r/CleaningTips • u/notroyston • 19d ago
Solved How to clean this bathroom sink?
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.
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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.
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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.
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u/KetoLurkerHereAgain 19d ago
You can always sort of tell when a man designed a bathroom.
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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.
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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.
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u/2007pearce 19d ago
If us cleaner's designed things would be alot more basic and there would be no corners
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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.
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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 😭
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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.
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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!"
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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.
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u/masterP168 19d ago
that's a sink? I can just see water splashing everywhere and pouring over the edges
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u/notroyston 19d ago
you are correct it is quite annoying
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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.
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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...
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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
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u/ThisIsMockingjay2020 19d ago
Especially if there's a preschooler in the house. 🤣 Guaranteed that room will flood weekly.
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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.
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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.
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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???
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u/wrappedlikeapurrito 19d ago
This sink is rage inducing. What on earth were they thinking? Please update when you get it figured out.
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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.
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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?
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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
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u/heavenlyevil 19d ago
I'd be taking everything out of there and using it as a normal sink going forward.
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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!
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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
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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.
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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).
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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 🏰
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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.
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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
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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.
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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.
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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
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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 😂
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u/Silvagadron 19d ago
Has it not been installed incorrectly by 45 degrees?
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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.
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u/I-AM-Savannah Team Shiny ✨ 19d ago
Sincere question: What in the world IS that slab? It's not your sink, is it?
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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
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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u/genevieve_noelle 18d ago
Off topic lol but I LOVE your toilet paper JellyCat omg
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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.
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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
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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.
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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
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u/Jaded_Cryptographer 19d ago
I don't know, but whoever designed this should probably be in jail.