Want More Peace? Shine Your Kitchen Sink

Kitchen sink

What does shining the kitchen sink have to do with feeling peaceful?

The simple answer is: shining the sink matters as much as it’s important to you to have clear space in your environment.

If your kitchen sink is full of dirty dishes and the pile keeps growing, how do you feel about that?

Does it bother you or not?

If you feel it doesn’t bother you, can you look at it and feel calm? Can you tell yourself that you truly not only don’t mind it, but you enjoy looking at an ever growing pile of dirty, used dishes?

I don’t think most people prefer to look at dirty dishes and sinks. It irks me personally. Worse yet, if the dishes have been piling up for a while, a sense of helplessness spreads and we feel like victims, right in our own homes.

You can of course replace the sink and dirty dishes with anything else that’s piling up in your life. I’m using the sink as an example that can be applied in any other area where you feel things (and the related overwhelm) are adding up. And you don’t feel like dealing with them. And you suffer.

The thing about peace is: everything we do, think, or feel is connected. When we move in a direction that supports us, no matter how small the step may seem, we feel better; we know better. And when we know better, we do better.

So please join me today in cleaning the sink and see how you feel after.

Why shine the kitchen sink?

As mentioned above, if everything is connected then doing something as simple as cleaning and shining a sink can have tremendous benefits on your state of mind and environment. Think of the following:

Mindful cleaning: you will bring your attention to the present moment and what you’re doing, forgetting everything else.

Single focus: you will feel less overwhelmed and scattered and able to do one thing only.

Noticeable progress: no matter how messy or complicated your life may seem, when you clean your sink, you will experience improvement while still working. This encourages you to keep going. A quick and encouraging outcome will motivate you to keep going and inspire you to do other things.

How to shine your sink

The steps I’m about to share with you were inspired by Fly Lady’s instructions. If you have a few minutes, review their steps and determine if they’ll work for you.

Below are the steps I took:

  1. Filled the sink (two inches below the rim) with hot water and added a quarter of a cup of bleach. Let it sit for an hour.
  2. Emptied the hot water and rinsed the sink well.
  3. Used a non-scratch scrub sponge with baking soda (not baking powder) and a few drops of lemon juice to scrub and clean the sink, edges, faucet and around the sink.
  4. Used a toothbrush to clean around the edges and the faucet. If there is something stuck, you can use a butter knife, but be careful not to scratch the surface.
  5. Rinsed the area. Then dried it with a towel.
  6. Used a microfiber towel to give it a shine. You can use window cleaner to shine your sink, if it helps.

The steps above were meant to clear the old buildup and give you a clean slate. They will take a total of one hour, max.

The trick from this moment is to keep your sink clean on a daily basis. This is where you sustain feeling better.

The daily ritual

Determine a reasonable time for you and your family to stop using the kitchen sink before going to bed. Make sure the dishes are in the dishwasher or clean. If they’re not, take them out of the sink and put them to the side.

  • Clean your sink with dish soap and water using a non-scratch sponge. Rinse.
  • Spray the sides and faucet with cleaner and wipe everything dry.
  • Dry the inside of the sink as well.

And you are done. The process of cleaning and drying the sink takes less than 5 minutes.

When you wake up in the morning you will be greeted by an empty sink.

What happens when we clean the sink daily?

You will build a habit that restores some space and clarity into your life. You will build a habit of clearing the dishes and keeping things clean.

Over time your habit will spread to other areas of your life. You might feel motivated to clean the stovetop or the bathroom sink.

Most of the things that pile up and weigh us down develop over time. Hardly any of the defeatist habits and attitudes is born overnight. Just like we allowed time and inaction to create a situation that made us feel powerless, we can do the exact opposite.

One small step builds into a habit. Then it inspires other small steps. And before you know it, you have a clean kitchen, maybe bathroom, or office.

When it comes to peace of mind every small step counts. Everything within us and around us is connected. Start today by building small simple habits for more peaceful living.


PREVIOUS:
NEXT: