your sink's shine, you'll want to ensure it's cleaned well beforehand. From there, flour's part in the equation is simple. Sprinkle a thick layer of the powder into your sink, about ¼ of a cup, and using a clean cloth or paper towel,  buff the surface until any grease, food remnants, or spots are removed. You can use an old toothbrush to reach the more stubborn nooks and crannies.

Once you're finished scrubbing, wipe out the flour. Avoid washing it down the drain, as flour becomes sticky and thick, and can form chunks when mixed with water, which can possibly clog your drain. It's for this reason flour is one of the foods you should never put down your kitchen sink. Putting it just on the surface, however, will prove to be effective in giving it the sparkle you forgot it could have.