History Of Sink: Know The Facts!

Kitchen sinks are one of the most essential things in the modern household. However, the word ‘modern’ might be a wrong choice when you consider the long and interesting history that the sinks have. It has been there with humans since the prehistoric times and all over, it has played a very crucial role in the evolution of our civilization.

Basically, sink is a fixture that is used in the kitchen, which happens to be one of the most important rooms of the house. There are different materials such as porcelain, stainless steel, etc. that are used to make the kitchen sink. The purpose of the sink is to wash dishes, pans, and even hands. It is a very common object and almost every house has at least one of them.

The concept of the sink has been found in the Neanderthal men, who lived on this planet in the prehistoric times. At that time, the large stones were eroded to make it concave. They were used as water basins. However, the concept of using sink specifically for the kitchen came at a later stage. This was the time when the civilization started to flourish, when men started wearing animal skins and using the fireplaces.

Since antiquity, different materials have been used to construct the kitchen sink. The ingredients changed according to the availability of them. Naturally, during the ancient times, the sink of one place was different from the sink of another place. Even, is as late as 1930s, sinks made of the stainless steel and heavy stone was not available since they were very expensive to import. As a result, the soapstone and slate were the commoner options at that time.

The use of sink underwent a significant change during the middle of the 19th century. This was the time when the supply tanks started to pump running water. The water was collected in buckets and bowls that were set on dry sinks. Generally, those sinks were made of metal troughs. Again, the rich people used the butler sinks and nickel silver and copper were the materials used to make them.

However, the evolution of sink was on a standstill from then up to first part of the 20th century. The advent of modern sinks started in 1920. It was a company named Monel that came up with a new range of kitchen sinks in the market. The sinks were made of the nickel, copper, silicon, carbon, manganese, and iron and they could resist the corrosion. The sinks made of stainless steel came in to the scene some twenty years later as the war increased the demand of the metals.

The earthenware sinks too, were very since their introduction in the 1920s. They had a solid ceramic base and their look acted in favor of them as well. Since these sinks are a bit heavy, they were used for commercial purpose.

Though appeared late, the stainless steel sinks became very popular quickly. They are light and yet very durable. They do not rust and retain its shine for long.