Ever had "Sink Smog"???
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Along with Tattletale Gray, Pink Toothbrush, and Ring Around the Collar, Sink Smog is one of those mid-century afflictions that people just don't seem to care about any more!
Well, I suppose it's no weirder than modern adverts.
People probably aren't as prone to picking up made-up household problems that advertisers invented though
The 1950s were somewhat more innocent times
There's one that ran a couple of years ago here that starts off with a woman going up an escalator with a close shot of her feet.
"Do you suffer the embarrassment of cracked heels?"
...
Sink smog probably disappeared with stainless steel sinks basins becoming the norm and people really not using sinks for doing dishes anymore either.
Testing facial cleanser cold cream in the 1950s with ... 'just a little bit of radioactivity' ..
People probably aren't as prone to picking up made-up household problems that advertisers invented though
The 1950s were somewhat more innocent times
There's one that ran a couple of years ago here that starts off with a woman going up an escalator with a close shot of her feet.
"Do you suffer the embarrassment of cracked heels?"
...
Sink smog probably disappeared with stainless steel sinks basins becoming the norm and people really not using sinks for doing dishes anymore either.
Testing facial cleanser cold cream in the 1950s with ... 'just a little bit of radioactivity' ..
danemodsandy
Well-known member
It's a Shame....
....That no one ever came up with a product to cure a very real problem caused by Bab-O, Dutch Cleanser, Comet and Ajax:
Sandpaper Sink!
These products are why you see midcentury sinks with the porcelain worn rough, worn down and even worn through.
....That no one ever came up with a product to cure a very real problem caused by Bab-O, Dutch Cleanser, Comet and Ajax:
Sandpaper Sink!
These products are why you see midcentury sinks with the porcelain worn rough, worn down and even worn through.
beekeyknee
Well-known member
When my parents built their house my Mother wouldn't let any powdered cleanser in the house except Bon-ami.
After we remodeled our kitchen at the other house, I swore off powdered cleansers for use on the kitchen sink, and I used protective mats as well (I never got in the habit of using a dish pan). That sink sparkled when we sold the house 18 years later.
The large single sink in our current house is 40 years old and still shines, even though powdered cleansers have been used on it all those years. I'll never go back to a double sink. I regretted choosing one for the other house. I can't find a mat designed for a single sink, so am using two separate ones on either side of the center disposal.
I've seen old -- really old -- dull sinks where the porcelain had been worn down completely in some spots. It may have been a result of the manufacturing process and/or the use of caustic ancient cleaning agents, or a combination of both.
The large single sink in our current house is 40 years old and still shines, even though powdered cleansers have been used on it all those years. I'll never go back to a double sink. I regretted choosing one for the other house. I can't find a mat designed for a single sink, so am using two separate ones on either side of the center disposal.
I've seen old -- really old -- dull sinks where the porcelain had been worn down completely in some spots. It may have been a result of the manufacturing process and/or the use of caustic ancient cleaning agents, or a combination of both.
danemodsandy
Well-known member
Ralph:
The single-bowl sink mat is a casualty of Rubbermaid's redesigns of a few years ago, when they allowed young designers to redesign a product line that had worked perfectly for years.
It was immediately obvious that none of the young whippersnappers had ever done a dish in their damn lives. Every single change in the line has been for the worse, and no amount of complaining has gotten Rubbermaid to change anything back; they evidently prefer an Internet full of caustic complaints to admitting they were wrong.
Among midcentury cleansers, Comet was about the most abrasive. It was also the most popular, which is why its toll on midcentury sinks is so widespread.
The single-bowl sink mat is a casualty of Rubbermaid's redesigns of a few years ago, when they allowed young designers to redesign a product line that had worked perfectly for years.
It was immediately obvious that none of the young whippersnappers had ever done a dish in their damn lives. Every single change in the line has been for the worse, and no amount of complaining has gotten Rubbermaid to change anything back; they evidently prefer an Internet full of caustic complaints to admitting they were wrong.
Among midcentury cleansers, Comet was about the most abrasive. It was also the most popular, which is why its toll on midcentury sinks is so widespread.
I've used Soft Scrub for years on the sinks in this house. But the single deep sink in the kitchen already had the "sandpaper porcelain" finish. The one in the patio kitchen was in much better shape, but too much use of Zud fixed that (I think). Zud is evil - if it's left in place on porcelain too long, it will actually eat through the finish all the way down to metal. That didn't happen in the patio sink, but the finish on the bottom is rougher than on the sides, and the only thing I can think that happened was Zud.
