How to Care For a Portable Sink

In some respects, caring for a portable sink is no different than caring for a plumbed sink. You need to mop up standing water, clean out the basin, and wipe down the faucet. But ensuring your portable sink stays in good working order requires regular maintenance, like taking care of the heat pump system and remembering to check the hose connections.

So, what exactly do you have to do to care for and maintain your portable sink? And how often do you have to perform these tasks? This guide breaks it all down.

Why You Should Clean, Maintain, and Care for Your Portable Hand Washing Sink

Like anything, regular cleaning and maintenance help your portable hand washing sink last longer and perform its best — particularly when it’s used outdoors or at high-volume events, like a festival or carnival. If nothing else, regular cleaning helps keep your portable sink hygienic and germ-free, ensuring a safe hand washing experience for anyone using it.

You may even be required to clean and maintain your portable hand washing sink. Some states and local health codes have strict regulations about how often and where you have to clean and drain the fresh and wastewater tanks or how you have to maintain the hot water system.

Finally, failing to maintain and care for your portable sink could void the warranty.

General Tips to Help You Take Care of Your Portable Sink

Before we get into the details, here are some general tips to help you take care of your portable sink.

• Keep the sink out of freezing temperatures. Not doing so could damage the pump and heating systems.
• Use non-abrasive cleaners and a soft cloth to clean the entire unit. Never use household liquid chlorine bleach to clean any part of your portable sink system.
• Try to avoid hard water. It often contains minerals that can cause scaling, which could degrade your sink’s performance.
• Turn the portable sink off when it’s not in use for long periods of time.
• Regularly check fresh and wastewater tanks to ensure you don’t run out of water and the grey water doesn’t overflow or back up into the sink.

How To Clean, Maintain, and Care for Your Portable Sink

Caring for your portable sink requires three levels of regular maintenance: daily, monthly, and annual to ensure optimal performance and safety.

Daily Portable Sink Maintenance

Like any plumbed sink, a portable sink needs daily maintenance to keep it in tip-top shape.

1. Wipe up any standing water on the sink’s cabinet and counter, then mop up any spilled water around the sink. The irony is real, but even though your portable sink is water-resistant, standing water can damage surfaces and create slipping hazards.
2. Some solids can pit or discolor a stainless steel sink basin. Any solids that go down the drain could clog and create a backup.
3. For daily cleaning, use a gentle, nonabrasive cleaner, like Steramine quaternary sanitizer, on the basin, faucet, counter, and cabinet
4. Clean the sink aerator. That’s the little part at the end of the tap (where the water comes out). The aerator mixes air with water to ensure the water flows smoothly from the tap without splashing and helps save water. Remove the sink aerator (it should twist off), then wipe the inside and outside with a damp cloth. You may need a toothbrush to remove debris that’s stuck on the aerator, but use a gentle touch.
5. Check the freshwater tank level and refill when necessary.
6. Empty the waste water tank.

Biweekly or Monthly Portable Sink Maintenance

Monthly maintenance ensures your portable sink is safe and hygienic.

1. Regularly inspect the power cord and plug. Make sure the cord isn’t worn or frayed, and the prongs aren’t bent or damaged. Check the outlet you plug the sink into for cracks or other signs of overheating or wear.
2. Inspect the quick connect cap assembly tank connectors for cracks or damage, and if you spot issues, install a replacement.
3. Drain and clean the water system. Add one packet of Steramine sanitizer to the fresh water tank, then run the cold water for two minutes. Let the solution sit for 15 minutes, swish the water in the tank, then drain and rinse the fresh water tank thoroughly to remove any residue.

Annual Portable Sink Maintenance

The quick connect tank assembly should be replaced every 12 to 24 months, depending on how often you use the sink.

>>MORE: How to Maintain Your Ozark River Portable Sink

How to Care for Your Portable Sink Basin

In addition to cleaning and maintaining your portable sink’s interior and cabinet, the sink basin requires special care to ensure it lasts a long time. How you clean the sink basin will depend on its materials.

For Stainless Steel Sink Basins

To clean a stainless steel sink basin, you’ll need baking soda, liquid dish soap, warm water, and a soft cloth. Sprinkle baking soda into the basin, add some dish soap, then gently scrub the sink.

After scrubbing, rinse the paste down the drain and enjoy your beautifully clean sink. Just like the rest of your portable sink, don’t use bleach. For more detailed cleaning and instructions, read How to Clean and Maintain a Stainless Steel Sink.

For Integrated ABS Sink Basins

ABS stands for acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, AKA engineered plastics. Without getting into all the details, it’s made of three synthetic compounds that create a tough, long-lasting, engineered plastic.

Despite the rugged, impact-resistant exterior, caring for an ABS sink basin requires a gentle touch. Like a stainless steel sink basin, you can’t use bleach or other harsh cleaning agents. Instead, use dishwashing soap, water, and a soft cloth to clean the sink, while preventing scratches and fading the color.

Take Care of Your Sink

A properly maintained portable sink provides safe, clean water for washing hands, dishes, or providing fresh water for food prep. It’s a lot of little tasks, but performing them regularly ensures you get the most out of your portable sink and helps it last a long time.

All of Ozark River Manufacturing’s portable sinks come fully assembled and ready to go right out of the box. We also have all the accessories you need to care for your sink, like premeasured Steramine packets to make cleaning and sanitizing your sink simple, replacement quick connect assemblies and caps, and more.

Our portable sinks are perfect for all kinds of industries and events, including:

Contact us today to learn more about our portable sink solutions or browse our full line of portable sinks and accessories.