A kitchen sink is a place that plays a major role in maintaining the hygiene of the food preparation at your home or your restaurant and hence should always be kept clean and neat so that it does not become breeding grounds for microbes. One of the key components of the sink is a kitchen sink strainer that ensures that filters out solid debris from the sink water and makes sure that the pipes do not become clogged and that the water can always keep flowing without becoming stored up in your kitchen sink.
This part of the sink is called a sink strainer, and although it might look tiny and insignificant, it has an important part in maintaining a clean kitchen sink and should be chosen wisely when you are buying it. If you go out to the market today, it is very easy to fall for a low-quality kitchen sink strainer that can become rusty or chipped in no time, and to prevent that mistake from happening, we have filtered out the bad ones and brought together the ten best kitchen sink strainers that are available on market today so that you can easily choose the right one for maintaining a clean environment in your kitchen.
Best Pick
This lightweight yet sturdy pair of strainers goes with the motto “food out, water in”, and does exactly that very efficiently. Due to its simple design with no fuss, ease of use and its high efficiency, this product has earned the best pick position on our list.
Budget Pick
The budget pick of our list is from OXO, as we are all familiar with OXO’s quality home and kitchen tools and this one is no different in its high standards and innovative design. The collecting basket is made of silicone which is great for easily emptying the basket to make it clean very quickly.
Quick Comparison: Top 10 Best Kitchen Sink Strainers
1. Fengbao 2PCS Kitchen Sink Strainer
If you have been using sink strainers and still food made its way down the strainer, clogging up your pipes, then it means that the holes on the strainers are too big, which is a common problem with sink strainers on the market.
The great news for anyone who is facing this problem is this kitchen sink strainer which has micro-perforations which have diameters of only 2mm. This makes it extremely efficient at filtering out even small bits of food preventing any blockage in the pipe.
In addition to the small holes, the strainer has a double-sheeted metallic rim, which will keep the strainer secured at the bottom of your sink preventing it from being displaced. The strainer is made of durable stainless steel which is resistant to rust and makes the unit safe to be washed in the dishwasher. For people with double sinks or two sinks at home, this product comes with the plus point of coming as a pair, instead of a single piece.
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Cons
2. OXO Good Grips Silicone Sink Strainer
What we love about this kitchen sink strainer from OXO is that similar to other OXO products, it has been innovatively and uniquely made to give you a user-friendly experience.
At the heart of this clever designing is a silicon basket instead of a stainless steel with a post at the center. A silicone basket instead of a stainless steel one means that the strainer will not scratch your sink, leaving the surface of the sink smooth and undamaged.
When the basket becomes full, you do not have to knock it or use your hand to take out the dirty food debris, instead, you can simply pull the post at the center of the basket and the silicone will invert inside out and the basket will be empty in a fraction of a second. While the basket has been made of soft silicone, the rim has been made of a stainless steel that is rust and stain resistant to make the strainer a durable product.
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3. A AULIFE Stainless Steel Kitchen Sink Strainer
This strainer is similar to the one from Fengbao, and comes as a pair which will help you greatly if you have two sinks in your kitchen. The bowl area where the food gets collected is 2.8 inches wide and 1 inch deep, which gives you enough space for the collection.
Other than that the strainer is made of rust-resistant stainless steel and has micro-perforation, helping you to filter out even the tiniest food scraps, noodles, and seeds from entering the sink pipe.
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4. KONE 3-1/2-inch Kitchen Sink Strainer
If you are tired of having to call the plumber to fix your kitchen sink, again and again, this strainer and drainer assembly is something that you would not regret looking into.
Unlike the other sink strainers on the list, this one comes with other parts that go under the sink, and although it requires a little bit of installation and assembly work, it is well worth it. First of all, it comes with a porous basket which will hold the bits of food in it, and it has two big advantages compared to the other sink strainers.
It has a deep well design, which allows it to hold more wastage than the others, and also it has a handle using which you can easily lift it out from the sink and empty it for cleaning. This means you would not have to put your hands into the slimy garbage to take it out. To hold this basket securely in its place, the assembly consists of a metallic well made of grade 304 stainless steel and this goes under your sink.
This part also has a deep construction so it can accommodate the basket in it. Below this well, there are two durable rubber gaskets to hold the parts together, and also a locking nut to make the whole installation a breeze. Lastly, this set comes with a lid with a knob on the top, which will keep the strainer covered when the sink is not in use, keeping it protected from dirt and moisture which prevents rust formation. The lid can also be used as a stopper if you want to collect water in your sink for dishwashing purposes.
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5. Levado 548-872 MP Basket Sink Strainer
This strainer comes with a beautiful chrome finish and a stopper which can be used to stop the water from flowing out of your sink. The strainer is made of stainless steel to resist rust and corrosion while the stopper is made of rubber along with a metallic post beneath it.
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6. Maxware Stainless Steel Sink Strainer
While the sink strainers we have discussed above were made with a stainless steel basket with pores on them, this set comes with strainers of a different kind. The set includes four strainers that are made of stainless steel mesh.