Soft Scrub is not supposed to wear away porcelain enamel. It contains no diatomaceous earth (unlike regular cleansers), just a sort of chalk not unlike Bon Ami (I think). The bathroom sinks where I've also been using it still sparkle and have a fine finish. It does contain chlorine bleach, which is what is needed to remove food stains from the worn kitchen sinks.
I suspect that there are varying qualities of porcelain sinks. Not just the use of cast iron vs steel as the base, but also in the thickness and composition of the pigmented layer as well as the glass layer.
I'm not too concerned about the condition of the patio sink. I use that for a lot of non-food related purposes, like washing latex paint brushes, etc. By accident I also discovered that a sodium sulfite solution will depigment the porcelain. The glass layer is still intact, and not depressed, but you can see through it down to the gray metal layer. Fascinating. I used sodium bisulfite (also known as hypo) as a chlorine remover for water used to top up the adjacent outdoor fish pond. I guess I left a spoon or something with some chemical on it in the sink too long. C'est la vie. If I were to replace it, the replacement would probably be stainless and a couple inches deeper than the existing sink.
The kitchen sink I'd like to replace, but it's got tile over the edges (looks like an undermount affair) and I'd probably have to break the tile to replace the sink. It's that off-white six in square tile with dark brown wide grouting that was popular several decades ago. I have some extra pieces but I don't think it's enough or of the right profile to replace all the tiles ringing the sink.
As for double sinks... they are useful if you do a lot of hand washing of dishes, I suppose. I like that the patio sink is a single, though. It's about 27x17x5. I like the long length, which allows for washing of many larger items. But the depth is a bit lacking.
Soft Scrub is not supposed to wear away porcelain enamel. It contains no diatomaceous earth (unlike regular cleansers), just a sort of chalk not unlike Bon Ami (I think). The bathroom sinks where I've also been using it still sparkle and have a fine finish. It does contain chlorine bleach, which is what is needed to remove food stains from the worn kitchen sinks.
I suspect that there are varying qualities of porcelain sinks. Not just the use of cast iron vs steel as the base, but also in the thickness and composition of the pigmented layer as well as the glass layer.
I'm not too concerned about the condition of the patio sink. I use that for a lot of non-food related purposes, like washing latex paint brushes, etc. By accident I also discovered that a sodium sulfite solution will depigment the porcelain. The glass layer is still intact, and not depressed, but you can see through it down to the gray metal layer. Fascinating. I used sodium bisulfite (also known as hypo) as a chlorine remover for water used to top up the adjacent outdoor fish pond. I guess I left a spoon or something with some chemical on it in the sink too long. C'est la vie. If I were to replace it, the replacement would probably be stainless and a couple inches deeper than the existing sink.
The kitchen sink I'd like to replace, but it's got tile over the edges (looks like an undermount affair) and I'd probably have to break the tile to replace the sink. It's that off-white six in square tile with dark brown wide grouting that was popular several decades ago. I have some extra pieces but I don't think it's enough or of the right profile to replace all the tiles ringing the sink.
As for double sinks... they are useful if you do a lot of hand washing of dishes, I suppose. I like that the patio sink is a single, though. It's about 27x17x5. I like the long length, which allows for washing of many larger items. But the depth is a bit lacking.
danemodsandy
Well-known member
Suds:
The reason Bon Ami doesn't scratch is that its abrasive is feldspar, a mineral that is a byproduct of quartz mining. Feldspar is very soft, and it is soluble in water. This means Bon Ami dissolves as it's being used, and that's why it preserves the finish on a porcelain sink.
What pains me is that despite decades of advertising, and that "Hasn't Scratched Yet" chick on the can, many, many people still class Bon Ami with the harsh cleansers, thinking it's similar to Dutch Cleanser and the like.
By the way, most cleansers have turned to less harsh abrasives in recent years.
The reason Bon Ami doesn't scratch is that its abrasive is feldspar, a mineral that is a byproduct of quartz mining. Feldspar is very soft, and it is soluble in water. This means Bon Ami dissolves as it's being used, and that's why it preserves the finish on a porcelain sink.
What pains me is that despite decades of advertising, and that "Hasn't Scratched Yet" chick on the can, many, many people still class Bon Ami with the harsh cleansers, thinking it's similar to Dutch Cleanser and the like.
By the way, most cleansers have turned to less harsh abrasives in recent years.
Rubbermaid
. . . rates an epic fail on that move.
I've seen metal grids but there are things about those that I don't like. You'd think the latest fad with large apron sinks (Who wants to clean an apron btw? Not I.) would provide the incentive to produce single sink sized mats again.
. . . rates an epic fail on that move.
I've seen metal grids but there are things about those that I don't like. You'd think the latest fad with large apron sinks (Who wants to clean an apron btw? Not I.) would provide the incentive to produce single sink sized mats again.
