After more than 18 months the white porcelain farmhouse sink we bought from IKEA is standing up to the day to day use better than I expected. But don't get too excited......
I had always loved farmhouse sinks with their lovely apron fronts and shiny white porcelain, but when I discovered they were mostly all around the $1000 mark, I was doubting if I was comfortable spending that on a sink, and especially on a type of sink I had never used before. How would it stand up to metal frypans, would it stain or chip, how do I clean it properly?
Then we discovered the Domsjo double farmhouse sink at IKEA for just around $300! Well, at that price I was willing to give it a go and so the Domsjo sink was installed and took pride of place in our new farmhouse kitchen.
But now 18 months down the track, how has it fared? Amazingly well!
There are no chips or cracks, no discolouration or staining despite daily use and I haven't been precious with it either. At first I was concerned that washing metal pans in it may cause issues, but I have had none other than the odd greyish mark from the metal that easily rubs off.
I had read that the lovely washboard 'draining board' feature at the back of the sink was hard to clean, but I have never found it an issue, a wet sponge easily removes any splatters and I have never had a build up of grime in the ruts.
I have found that if I do get one of those greyish marks from stainless steel it comes off with a gentle rub with some Bar Keepers Friend which is available in Australia from Coles supermarkets. It's a dry powder that you sprinkle on and with a little water make into a paste, let it sit for a few minutes then gentle buff off any marks.
So what is the bad news? IKEA have stopped making the Domsjo model sink - I know - collective sigh - they have replaced it with the new Havsen porcelain sink/ The Havsen has the same apron front and comes in single or double, it's also around the same price, but the major difference is it doesn't have the unique washboard effect drainer at the back - which I think is one of the nicest parts of the Domsjo.
So the good news is you can still have a very reasonably priced farmhouse porcelain sink, which if like the Domsjo will be a feature in your farmhouse kitchen that also stands up to the riggers of daily use and looks so much prettier than a stainless steel sink!