Want to know how to clean faucet sink handles from the inside, so you can deep clean those clear acrylic faucet globe handles to really get them to shine? Then keep reading!
I was recently invited over to a friend’s house for a cooking party…one of those cool little deals where the hostess provides the food and the atmosphere, and all the guests try out the latest and greatest cooking tools on the market while chatting and eating and drinking and just having a good time in general.
I arrived a little early, and boy, am I glad I did! My friend was putting the finishing touches on the kitchen, getting everything ready for a house full of women, and just as I arrived, she had a momentary meltdown.
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She had finished wiping down her sink and faucet, and suddenly realized that the knobs on the faucet were filthy…not just dirty (well, at least not when you looked close at them anyway). And do you know what will happen with a house full of women? Someone will look close!
So my friend started wiping and wiping and trying to dig at the dirt around her handles and knobs, but to no avail. Lucky for my friend, I knew what to do. I showed her how to take the faucet handles apart, deep clean inside the faucet handles, and put them back together…and all before the first guest arrived and ever knew!
Chances are you’ve seen dirty kitchen sink handles like these clear faucet handles that are common in apartments and as shower knobs:
Let’s take an even closer look… Gross!
It’s not a pretty site, right? But did you know just how easy these sink handles are to clean? Let’s take it step by step!
How to Clean Faucet Sink Handles
You can watch a video tutorial of this process cleaning a shower faucet handle that is in the same style:
Here’s what you’ll need:
- A flat-head screw driver, or some other implement or tool with a narrow edge – sometimes a butter knife will work in a pinch!
- Hot, sudsy water
- A washcloth
- An old toothbrush
- A few Q-tips
- A straight pin
How to Clean Inside Faucet Handles
1.) Fill up one side of the sink with your hot, sudsy water.
2.) Gently pry the cap off of the first handle or knob.
A lot of people don’t even realize that the top of these clear faucet handles have caps that come off! Every brand of faucet knob is a little different: some of them have a small notch where you can place the edge of your screwdriver, which makes them easier to pop off, but even if they don’t, you’ll get it.
3.) Now use your screwdriver to remove the faucet screw inside the handle.
Be sure to carefully remove the screw and safely set it aside – away from the edge of the sink so it doesn’t get accidentally dropped down the drain, or even worse, into the garbage disposal! (Yep…I’ve done it before!)
4.) Once you have the screw removed, lift it straight up to separate the handle from the “stem” below it, like so:
5.) As you remove the caps and knobs on each side, simply drop them in the hot, sudsy water to soak!
This will loosen up the dried-on food and dirt while you clean the faucet handle stems.
6.) Clean the faucet stems.
This is where the toothbrush comes in! Check out all that grime! Scrub away at it with a sudsy toothbrush.
7.) Clean the faucet handles and caps.
Now that the stems are clean and drying, clean the clear acrylic globes in the sudsy water with a washcloth.
Don’t forget the toothbrush trick to get in all the nooks and crannies!
The q-tip comes into play for cleaning those tight spots where even the toothbrush can’t go!
8.) Let the handles and cap inserts dry.
Once all the individual parts all nice and sparkly-clean, you’re going to need to set them in an area where they can dry properly and thoroughly.
Note: There are several different kinds of caps. Mine at my own house are “etched” on the top – the letter “H” for Hot or “C” for Cold are etched into the cap itself.
Other types, like the set in these photos, are simply inserts that can be pulled out and changed. The issue with the inserts is that you stand a good chance of getting water underneath the insert when you’re soaking and washing the cap – you can see the bubble inside the cap below. This is where the straight pin (or any other pin) comes in – use it to work under the edge of the insert and carefully pull it out so you can dry both the insert piece and the cap thoroughly, before putting them back together.
***The point of allowing all your pieces to dry thoroughly is to avoid having mildew form in the crevices after you put them back together, and to avoid having to clean them again so soon.
9. ) Once all of your components are dry, it’s a snap to put it all back together again…
10.) Now, step back and admire your shiny, like-new, and clean faucet sink handles!
Now none of your house guests will ever have to know what they used to look like! Have fun cleaning faucets in your home!
Want even more cleaning tips? Follow my Cleaning board on Pinterest!
For more tips on how to clean just about everything, check out these other popular kitchen cleaning tutorials!
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Jenny @ Unremarkable Files says
Wow, I really need to do this in my kids’ bathrooms but didn’t know I could get in there like that. Thanks!
Ros Emely@stressfreemommies says
This is amazing! I didn’t know how easy it is to clean faucet handles, thank you 🙂
Deborah Boylan says
Wow! Thank you. I had no idea these were removable caps. I have been trying foe several years to get mine clean. They nevere came this clean after trying al sorts of cleaners!
Ana James says
I have fun reading this post. I never knew that we could clean those handles deep down the inside and what’s great is that its super easy and simple. Thanks for sharing this info. And by the way, I am so lucky that we have the same handles 🙂
Vesta says
Great post . This is great because you showed all the steps so people like me who struggle with taking things apart and reassembling them can easily figure it out .
James Rost says
We also do this, but I removed the little tab from the turn knob and placed pictures of my grand-daughters in place of it. Now every time I turn on the water I seen their picture, and it starts my day off with a great feeling that I am alive to seem them for another day. Thank you God for them and this Blessing each day. Jim Rost; Quincy, Illinois
Katelyn Fagan says
That is such a fun idea!! Thanks for sharing!
Erika says
I just tried it and it came out amazing! I feel empowered doing it on my own. That mildew has been my pet peeve for the longest but I just didn’t know how to take apart the bathroom sink knobs…until now. Thanks again. I appreciate the step by step, it was incredibly helpful.
Janie says
Yes! Thank you so much! We have family coming over for the holidays and I knew there had to be a relatively easy way for me to get our faucets clean! Awesome!
You mentioned in your directions about being careful when taking out the screws so they’re not dropped down the drain! I have a great work around for that to ensure it never happens: put a towel over the drains to catch anything that slippery fingers can’t hang on to! I learned the hard way with dropping medicines down the drain when opening a bottle over the sink, lol. Hope this helps.