How to Clean Bathroom Sink Faucets Inside and Out

  • 1-2 hours
  • Beginner
  • 10-20
What You'll Need
Adjustable Wrench
Soda Crystals
Boiling Water
White Vinegar
Clean Dry Cloth
Warm Water
Wire Pipe Brush
What You'll Need
Adjustable Wrench
Soda Crystals
Boiling Water
White Vinegar
Clean Dry Cloth
Warm Water
Wire Pipe Brush

Bathroom sink faucets will tend to get gunked up over years of usage, especially in hard water areas where lime scale is likely to form. Faucets can become less effective, and the water can be hampered by build ups in the pipes. Cleaning the outside of the faucets is not too much trouble unless the lime is thick. On the inside, it is far trickier to reach. Using harsh chemicals to clean faucets is not everyone’s idea of being environmentally friendly, so using household items is safer and easier.

Step 1 – Removing the Faucet

It is better to remove the faucet than to try to clean it while still attached. Turn off the water supply under the sink, using the isolator valve. Reach under the sink and loosen, then remove the holding nuts, to release the faucet. Remove the entire faucet assembly and turn it upside down.

Step 2 – Crystals

Place the faucet in a bowl. Turn the faucet so that the exit holes are facing upward. Pour soda crystals into the exit holes until they are full and pour in boiling water. Leave the crystals to dissolve slowly inside the faucet. After approximately fifteen minutes, pour in more boiling water. You will note that the first amount of water you poured in took a while to trickle out the other side. The second amount should be much quicker. You will also note residue crystals and lime scale coming out in the water as it exits. Pour more boiling water into the faucet until all the crystals have dissolved.

Step 3 – Brushing

Use a wire pipe brush to clean the residue inside the faucet. A wire pipe brush is a cylindrical shaped brush with firm wire bristles and a hard wire handle. The brush will fit neatly into the inside of faucet to clear the left over slime or lime scale. Push the brush firmly into the holes of the faucet. Be brisk with the brush and shunt it back and forth inside the faucet pipe to make sure that all the scale is removed.

Step 4 – Rinsing

Use boiling water again and pour it into the pipes of the faucet to rinse out any residue debris that you have brushed free. Fill the bowl with warm clean water and swish the faucet around to rinse it off. Use white vinegar on a clean dry cloth and polish the outside of the faucet to a shine.

Step 5 – Replacing

Clean the area where the faucet was placed on top of the sink unit. Replace the faucet pipes into the holes and re-tighten the holding nuts with the adjustable wrench. Turn the water back on and test the flow of water from the faucet. Your faucets should now flow far better and easier. Let the water run for a while to clear out the pipes and any remaining debris.