Bab-O as Rosebud?
There are at least two more Bab-O ads on Youtube. One features Pocahontas. What was she doing with a porcelain sink in her teepee anyway? The other features Cinderella, complete with her older sisters mocking her about the "Sink Smog". LOL.
I have a personal connection with Bab-O. I think I must have been only about 2 years old or so. I must have heard one of the jingles on the TV or radio. Anyway I remember running into the living room one evening (probably in diapers or less) and "singing" some little song about Bab-O falling down the stairs, to the great amusement of my parents and any friends they had over at the time. I was a one-hit wonder. I was able to captivate them once or twice, but after that I remember losing my nerve (and enthusiasm) and choking in the last "performance". LOL. Just as well. But it wasn't until recently that I found a can of Bab-O at Grocery Outlet and finally realized the spelling of the product, thus I was able to research some of the commercials. None of them ring a bell to me now, but perhaps the one I heard was broadcast later, as in about 1954, and was different from the '51/52 ads shown on Youtube.
By the way, I bought the Bab-O (2 for $1) and probably never will use it. It's just for the memories of my 15 seconds of fame.
There are at least two more Bab-O ads on Youtube. One features Pocahontas. What was she doing with a porcelain sink in her teepee anyway? The other features Cinderella, complete with her older sisters mocking her about the "Sink Smog". LOL.
I have a personal connection with Bab-O. I think I must have been only about 2 years old or so. I must have heard one of the jingles on the TV or radio. Anyway I remember running into the living room one evening (probably in diapers or less) and "singing" some little song about Bab-O falling down the stairs, to the great amusement of my parents and any friends they had over at the time. I was a one-hit wonder. I was able to captivate them once or twice, but after that I remember losing my nerve (and enthusiasm) and choking in the last "performance". LOL. Just as well. But it wasn't until recently that I found a can of Bab-O at Grocery Outlet and finally realized the spelling of the product, thus I was able to research some of the commercials. None of them ring a bell to me now, but perhaps the one I heard was broadcast later, as in about 1954, and was different from the '51/52 ads shown on Youtube.
By the way, I bought the Bab-O (2 for $1) and probably never will use it. It's just for the memories of my 15 seconds of fame.
But wait, there's more....
I can see why you were singing
Those jingles are actually pretty catchy!
I recently had a new American Standard porcelain bathtub installed. A sticker affixed to the tub specifically says not to use Comet, Ajax or any other abrasive cleanser. Instead, it advises using mild soap and water, and if that isn't enough, powdered Spic and Span or Bon Ami.
I haven't seen Spic and Span powder recently, so used some Bon Ami on the tub ring. It took a LOT of elbow grease, although it did eventually get the ring off without scratching. Comet would have been much faster...if only it didn't take off that shiny porcelain finish, too.
Those jingles are actually pretty catchy!
I recently had a new American Standard porcelain bathtub installed. A sticker affixed to the tub specifically says not to use Comet, Ajax or any other abrasive cleanser. Instead, it advises using mild soap and water, and if that isn't enough, powdered Spic and Span or Bon Ami.
I haven't seen Spic and Span powder recently, so used some Bon Ami on the tub ring. It took a LOT of elbow grease, although it did eventually get the ring off without scratching. Comet would have been much faster...if only it didn't take off that shiny porcelain finish, too.
I found powdered Spic and Span at ACE Hardware a while back. The 99c Only stores carry Spic and Span liquid.
We bought an American Standard Cadet toilet last year. It has some sort of supposedly odor resistant coating on the bowl and no harsh cleaners are allowed. When "scrubbing bubbles" type cleaners wouldn't get rid of the bowl ring (always a problem due to hard water here) I decided to take a chance and used "Kaboom" instead. It did the trick, I've been using it ever since, and there's no visible damage to the bowl's surface.
I think the odor resistance is, pardon the pun, a load of crap anyway.
We bought an American Standard Cadet toilet last year. It has some sort of supposedly odor resistant coating on the bowl and no harsh cleaners are allowed. When "scrubbing bubbles" type cleaners wouldn't get rid of the bowl ring (always a problem due to hard water here) I decided to take a chance and used "Kaboom" instead. It did the trick, I've been using it ever since, and there's no visible damage to the bowl's surface.
I think the odor resistance is, pardon the pun, a load of crap anyway.
Sink Smog?
I live 1/4 mile south of the Ventura Freeway and can easily source all the smog I want without resorting to the sink.
I live 1/4 mile south of the Ventura Freeway and can easily source all the smog I want without resorting to the sink.
I tried some Kaboom last year, and while it did do a good job, the odor was overpowering. Also, I don't want to take a chance on staining the new grout purple!
