How to clean and remove stains from an old cast iron sink
So, as you all know, I have been working diligently in my basement for the past couple of months. For the bathroom I had set aside my grandparents’ old bathroom cabinet and this gorgeous, ancient, American Standard, cast iron sink! It was in one of the sheds and though I don’t know exactly how old it is my guess is between 40-50 years. When I posted about our kitchen sink base, I had lots of questions on how to clean cast iron because, like this one, it was SO GROSS. So I rolled up my sleeves and took lots of pictures of the process this time! So, this is how I removed stains from and clean cast iron sinks that are covered in total nasty! But first, check out this amazing sink!
It was literally still in the crate it was first boxed in from the factory! Even the old wrapping around the hardware was still there! It pained me a little to remove it from the crate because every board was so cool and so old. (I saved every board and the crate for a later project.) Even the old American Standard label was still stuck to the front of it. It also came with a serious amount of ick so I knew it would be a big job to get it clean. First, I got it installed and working, I can’t believe there were no leaks, it works perfectly, even the drain stopper! Really, they just don’t make them like they used to. After that, I got to work cleaning it.
First thing was first I got as much as I could without water or anything, just paper towels and some scrubbing to remove all of the dry big nastiness. Then I rolled up my sleeves. When I clean cast iron there are only three things that I bring with me: a scrubby sponge (NOT an SOS pad or anything abrasive!!), a box of baking soda and a jug of white vinegar. First I covered the whole sink with baking soda and made sure to plug the drain, then I dumped in about a cup of vinegar so everything went crazy sudsy. And then I got to scrubbing.
After a substantial amount of scrubbing the sink was looking remarkably better, I got the majority of the worst off of it and dried it up and assessed what I needed to do next. Where the label was there was one heck of a nasty stain that no amount of elbow grease was going to work on so I made a paste with the vinegar and the baking soda and covered it up and left it for about 36 hours.
The stain was nearly gone at this point so I gave it the paste treatment again and left it for another couple of days:
And viola! The stain is almost completely gone! This sink will never again look brand new certainly, but I am really impressed with how beautiful it is. The vinegar and baking soda treatment has impressed me before but now I’m a real believer if it can clean cast iron it can clean anything!
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I’m Tarah!
It’s been a hell of a ride since I started this blog and renovated and moved into this old farm house back in 2015. I got married, divorced, lost my doggo soul mate, spent two years as a single gal, remodeled everything, threw my back out countless times and was even found by an amazing guy in my own backyard! (The story behind Storyhardt Farm.)
Around here we’re totally fearless when it comes to bettering our home. We love to refinish old furniture, re-purpose old pieces, build it from scratch and totally renovate anything that needs it! If we can do it – so can you. We’ve got some serious plans for this old farm and, for first time ever, I have a real partner!
This is gonna be so much fun!
You can also find out more about the amazing Grandma behind this blog who moved in to this old farmhouse with my Grandpa nearly 70 years ago!
I’m so glad you posted this! I’m struggling with my cast iron bath.
Tracey, the next step would be to try laying a hydrogen peroxide soaked rag on the stain – I hear it can really work wonders!
Awesome, I’ll try that. Thank you so much
Thanks!
Hey Tarah, There is a wonderful product called “Iron Out” available here that will kill All iron stains in a short time. My well water had so much iron in it my sinks etc and my clothes (and the washer tub) were all badly stained. A neighbor told me to get Iron Out, now it is very strong and has a strong smell, so use it carefully, ventilated rooms only, but you wet down your sink/tub/whatever and sprinkle about a quarter cup on it, let it sit for a few minutes, then add water to the sink (plug it up first), and let that sit for a little while. Then take a look and see if the stains aren’t all gone. This works so much better than bleach, or comet, or anything else I have ever used… and requires NO Scrubbing At all… It Does have a powerful smell, so don’t stand close , just let it soak while you go Breathe somewhere else…
Have you seen it in your stores? Grocery or Walmart or hardware stores usually carry it… If you don’t find it and want it I will send you some if you like…
Hey Sue, thank you for the tip, I do believe I remember seeing a bottle of that in my mom’s old cleaning supplies cabinet. I’ll run over to our local fleet store and grab one, thank you!!
Beautiful job! I use baking soda & vinegar on everything. You might try baking soda & lemon juice as well. It works on stains on my kitchen counter with no problems. I also use Borax alot to clean my sinks & bathtub if you’re comfortable using it.
Jenny, great idea! I didn’t consider trying borax, I use it my laundry soap so I always have a box around, I’ll have to try it!
Beautiful job, Thank you
Thanks Nancy for coming by!
Great tips, Tarah! I’ll be posting this on a couple of Pinterest boards ๐ Thanks for linking up with Vintage Charm ๐
Thanks Diana!
You might try some whitening toothpaste on some of the stains and scratch marks! It really works on some stains!
That’s a great idea Cheryl, thanks for the tip!
How do you get the brown, baked on residue from the inside of the glass oven door? I’ve tried several things and have gotten it cleaner, but not completely. I need help!!
Hey Ruth, in the past I’ve using a water and baking soda combo to make a paste (you’ll only need a very little bit of water) and cover it with that and then let it sit for 15-20 minutes and then get to scrubbing. It’s worked for me but I bet some vinegar in there would probably help as well.
Baking soda and vinegar are seriously 2 of my favourite things <3. Your sink looks amazing.
Me too!! I literally by vinegar by the gallon now lol!
Tarah the transformation of that cast iron sink is just amazing!! I had no idea baking soda and vinegar could be let to sit some days and the effects would still work. Thanks for the tips, pinning to remember!
