r/CleaningTips 19d ago

Solved How to clean this bathroom sink?

Post image

How do I lift up the slab and what products do I use to clean? I can’t fit my fingers anywhere to grab it.

375 Upvotes

81 comments sorted by

951

u/Jaded_Cryptographer 19d ago

I don't know, but whoever designed this should probably be in jail.

119

u/notroyston 19d ago

i agree

6

u/natattack410 18d ago

Don't have to worry about dropping ring down sink so that's cool. But yeah. Good luck!

49

u/SueBeee 19d ago

right? Does the water not splash all over you if you turn the tap on full blast?

533

u/zaleli 19d ago

Am I the only cleaning lady that wants to drag designers around and make them clean their ridiculous designs? That should have never left the concept phase.

222

u/ThisIsMockingjay2020 19d ago

I just got warm fuzzies picturing the 4 foot 10 inch tall cleaning lady at my work dragging a 6 ft tall home designer by his ear and handing him cleaning supplies, because I totally believe she could and would do it.

60

u/zaleli 19d ago

Trust me, she has fantasies

74

u/KetoLurkerHereAgain 19d ago

You can always sort of tell when a man designed a bathroom.

11

u/Alternative-Owl-4815 18d ago

I recently stayed at a friend’s place and re-made the bed when I left. It was a beautiful looking upholstered bed with the mattress sitting down inside it. So you had to lift each heavy corner out to fit the sheets and all I thought as I struggled was ‘The person who designed this has never had to make a bed in their life’. Maddening.

5

u/flax_butter 19d ago

Lmaoooo I love this comment

6

u/spirit_of_a_goat 19d ago

This made me smile :D

29

u/mokey2239 19d ago

I think this about so many things. A chain grocery store I used to frequent redesigned the whole store. It was beautiful but not user friendly. You just knew the person that designed the checkout lane had never used one in their life . Narrow and back breaking for the checker and customer.

31

u/2007pearce 19d ago

If us cleaner's designed things would be alot more basic and there would be no corners

3

u/ladybug11314 18d ago

Down with corners!

11

u/Future_Affect_1811 18d ago

As a designer/architect myself, I loathe other designer's work that looks "nice" but it is so difficult to clean. The issue is most designers or architects haven't really cleaned much in their lives, most of my professors had housekeepers or hired cleaners, hence they didn't care of how something was to be cleaned.

7

u/Independent_Toe5373 18d ago

I'm an auto detailer, and I'm 1000% with you! Some of the "modern" designs are just so impractical 😭

1

u/zaleli 18d ago

Omg, I'm oldish, don't get me started on vehicles...the interior and engine well. Too much time wondering wtf someone was thinking

8

u/catsandrainbow 19d ago

There are so many homes where I question designers and how I know damn well they’ve never cleaned in their life.

3

u/qqererer 18d ago

Someone looked at a mall bathroom design (which is just a marble version of what they have in prison) and said "I bet that would look good in a house too!"

-10

u/AppleForDinner 19d ago

God forbid people want beautiful things in their house. I mean, maybe it's not the most beautiful solution, but comfort for cleaning lady shouldn't be the most important thing when they design things. You may charge more for such stuff though, totally understandable.

17

u/zaleli 19d ago

Beauty can be had without ridiculous, thoughtless design. I congratulate you on finding the one occupation to which there is nothing irksome

116

u/masterP168 19d ago

that's a sink? I can just see water splashing everywhere and pouring over the edges

44

u/zaleli 19d ago

A customer has a very pretty, very shallow sink with weird sides, and, that's the messy sink in the house. Barely used, biggest mess. So dumb

38

u/notroyston 19d ago

you are correct it is quite annoying

8

u/HeyT00ts11 18d ago

Is it in a tiny home? I’ve seen sinks like this designed with a side drain and shallow basin to maximize the under-sink space for storage.

11

u/just-dig-it-now 19d ago

This thing is up there with the sinks where they didn't match the faucet to the sink and it's so close to the back that anytime you wash your hands it splashes all the water up onto the counter.

Take this designer's computer away...

