Eco Friendly House And Garden

There are many great eco friendly reasons to buy a stainless steel kitchen sink!

Especially if the new sink has a small drainer to the side or is a double sink - as this also makes the process of washing up even more eco friendly - twice the eco credentials!

So, what makes them so eco friendly - and why should you consider changing your current sink to a stainless steel kitchen sink?

Why Are They Eco Friendly?
Well, after writing my article on how you could design your new bathroom to be eco friendly with a bit of forward planning, I was starting to look into how to update your kitchen to do the same.

Needless to say, I spent some time investigating kitchen sinks, and found out that stainless steel was actually a very eco friendly material and had extra eco friendly benefits too!

1) Low Carbon:
The production of stainless steel creates very little carbon, and so therefore each product made impacts very minimally on your homes carbon footprint!

2) Very Recyclable:
Steel is very highly prized in the recycling market as it is so easy to melt down a reuse.  Therefore all the old stainless steel kitchen sinks - as well as cars and other electricals - can be melted down a reused, therefore limiting virgin materials being mined elsewhere.

3) Long Life:
As it is so difficult to damage stainless steel products, they have a very long shelf life so to speak - and therefore the initial purchase of your sink could be a long-term investment in terms of expended energy, fitting and money-saving!

4) Hygienic Materials:
As stainless steel is not damaged by kitchen knives and others scrapes and bangs, there is nowhere on it’s surface to harbour germs.  As a result, you see this material used throughout hospitals, large kitchens and fast-food joints - so you know it’s good stuff!

5) Easy To Keep Clean:
Not only is it hygienic in the first place, it is very difficult to stain, burn or otherwise make stainless steel unclean.  All stains can be easily be removed with warm soapy water, club soda or olive oil, and white vinegar will give it a nice polish too.  As a result there is no need to use harsh chemical cleaners which flush straight into your local water works or burn your skin!

6) Can Save Water:
This one only counts if you buy a double sink or use a washing up bowl as it will make washing the dishes more eco friendly.  You can use the other sink to throw your dirty food and liquid into rather than letting all the dirty food waste into the water you are using for cleaning!  The clean water then lasts longer and can clean more for less!

How Do I Get Started?
Well, I’m not suggesting you get a new sink just for the fun of it, but it isn’t a bad idea to start looking for a new kitchen sink before you actually need one - otherwise you could end up buying the first sink you see in an ‘emergency’ rather than searching for the best one for your needs.

I’m sure that if your old sink suddenly broke or cracked, you wouldn’t take your time browsing for a suitable replacement - you’d want one right then and there.  So why not find a preferred dealer with same day delivery and keep them saved in your bookmarks for when you do need them!

The one I found that fits the bill on all counts is the rather simply named Mr Direct, who not only offers a huge range of suitable sinks, but was one of the only ones I found that offers that same day delivery promise that so many other suppliers avoid.

They also have great images on their website of their double and treble sinks - both left and right-sided options - that I think they have every kitchen covered! 

And with their collection of stainless steel faucets added on, your can even be more eco friendly with the delivery: all your products from the same supplier and on the same van!

I bet you never thought your choice of sink could have such an eco friendly impact!

The old fashioned way of washing the dishes can really make a difference to your water use!

I know that there are many eco friendly dishwashers on the market, and they can well be more eco friendly in the busy family kitchen than filling up the sink all the time (if you use the economy setting, use eco friendly low-phosphate, low-chlorine detergents and stop the machine before the dry cycle). However, for those of us with too small a kitchen for an A-rated dishwasher or not enough dirty dishes to fill one up - then the humble bowl of hot soapy water is our only option!

Well, here are a few tricks to make sure that you make the most of your water, waste as little detergent as possible and really get those dishes clean!

I know it seems a bit basic to list these things, but my partner just throws everything in the same sink (greasy lasagna dishes and half-filled coffee cups alongside my nice wine glasses) and fills the sink to the very top!  An eco kitchen disaster!

Before The Wash:
Firstly, always scrape off your dirty dishes with your cutlery or a specific plastic scraper rather than rinse them under running water.  Running water speaks for itself: Out of the tap and down the drain!

If you really want to rinse your plates, then do it over a bowl or in your sink with the plug in and save the water for use with soaking your most soiled kitchenware.  I know it doesn’t sound nice to soak your oven trays in a mixture of old gravy and cold water, but you are going to rewash them later anyway - and they can’t really get any dirtier than they already are, can they?

Then just before washing up, sort your dirty utensils and crockery in order of cleanliness, with the hardly used plates and glasses first and the greasy, oily plates and pans towards the end.  I know it sounds a bit old-fashioned, but if you put all the greasy stuff in first, then the clean stuff will never get clean!  You don’t really want to add oil to the water your clean glasses are sitting in, do you?

Setting The Scene:
Now you are ready to start running the water, but first - make sure that if you don’t have a second sink or half-sink as well as your main one - then you must use a washing up bowl.

The reason is that, if you are not rinsing your stuff before washing it, then the odd cup might have some coffee still in it - now, do you want to pour that coffee into your clean water?  No.  It needs to be poured into the other sink or down the side of the bowl!

Basically, you need to keep your water as clean as possible for as long as possible through out the wash!

And, don’t worry about the hot tap pouring out cold water into the sink or bowl first, as it will probably get too hot anyway after a while - better not waste it for no reason, eh?

Also, if your hot water is through a boiler, it might be cheaper energy-wise to boil the kettle for your dishes rather than heat up the whole tank, so either coincide your washing up with your shower or use the kettle to make a cup of tea at the same time as washing up!

Also, it’s not a bad idea to have at least 2 scrubbing aids or scourers/sponges/cloths.  One for the really clean stuff, and one (or more) for the really dirty stuff.  No point wiping your cups clean with a cloth that has got burnt pasta all over it!  And, it means you can keep using them for longer as, once you ‘clean’ one gets to dirty to be ‘clean’, it can become your ‘dirty’ one for pots and pans etc.  A double life!

Washing Up, At Last:
Now, get in there with the washing up as normal, all the clean stuff in first - rinse if you have to, or better still dip in a bowl of cold water you already have to one side to avoid waste again.  However, if you don’t over-use your detergent then you shouldn’t really need to rinse it anyway.

As you move through to the dirty stuff, don’t forget to change your weapon of choice, so keeping the clean cloth or scourer clean, and getting out the tougher (dirtier) cloths or scourers as you progress!

All the while you are pouring your dirty liquids down the drain, the water should last longer for you so you don’t need to change it as early as you might normally.

When the water finally gets to dirty to clean things properly in, you can still ‘wash up’ all the remaining dirty things in the same water, but put them back on the dirty side of the sink. 

Why leave them still covered in baked-on or dried-on food until you wash up again?  Why not get them virtually clean with the already warm water so they are nearly clean for the next time!  You would have got rid of most of the grease and stains this time around with your old water.  Nice one.

Drying Up:
Don’t dry up!  Things dry themselves pretty well in just an hour or so - so leave them to it! 

Using a dish cloth to dry your things means that you make that dirty - so it will have to be washed too!  Why create more work for yourself when you should be sitting down drinking that nice cup of tea you made yourself at the beginning!