Reddit reviews Scotch-Brite Dobie Cleaning Pad, Ideal for Dishwashing, Kitchen, Bathroom and More, Scours Without Scratching, 1 Pad

Hey there. First off, it's really good to hear you are trying to come out of a funk. That's something to be proud of, and as you keep tackling small projects, I hope you keep giving yourself the props you deserve for your efforts. It's really great.

As for the sink! I'd start off gentle and then work your way up here.

First off, baking soda. Nothing shines my stainless steel sink like a good baking soda scrub. Get yourself a few boxes of baking soda (I say a few, because there are endless ways to use it to clean stuff and its cheap as heck, so it doesn't hurt to have a few extra hanging around). Also this is the best sponge known to man, and it wont scratch your sink or your tub or your dishes or anything. Get a bunch, they are endlessly useful! https://www.amazon.com/Scotch-Brite-Dobie-Original-Cleaning-720/dp/B000VPCG60

I find that it can be helpful to wet the sink down just a bit. Sprinkle the baking soda HEAVILY all over it. The sides, the basin, just everywhere you can get it. Don't be shy here. I'm talking like up to a half an inch of the stuff. Then wait. Wait a while. Maybe 15 minutes? Maybe an hour? Maybe a few? However long you can wait. (Take the time to maybe go on a walk and listen to a podcast and enjoy some fresh air. Or an episode or 2 of the most mind numbingly delightful tv show you can find. Whatever makes you happy. Treat yourself.) When you come back to it you might see that a little bit of grime has absorbed into the baking soda (no? Does that just happen with me? I'm filthy, so this happens with me.) Then take your Dobie pad and wet it down a bit with some warm water and scrub the dickens out of the sink. I'd start from the top rim of the sink and work your way down here. As you scrub, you can keep getting your sponge a little wet, but you're going to want to be working the baking soda in with the sponge and a lot of elbow grease. The baking soda will start to fall and accumulate in the bottom of the basin. Try to minimize having the water wash the majority of it down the drain just yet. Use the accumulating baking soda to keep scrubbing.

When done, I like to take a jug of white vinegar and pour it on the pile of baking soda that has accumulated. I do this for a number of reasons. Firstly, it explodes, and that is very very cool. You can keep scrubbing with the new vinegar mixture too, whatever floats your boat. I find the vinegar helps to shine things up a bit, as well as work as a deodorizer. Also, if enough baking soda accumulates in the drain and the vinegar continues to react to it down there, it'll help keep things unclogged and smelling nicely.

Hopefully this does the trick to lift the grease spots as well as shine things up.

If the baking soda/vinegar method does not work, I'd go get some Bar Keepers Friend or Bon Ami. Use a similar technique, but a light sprinkle of the product instead of a heavy sprinkle. And don't add the vinegar, just scrub with the Dobie and water.

Also, WD-40 might be something you can just dive right in with. Just dab some on a soft sponge or rag and wipe it up. (I'd wash and rinse the residue of this off with plain dish-soap and water after you are done. I don't think you'd want to eat off of dishes that accidentally pick up this residue).

You could also look into getting a small blade or razor to scrape it up (with the WD-40 as a lubricant for extra help). You would just have to be extra careful here, but there's less of a chance of scraping the surface in an extreme way with this than a metal brush or something of the sort.

As far as the stove is concerned, I'd just jump right in with Bar Keepers Friend/Bon Ami and the Dobie pad. I also find that Windex works really well on my stove top to shine it up.

As a side note on general cleaning, if you are struggling finding where to start with your cleaning products, these are all very good products to have on hand to tackle a lot of different cleaning conundrums (You would be amazed what plain dish soap can accomplish). I also like to get cleaning products that smell good and illicit positive feelings (If Mrs. Meyers is a brand available to you, the Honeysuckle scented products INSANELY good). I also cannot recommend the book Ask A Clean Person enough. It's very helpful for people who need straightforward cleaning advice and rules.

Goodluck with your progress!!!

As an initial matter, soaking is generally useless (and can be unsanitary if you don't rinse thoroughly). Because you have no dishwasher, you probably don't have a disposal. If you do, it's a lot easier. Here's my approach.

(1) Get rid of all the food solids. Down the disposal if you have it. If you don't, i take a plastic grocery bag and scrape all the solid foods into it with a paper towel or napkin from dinner.

(2) Sometimes I pre-rinse the dishes at this point to remove further solids. Sometimes I just go to step 3.

(3) Using a good sponge that has a scrubber side (or a Dobie--a good brand), I load the sponge with dishwashing liquid (usually a good brand like Dawn--it really does work better on grease).

(4) Scrub and rinse under running water in one step. Place in a rack to dry. I have a system where I wash things in order--utensils first, small items, plates, and then cookware last. It just makes sense for some reason.

Dishes that are thoroughly clean will air dry fast. I find towel drying to be a waste of time and towels, unless I need the item immediately.

Sponges need to be completely wrung out of water when done so they don't grow mildew. You will be able to smell a bad sponge right away. Sniff it--it should have no smell. If it does, all you need to do is put in the microwave on a paper towel for two minutes at high--it will sterilize the sponge completely. Ta da!

Sorry, when I meant I used a scouring pad, I didn't mean like steel wool, or an aggressive scotch brite pad, I just used a mild [Dobie pad] (https://www.amazon.com/Scotch-Brite-Dobie-Original-Cleaning-720/dp/B000VPCG60), it's super mild and I use it aggressively on my nonstick surfaces without issue. If this is something to avoid, however, i'll stop immediately.

Thanks for all the good info, I just gotta get into the good habits, but I can tell this is like when I went from using a drip machine to a chemex for my coffee, just gotta get into the swing of things.

Get some Dobie pads. They scour but don't scratch.

Soaking in vinegar works wonders. I also like to buy "non-abrasive" kitchen sponges. These work wonders and wont leave a mark.