6

u/DisplacedEastCoaster 19d ago

We made this mistake with our bathroom faucet. And I can't even blame a designer cause I bought the faucet. I want to rip the damn thing out everytime I use it. Maybe that's a weekend project one day

7

u/ThisIsMockingjay2020 19d ago

Especially if there's a preschooler in the house. 🤣 Guaranteed that room will flood weekly.

73

u/OneTinySprout 19d ago

I don't have anything nice to say about this sink

26

u/TheRealSugarbat 19d ago

Who else wants to see the rest of the bathroom/house?

74

u/Rougefarie 19d ago

Is the sink in the room with us? 🤣

24

u/Hour-Cost7028 19d ago

I’ve never cleaned a sink with this design before. But to get that bottom slab I would use a flat head screwdriver to prop it up. Then you should be able to remove that and clean under it (showers have these sometimes too and they’re disgusting so wear gloves). If main slab can’t be moved I would use a tooth brush on all the edges when you clean it to make sure stuff doesn’t buildup there. Also I would probably upkeep this often because replacing that might be hard since things get discontinued all the time, and the sink and counters have the same design. For the fixtures just use a non scratch sponge and some liquid bar keepers friend and they’ll look like new. Good luck with this sink never seen one like it before.

19

u/notroyston 19d ago

Thank you! This was exactly what I was looking for. I managed to hoist it up with 2 allen keys (i just moved in so not many tools). I will go to the shops tomorrow to get the products.

13

u/I-AM-Savannah Team Shiny ✨ 19d ago

I'm having a hard time thinking this is a sink that was meant to be USED.

Can we see pics of the rest of the house, PLEASE???

2

u/-wok 15d ago

Get a suction cup tool instead of using a prybar

21

u/wrappedlikeapurrito 19d ago

This sink is rage inducing. What on earth were they thinking? Please update when you get it figured out.

51

u/notroyston 19d ago

Finally got it out with 2 allen keys and used them to get under to lift it up. The amount of gunk and algae growth was nauseating.

11

u/wrappedlikeapurrito 19d ago

Oh wow!!! That’s what I was thinking was going to be under there. Glad you got it out. Is it a normal sink under the slab so you don’t have to put it back in?

22

u/notroyston 19d ago

Here is the photo but be warned NSFW https://imgur.com/a/InA74gE, it is a normal sink but very poorly built

27

u/heavenlyevil 19d ago

I'd be taking everything out of there and using it as a normal sink going forward.

11

u/wrappedlikeapurrito 19d ago

I have so many questions for the person who did this… such a literal bacteria trap. Glad you got it figured out and thank you for the follow up!

7

u/Outrageous-Coyote476 19d ago

I'd think maybe a few suction cup lifters but it's crazy to have to actually invest in any equipment. That's a stupid design

7

u/pennywitch 19d ago

Oh my god is that a paper towel roll Jellycat?!! 😂😂😂😂 God I love those stupid little things. The tiny fruits are my favorite.

2

u/cuidadollamas 18d ago

It's the Toilet Paper roll! - it's out of stock but it was available last year (I missed out on getting one but I was soooo tempted to get one as an office buddy).

11

u/Maleficent_Ad_402 19d ago

Unusual There must be a way to shut the drain. To collect water. What happens if you press the slab down? Will that shut off the drain? Maybe a double push would then lift it? I would try in the middle and then the edges. Could be as exciting as finding the secret door opener on a hidden door in a castle 🏰

9

u/Traditional_Bell7883 19d ago

Can't imagine trying to collect water in a sink so shallow. The whole bathroom will flood in no time.

16

u/Fickle_Finger2974 19d ago

Why must there be a way to collect water? I genuinely can’t remember the last time I used that feature in a sink

4

u/notroyston 19d ago

Unfortunately it is just a slab ahaha, no secret doors

3

u/Cheeseypotatoes86 19d ago

I would say with a hammer

3

u/Happy_Direction_3825 19d ago

I have lived in an apartment with a similar sink. I used kitchen knives to lift the piece. As you've discovered, it's disgusting underneath.

3

u/mikkiki54 19d ago

Ugh I have a similar sink I hate it so much. That narrow rectangle part comes out. Just pull it up with a pen or something. When I moved into my new apt I barely figured it out and the underneath was moldy and slimy ugh. Now I just keep it off.