The set includes a strainer with a diameter of 4.37 inches, one with a diameter of 2.75 inches, and two strainers with a diameter of 2.25 inches. These differently sized strainers are very useful because you can use them for different sinks whether it be in your kitchen or in your bathroom.
The mesh basket also has smaller holes and a larger porous surface area to allow faster movement of water and at the same time collecting food scraps more effectively. Although the baskets are made of mesh, they would not bend easily and are sturdy so they would not break even under strong water pressure.
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7. KOHLER K-8803-CP Duostrainer Basket Strainer
When it comes to plumbing products, Kohler is a name that we associate with good quality. Made by a company that has been actively making great products since 1873, this is a kitchen strainer that you can confidently rely upon.
This strainer not only holds the solid debris back but also allows you to choose whether you want to completely stop the water from water from flowing out or to keep the water flowing out. The strainer has a knob at the middle which can close the strainer when you twist it.
This is very useful if you want to fill up the sink with water for rinsing your dishes or to keep the ceramic and glassware floating inside the sink so that they do not scratch and damage each other. If the brand name is not sufficient to gain your trust, you would be assured to know that this product has passed industry durability testing to prove that it is tough enough to last you a long time. Another advantage of this strainer is that you can choose its color from a variety of attractive color options such as chrome, nickel, bronze, etc.
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8. DANCO Universal Kitchen Sink Mesh Strainer
This mesh style strainer from Danco is a good option if you are looking for a stain and rust resistant sink strainer. The mesh design also lets more water pass through it while it effectively traps small food particles and prevents them from passing through.
Another feature of this strainer is that it can stand freely even when you are not holding it, which makes it easy to clean and move it from one place to another.
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9. SOSUO 4.5 inch Stainless Steel Kitchen Sink Strainer
This mesh strainer is easy to install and works great for any kitchen sink to keep the food bits out and let water through smoothly. The mesh design allows more water to pass through while efficiently catching all the garbage so that it does not clog the sink system.
What we especially love about this strainer is that the basket is 1.5 inches deep, which allows more space for collecting the garbage before it becomes full. The mesh is made of durable and rust resistant stainless steel, and the rim has been beveled to let the strainer fit securely onto the sink base so that it does not move easily.
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10. Omalley Valve Co Garbage Disposal and Sink Strainer Guard
If you want the least amount of hassle and are looking for a strainer that requires a low maintenance and is easy to use, then this would be a great choice for you. This strainer is quite different from the others both in terms of its design and construction.
Instead of being made of stainless steel, it has been made of durable plastic which eliminates all kinds of worries regarding rusting. Do not let the fact that it is made of plastic make you think that it is flimsy since it is sturdy and thick enough to hold up to even heavy duty usage.
Other than its plastic build, it is flat, instead of having a basket like the others, so it is very easy to clean. On both sides of the flat porous plate, there are knobs using which you can easily lift the strainer out from the sink when you want to clean it. The good thing about the post being on both sides is that there is no right side up so even when the sink is full and you cannot see the strainer, it is easy t take it off and put it back in.
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Things To Consider Before Buying The Best Kitchen Sink Strainer
While You Might Be Getting Ready To Finally Replace That Old Strainer That Has Been Causing You To Call The Plumbers To Fix Your Sink, We Suggest You Give A Quick Read Of The Next Section Of This Article Where We Will Tell You The Things That You Need To Know Before You Buy A Sink Strainer So That You Can Choose The Right One For Your Kitchen Sink.
Porous basket or mesh basket
There are mainly two types of kitchen sink strainers and one of them has small holes to let the water out whereas the other type is made entirely of stainless steel mesh except for the rim part. Both of them does the same job and can be equally durable as long as you are picking a good quality product.
Since the mesh type has more holes compared to the porous ones, and the holes also tend to be smaller on the former types, so if you are looking for a strainer that will not let small and thin food parts such as thin noodles, seeds, etc. to pass, then it is better to go with the mesh types. One thing to keep in mind about the mesh type is that when the bits of food get stuck in the mesh it can be pretty tricky to clean.
Stopper function
Although most of the times you would want the strainer to allow as much water to flow as possible so that your sink does not hold up water and become a dirty swamp, you might also want to store water in your sink at times for example, when you want to keep your dishes soaked in water before you start washing them.
For those times, some strainers have an additional stopper function, which will let you stop the strainer from anything to pass through, even water. These stoppers usually come with a stopper knob or a post at the middle, which has to be turned or twisted to open or close the sink’s outlet.
Material
Most strainers are made of stainless steel and the reason is that you would want the strainers to be highly rust resistant since they are constantly coming in contact with water and moisture.
But if you want to completely eliminate the risks of rusting, you can opt for plastic ones, although you should make sure that the plastic is durable and not flimsy so that the strainer can endure large forces of water.
Conclusion
Just like a sink strainer filters out all the bits and scraps of food garbage, we hope that this article helped you to filter out the bad products on the market and brought only the best kitchen sink strainers in front of you.
Once you have listed down your requirements, it is time to look at the strainer that you liked the most and check whether it fulfills your requirements. And if it does, voila! Now you can delete your plumber's number from your telephone's memory and relax because a good sink strainer will ensure that nothing clogs up your sink again.
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