How to Clean a Mesh Sink Strainer

There's one tiny detail many tend to overlook when cleaning a kitchen: That little mesh strainer designed to keep food particles from clogging up your sink. Not getting this strainer clean can mean food rots and bacteria causes a foul odor to rise as you're working around the sink. More commonly, it simply interrupts the flow of water, which is a frustrating enough reason to clean it out. So, when you've got your sights set to clean a kitchen sink strainer, here's how to tackle it.

• This is the easiest step – just take the strainer out and give it a few good, hard whacks to tap off all the food residue. Technique counts because you don't want to misshapen or warp the mesh part, so only tap the edges. Do this inside the garbage can to make a minimum of mess, but if the garbage can is only made of plastic or something else less rigid, you may want to use the side of the sink instead.
• Take a good look at the strainer. Did that take care of everything? Likely not, but if all the bigger chunks are gone, you can
• turn the strainer upside down and blast water through it*. This works best if you've got a spray nozzle on your faucet, but the hot water running on high should take care of a large portion of the particles. Just don't get burned — use tongs to hold the strainer if need be.
• If stubborn bits remain, it's not surprising because it's easy for food to dry and harden in place. Just soak the strainer in some warm, soapy water for a while or even overnight, and then it's time to tackle it with a brush.
• A toothbrush can work wonders here (so can other brushes, but the toothbrush's size makes it the most ideal for this task). Be sure it's a clean brush — soak it in hydrogen peroxide or warm water with bleach if it's not sterile. When ready, squirt some dish soap on the brush and give the mesh strainer a good scrub, rinsing it with a blast from the underside (turn it over under the tap) to loosen as you go. You may need to scrub/rinse/repeat a few times, but this will certainly get it clean if you've soaked it first, and soon it'll be just like new and your sink will smell cleaner!

Running it through the dishwasher may seem like a great idea, but some of that stubborn stuff might not come off and then you'll have baked-on residue that might be even more of a hassle. This may not be the easy way out you're seeking.

Some kitchen sites recommend burning the residue off over a gas stove or with a lighter. This can weaken the wires, char them or even warp the mesh. Fire isn't recommended.

By tapping your mesh sink strainer out, then soaking and brushing it, you're almost guaranteed to remove even the most stubborn of food particles.