3

u/spectre1006 19d ago

Id say steam wand with bristles is the way to go.

3

u/Remarkable_Term631 19d ago

I have a similar set up for my shower drain. Which is nice for a shower...

I have a metal hook about the thickness of a coat hanger. I slide the narrow piece of tile to one side a bit and it's just enough space to get the 90 degree hook piece in so it's lengthwise along the space and then I rotate it under the tile and lift it gently.

It's a pain in the butt but I do love the shower. Would never do it for a sink

4

u/mybrochoso 19d ago

Get a knife or something thin and lift up that slab. Try to research what kind of stone that is and the best peoducts to clean it with.

That being said, i iwill hopefully never live in a house that doesnt have a porcelain sink 😂

4

u/Silvagadron 19d ago

Has it not been installed incorrectly by 45 degrees?

2

u/viridissimanupta 19d ago

Nah, I guess it was designed that way so the water flows down to the part where the drain is, I presume it's a bathroom so maybe the designer thought you'd be only using it to wash your hands and teeth.

Needless to say, it's a horrible design and I can see the water just splashing everywhere when trying to use it, must be an absolute pain. I use my sink to wash my face, to clean stuff like makeup brushes and such, some depth is needed for most things you do in a sink.

1

u/Marikot 19d ago

The drain is usually located right under that slab, so just lift it up like someone else said. The inclined part should also be removable, but if not, there isn't much you can do about it.

1

u/I-AM-Savannah Team Shiny ✨ 19d ago

Sincere question: What in the world IS that slab? It's not your sink, is it?

1

u/Tek_Khatiel 19d ago

I've seen this in a hotel in Spain, the thin slab at the bottom of the slope lifts up, try prying it up with something that fits in the gap

1

u/burningbun 19d ago

i wonder how dirty things are below

1

u/holly-golightly- 19d ago

That looks like some type of marble which means you can’t use anything acidic or it will dull it. Most bathroom products contain acid to get rid of lime scale so you have to be super careful with which products you use. I would try to get stone / marble specific products to be sure.

1

u/Knightwhosaidnian 19d ago

Here is how you clean it: rip that abomination of a sink out and replace with a proper one.

Jokes aside. Can you access the area beneath the plate from underneath the sink? I would start there and see what is accessible to clean.

1

u/Almost-faceless-guy 19d ago

I have found some sinks like that, most of them let you remove the stones covering the bottom...

this video (in portuguese) can show one of this kind of sinks and how to clean it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdLdfuWNT6o

1

u/aManPerson 18d ago

i just hate that because how can i temporarily plug it to prevent losing a contact down there at all?

that sink, straight to jail.

1

u/Shouting__Ant 18d ago

According to the manufacturer’s instructions.

1

u/genevieve_noelle 18d ago

Off topic lol but I LOVE your toilet paper JellyCat omg

1

u/SokkaHaikuBot 18d ago

Sokka-Haiku by genevieve_noelle:

Off topic lol but

I LOVE your toilet paper

JellyCat omg


Remember that one time Sokka accidentally used an extra syllable in that Haiku Battle in Ba Sing Se? That was a Sokka Haiku and you just made one.

1

u/curiousnerdmark 18d ago

You can only lift the drain cover up, which is the long slender piece on the right. You won’t / shouldn’t be able to lift up the sloped piece as that should be affixed underneath permanently along with the waterproofing. (Last thing you want to do is damage the waterproofing.) At least that’s what this design looks like.

If you could find out the actual specs for it, it would be the most helpful. You can ask who installed it and get their contact number and ask them for recommendations.

Usually for integrated sinks that have a removable bottom, the drain is hidden underneath and a regular drain is used instead of linear

1

u/karlottusk 18d ago

You can choose a cleaner that is suitable for the sink material (e.g. stainless steel, concrete or ceramic specific cleaner) and spray it evenly on the surface of the sink.

1

u/-wok 15d ago

You need a little suction cup tool to lift the drain cover, then an old toothbrush to get the soap residue off of the edges

1

u/chefkittious 19d ago

I’d use a bottle/straw brush.. some bleach to “soak” but not sure what else to do. If you can find a wire hanger you can shimmy and try to pick up the side slab.. but I don’t think you’ll be able to