Thanks for commenting Pili, I was really pleasantly surprised at how well it worked!
Wow! What a difference! Thanks for sharing on the Pleasures of the NW’s DIY party!
Thank you so much Helen!
Where did you find this treasure. Your absolutely right they certainly don’t make things to last like they use to. This sink is so funky and fun. Love it.
I often use baking soda and vinegar but have never been patient enough to try it for more than a few hours. I will certainly be following your method going forward.
Thank you very much for joining the #HomeMattersParty. PS. I saw the instagram pic of the absolutely gorgeous horse and followed you. Give him a carrot for me please, hes adorable!!
Thanks Leanna! We actually pulled it out of one of our sheds, I can only imagine why my grandpa must have stashed it there – did he have the plan to use it some day? I don’t know! So glad it was there though, I literally squealed when I spotted it!
I need to post more pictures of Garcia! He’s been with me for a very long time and he’s such a wonderful horse! I stop at the end of the day for his kisses ๐
Wow, what a transformation! I have an old sink that I have used as a planter outside and now I want to add it to my she shed. This will come in handy when I go to clean it. Thanks for sharing your tips with SYC.
hugs,
Jann
What a great idea Jann, I’ve been thinking about thinking an old sink that I could hook up to a water hose outside! Thanks for coming by!
I need a shed with treasures like that in it. Great job restoring it – looks awesome!
Thanks for sharing at Funtastic Friday!
Thank you!!
What a find! If you could get that clean, I can get my sink clean too! Thanks for coming to the party at Celebrate and Decorate!
Thanks Chloe!
Wow, that turned out fantastic! I would have thought it was a goner, but your efforts were well worth it! #happynowlinkup
Thanks so much Jen! It’s not perfect but that’s basically what I love about it lol!
What an incredible find! I can’t believe the sink was still in its old crate. Baking soda and vinegar are both fantastic cleaning solutions, and clearly together are a true powerhouse. Thanks for sharing at the #happynowlinkup!
Thanks so much Leslie!
Baking soda is my favorite cleaning trick. It cleans everything. Ev-ery-thing. ๐ Thanks for sharing at the #ThisIsHowWeRoll Link Party.
Thanks Susan! Yup baking soda is almost a miracle worker!
Wow! That looks great. We have an identical sink in our shop bathroom. I love that they are more space saving with their shape and faucet. Unfortunately, ours looks more like your before picture than your after picture:/). Hadn’t thought about baking soda and vinegar. Not sure why not??? Will have to give it a go. Thanks.
Hello! And if that doesn’t work trying hydrogen peroxide and vinegar too! I read that it can really really help if the baking soda fails! Thanks for coming by ๐
Wow that came out pretty great! Thanks for linking up at #MerryMonday!
Kim
Thank you Kim!
What a great look in your rustic vanity. Thanks for sharing at Home Sweet Home.
Thank you Sherry!
SO amazing! great job!
I would love for you to share this with my Facebook Group for recipes, crafts, tips, and tricks: https://www.facebook.com/groups/pluckyrecipescraftstips/
Thanks for joining Cooking and Crafting with J & J!
Thanks Jess!
Tarah,
I used the same process
Sink looks outstanding
I also enjoy “vintage” materials
Thanks for coming by!
What about using a pressure washer for cleaning the inside and outside of cast iron tub and sinks?
Hi Marie, that’s a great idea! You could also take them over to your so it yourself car wash if you don’t have access to a hand washer. I don’t know if it would totally get the job done but it might!
Hi Tarah,
Thank you so much for this post. This inspires me to no end!
The reason being is that, I, too, have found myself in a similar situation to yours with your 1930’s cast iron sink: I am the owner of a 1930’s, still in functioning order, cast iron tub. I just had a roommate move out. She was in the habit of insistence in using this Egyptian Clay mask on her face.
At first, she was removing (washing, rinsing) this residue off her face in the bathroom sink, where she swiftly clogged the plumbing to this sink twice. I then sought a compromise where I banished her to removing this clay in the shower/tub.
Since she’s moved out, I had decided to give the bathroom a good cleaning out. By habit, I normally leave my rubber tub mat in the tub after bathing/showering.
I took the mat up. Underneath the mat were all these dark, taupe-colored stains in the porcelain of the tub! This looks like what clay that was leftover after she rinsed her face did not totally drain from the tub. Instead, it pooled under the rubber mat, absorbing into the porcelain! I absolutely could not believe what I was seeing! This tub has been totally stainless up to this point in time.
I am currently letting the tub soak in a hot water/bleach/color safe bleach soup. (Color safe bleach because I ran out of bleach at the moment.) It’s been soaking for 2 hours now.
I am hoping this will work.
If not, I am definitely going to try your recipe for how you restored your sink. Your sink looks wonderful with all that it had been through!
Thank you, thank you, thank you, Tarah, for your post! I love reading about what DIY’s have done with their various home projects. And when these projects succeed, I get even more inspired! Thank you!
I’m so sorry to hear that! Major good luck there I’m sure it will come out ok! Worst, absolute worst, case scenario you could try The Works toilet bowl cleaner. Its incredibly toxic but I’ve had to resort to it once or twice in my life in the nastiest of situations. Good luck again!
I have the identical sink to the one in your picture. That sink is probably closer to seventy years old as most of the homes in my area were built in 1950 and up. This one was probably in the upstairs bathroom and moved to the downstairs bathroom when they installed the vanity style sink enclosure.
Hi Joe that’s very cool – I love these old sinks!