None of the above. It's fruitless to expect stainless to not behave like stainless. And no one wants chemicals in the sink contaminating the celery when you wash it.

How about a cleaning sink (non prep sink) to help resist water stains?

If water spots bother you, you should get a different material sink. Look at Blanco Silgranit (lots of posts on this forum with lots of love for them), or enameled cast iron like the Kohler Whitehaven or other Kohler sinks.

It is an exercise in futility to try to prevent water marks in a stainless steel sinks. I am sure you have better things you'd rather spend time on. People who prefer stainless steel sinks just accept that water marks come with them, and the scratches too. If you don't feel comfortable with that, it sounds like stainless steel sink is not for you.

I've had stainless in previous houses along with a black cast iron and off white Corian. With the recent remodel, I specifically went with Silgranit due to the water spot issue and didn't consider stainless at all. It's so nice to not worry about drying the sink every time.

I've never dried a sink in my life! Stainless or otherwise.

Water spots on my stainless sink is the reason I no longer have stainless. Scratches didn't bother me but the spots drove me crazy!

What sjhockeyfan said.

I'm with sjhockeyfan.....and I don't plan on starting either!!!

I clean hard water spots with vinegar. Going to try a stainless polish or cleaner soon.

I've never dried a sink either - life is too short and time is too limited. But I did start putting a very light coat of mineral oil on my stainless prep sink after I clean it. (I won't even say how infrequently I "clean" the sink.) The mineral oil seems to slow down the progression from clean looking to totally water spotted.

Those water spots were why I hated my stainless kitchen sink. It always looked "dirty", even when it was not. And no, I was NOT going to wipe it out overtime I ran the water to fill the dog's bowl etc. It's why I love my Corian integrated sink. It always looks beautifully clean.

If you clean your stainless sink with Ajax powder it will honestly come up like new. It will hold that polish for a few days too. If you really care (I don't) you can dry it and polish it every night with windex. My friend does this and her kitchen is always immaculate (along with the rest of her house).

I disagree with Leila F's recommendation to use Ajax. It is too abrasive and will dull the finish. Keep using it and before long you won't be able to get your stainless steel sink to shine no matter what you do. Instead, use Barkeepers Friend. Go on any of the well-known stainless sink brands' websites like Blanco and Franke, and look at the Care and Use page. You will see Barkeepers Friend recommended every time. You won't see Ajax recommended.

I agree with previous posts that if water spots bother you, choose a different material for a sink. There is no reason to be married to the choice of a stainless steel sink if you are frequently going to be unhappy with how stainless steel behaves.

You must be joking - kitchens and the components within are meant to be used. They aren’t museums for display only. They will and should show signs of use.

@friedajune Maybe Ajax is different in the US to Australia, but the cleaners here use it weekly. We can't get barkeepers friend in Aus as far as I know. Here in Canada I actually use baking soda and dawn on my own sink but I'm not fussy about it looking really good

But def good to know about it eventually ruining the finish.

MOST of the stainless sinks I see people getting, on these forums, are the newer "brushed" finishes, and those sinks really don't even have a shine. You'd really have to work at it to get Comet or Ajax to dull those finishes, but I suppose it could be done. I have had a smooth-finish stainless sink for many many years, and occasionally did resort to Comet for a good cleaning. I never had any dulling or scratching, ever. I switched to BKF liquid a few years ago just because it's more convenient. I just replaced my old sink with a new SS one, again, a smooth polished finish - not the brushed. I will be using the same cleaner as I have in the past.

As far as water spots - jeeez. I can't believe anyone would be concerned with water spots in a sink. Oy!!

Wow, more traction for this post a year later! lol

The original thought was to create a semi permanent (every few months) hydrophobic coating for the flat bottom sinks as they have minimal draft. It would help drain the dirty water with food particles more easily especially if you have the grates in the sink.

I like the look of them but they are a bit of a pain to rinse the food particles away with the grids in.

I just use the sprayer to clean it out. No problems. I do have sink grids (a new thing for me as I never had one with my old sink) and the grid on right (the side where I do most of my washing), does not touch the bottom of the sink - only the sides. It's pretty simple to rinse out. It's a Kohler grid, made specifically for my sink. I bought a different one for the other side as it is an offset sink and the left side is taller, and Kohler does not make a larger grid for the other side. I may wind up just gettting another of the same one, and not worry about the difference in size. It is much better without the grid touching the bottom. They should all be made that way - but the fit is of course, more specific, so "generic grids" would be hit-or-miss.

Try some "Bar keeper's friend". It's what is recommended for cleaning and polishing stainless steel cookware such as Allclad®, Tramontiana® etc... It works really well and is food safe.

Here is the culprit for poor drainage of small food particles

http://www.kraususa.com/kitchen/kitchen-sinks/khu103-33-33-inch-undermount-70-30-double-bowl-16-gauge-stainless-steel-kitchen-sink.html

Yeah I’ve never cared for those new squared off sinks. Mine is a more “old school” style and it drains well. Hope you find a solution!

The "Mirror Finish" stainless sinks that were popular are tricky to maintain; they require polishing with a very low abrasive metal polish. Not worth the effort in my opinion. But, if you've got one it's your only option to maintain the finish. Actually,Dawn dish detergent does a very nice job and isn't at all abrasive.

Kurt Marucci I have that sort of finish and I don't have to do ANY "tricky" maintenance. I do normal cleaning. I have always used BKF to clean my sinks - all my life. And that is what I still use.