Copper Sinks are Beautiful and Good for You

A copper sink will last forever and minimize the bacteria in your home. Check out these gorgeous copper kitchen sinks, bathroom copper sinks and copper vessel sinks.

Two years ago I lost my spleen in a motorcycle accident. While I recovered from the surgery quickly, I learned that losing my spleen left me with compromised immune system. Some doctors told me it was no big deal. Others said it could take 10 years off my life. Yikes, I come from a long-lived family, but who wants to give up 10 years.

So I became a clean freak. Scrubbing everything with anti-bacterial this and that. That I learned was the best way to create dangerous superbugs. Then I found an article that copper surfaces kill of bacteria more efficiently than any other surface. Finally a reason to get those copper sinks I had been wanting!

Copper develops a patina as it ages. Right from the beginning, a copper sink with have bright and dark spots. If it scratches, the scratch will be with you forever. However, the scratch doesn't make it weaker or more susceptible to germs. It's just part of the beautiful character of copper.

Copper Kitchen Sink

Like all other copper items, a copper sink develops a rich character over time

Photograph courtesy of Nelson Minar

Copper Kitchen Farmhouse Sinks

How I Chose the Style of My Copper Farmhouse Sink

I decided to start by replacing the old porcelain sink in the kitchen. It was in terrible shape and no matter how much I scrubbed it, it always looked dirty. Since the kitchen is where we prepare most of our food, it's the place that I also want to keep the cleanest.

My husband and I live in a rambling old farmhouse on the coast of Maine. It's a fixer-upper and every month, we have a list of projects we try to tackle. Because of my spleen issues, we moved up the kitchen projects. Farmhouse sinks are divided sinks. You can wash the items in soapy water and then rinse them in the other portion of the sink without losing your soapy water. Very smart and economical.

The big decision is what type of division do you want? There are all sorts of proportions available. I often have big pots and pans to scrub. Things like giant roasting pans. Therefore, I chose a copper farmhouse sink that was a 75 to 25 split. Other farmhouse copper sinks are split 50 to 50.

I also chose one that had a design on the front. My mom is from Italy and the etched designs reminded me of sinks that I saw in Italy when I visited her relatives. It also spruces up my kitchen, which has very simple decor.

Needless to say that I needed a big sink. We don't have a dishwasher. Since we would have to rewire the entire kitchen to have one, we won't be having one any time soon! I have a huge family and they all come to dinner at least once a month.

We are trying to keep the Victorian and old-house feel as we fix up our home. Whenever possible we use antiques that we find in shops and online. I found our antique copper farmhouse sink at an estate sale. It took us several months of looking for antique copper sinks.

I loved it because it had already developed the aged copper patina that I love so much. Yes, it already had it's shares of scratches and dents. Somehow it looked better than the more perfect new ones. When I saw how great it looked in the kitchen, I knew we had made the right choice.

If you don't have the time to search through all of the antique shops and estate sales in your area, click here and see the great assortment available on eBay.