My landlord put in a new white enamel sink in our apartment 5 months ago, and it is stained already. I thought enamel wasn't supposed to stain, but it is impossible to keep clean. Any ideas of how I can remove the existing staining and keep it stain free in the future?

Also, there are metal marks in the sink that I haven't been able to remove. They're from my aluminum cookie sheets (they rub in the sink when I scrub them, and leave marks where they rubbed). Any ideas to get rid of those?

We'll be moving soon, and don't want to lose any of our damage deposit, so we'd like to get rid of the marks and stains in the sink before we move.

 

Try rubbing stains with baking soda/water paste and let set. Baking soda is a very mild abrasive. Barkeeper's Friend or Zud, used to make a paste with water, can be left to set to lift stains. Then rub with rag to buff out surface stains and mineral deposits.

Metal marks from pots tends to be a common problem on porcelain sinks. A plastic mat in bottom of sink tends to minimize the marks. Mat should be removed after doing dishes in order to rinse sink and wipe dry after use. This will allow you to address stains immediately and help prevent mineral deposits.

 

There is a product called Bon Ami that is good for porcelain sinks. The abrasive is crushed oyster shells, I think.

 

The abrasive ingredient in BonAmi is calcium chloride, one source of which is ground mussel shells, like clams & oysters.