Kitchen 101

What you probably use it for: preserving oatmeal-encrusted bowls, storing empty soda cans, and maintaing a constant reservoir of cloudy water. (Bringing to mind some of our worst Home Inspection Nightmares.) What it's supposed to be used for: washing used dishes, rinsing fruit and vegetables, and straining pasta, among other legitimate kitchen-y things. If your sink usage belongs to the former category, you'll probably need Clearing Kitchen Sink Clogs. In the future, don't use your sink as a disposal unless you're sure one has been installed.And then when that breaks, get it grinding again with How to Repair a Garbage Disposer)

There are so many ways to do the kitchen sink—stainless steel, porcelain, soapstone, deep, shallow, single, double. If you're in the market for a new one, be sure to check out our Buyer's Guide to Kitchen Sinks. Then watch how TOH plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey installs one in How to Replace a Kitchen Sink.