Help please - I've ruined my s/steel sink!

[lesleyhannah]

In a moment of madness today I bought some silver dip, to clean some old silver (which hasn't been cleaned/used for years). I felt extremely smug - I don't often spend time cleaning stuff for the fun of it . . . until I noticed the silver dip container had fallen over, and a huge black stain had spread over the stainless steel draining board and sink.

I've tried every cleaning product in the house, plus a whole raft of home remedies, but I can't remove these stains (I even tried brillo pads in desperation - so now I've got black stains and scratches!).

The silver looks lovely, but the kitchen looks a mess.

Can anyone help please??

[jazzactivist]

Oh dear, lesleyhannah. I had just this fear when I cleaned some earrings with leftover silver dip at the weekend. What about trying to scrub your sink with varying grades of steel wool? Try a coarser one first (grade 3) then work down to the finest grade (00). In this way you might be able to erase the mark, but if not then your sink will at least have a nice smooth shiny finish. Or you could try phoning the manufacturers to see if they have any ideas, as you can't be the only one this has happened to. Good luck.

[lily]

Might be one for Kim and Aggie? They have a spot in saturday's Times magazine.

[Pippa]

All I can think of is lemon juice or vinegar which I bet you have tried. Is this the reason we mustn't put silver and stainless steel together in a dishwasher, must be some sort of chemical reaction. Would a hot iron on cooking foil do anything, just a thought before you all throw your hands up in the air.

[sheddie]

I really think get in touch with the manufacturers for advice before you try anything else that may do more harm, they are usually pretty helpful X

[lesleyhannah]

Oh dear - I didn't know about not putting silver and s/steel in the dishwasher together. What is supposed to happen? Yes, I had tried lemon and white vinegar, without any effect. I think the silver dip container should still be in the bin, so will try to recover it - the idea of writing to the manufacturer is probably the safest. I'm a bit nervous about 'sanding' the whole surface of the sink unit with wire wool - I have a pretty poor track record with DIY, and could well end up having to replace the entire kitchen!
Thanks everyone for your suggestions.

[Healing Hands]

Have you tried Bicarb of soda or Borax which is a multi cleaner?

[lesleyhannah]

I've tried baking powder - and lemon/vinegar - and scouring powder. I hope this will act as a warning to anyone else who didn't know the havoc silver dip can wreak on stainless steel! On the plus side, it's probably a little less noticeable now than before. Or maybe I've just got used to it?

[jazzactivist]

If it is a dark, bluish silver stain, lesleyhannah, you will probably find that it will blend in more over time, and that you will only be able to see it at specific angles. How much time does anyone really spend standing and staring at an empty sink anyway?