Copper Sinks: Why my copper sinks require little or no maintenance...

So, why do all imported copper sink companies require drying after each use and have a long list of things you should not put or use in your sink?

They have good reason. First off, most imported copper sinks are not sloped well to the drain. That means water will not evacuate properly and must be dried out each time you use the sink. If my sinks were not sloped properly, I would have a similar problem. Secondly, every copper sink bowl on the market, including mine, will have areas where the finish or patina is removed (especially on the bottom of the sink). In the case of a Rachiele™ sink, the patina will "grow" back quickly - often in a matter of a few days (depending on the size of the area) so that the area blends in perfectly with the original patina. That is NOT the case with most imported copper sinks. Why? their "finish" is not a natural patina. If you logically think about copper, you will be able to know the truth. You have had hundreds, if not thousands, of pennies in your pocket or purse over the years. If you noticed, all of the older ones all turn a rich caramel brown. They do not turn as dark as most of the imported sinks. So, when you remove some of the artificial finish on the interior of an imported sink and expose the raw pinkish copper, it will quickly patina to a rich caramel brown (the color of our sinks) not the color of their sinks. Two major issues with most imports. One is that the sinks are not sloped properly and the other is that the color on most imported copper sinks is not natural to copper. Rachiele sinks are sloped generously to the drain and we do not use an unnatural finish in our sinks. They are naturally weathered using household vinegar and no other product or method. Two is that they are not naturally weathering their sinks. Why? it takes far too long. We only build around 600 sinks a year. Most other companies make more than that a week. They cannot afford the time to naturally weather their sinks.

The bottom line: All you do to care for a Rachiele copper sink is rinse after use! Leaving food or other items in the sink will leave marks, however, they will vanish in a few days with regular use of the sink. If you leave a pot in the sink, a dark ring may appear. Don't worry. You have a couple choices. 1. You can use one of the yellow sponges with a green ScotchBrite pad and go over the area lightly until it lightens up. Don't worry about seeing scratch marks. They will vanish in a day. 2. Do nothing at all. The area will lighten up after time on its own. Copper "wants" to migrate to the color of an old penny no matter what happens in your sink. Lastly, I am often asked if our sinks will turn green. The general answer is no! You may see some green areas where you didn't clean food or soap off the sink. The green should wipe right off. The green patina is not very stable. Lastly, the patina on your sink will darken a bit over time, but not significantly. Once you have used your sink for a while the patina becomes more stable and will not change as much as when it was new. Simply use the sink without fear :). You cannot hurt it!

If you look, you will see that no other copper sink manufacturer divulges what chemicals or process is used to finish the interior of their copper sinks. Be assured of your safety, the only product that we use to patina the inside of your sink is household vinegar. All of our copper sinks are sloped well enough so there is no draining issue. Every sink is tested for proper drainage before it leaves my factory. Take a few minutes and look at the videos below. The one on the far right will illustrate how fast setting frozen food on a copper sink or our copper drain tray will thaw food!