# Why would I want a double sink? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 17, 2011, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-i-want-a-double-sink/571753 "2011-02-17T22:37:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2011, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-i-want-a-double-sink/571753/21 "2011-02-18T02:27:53Z")
In my previous house, I replaced my double sink with a Corian sink, because I remodeled the kitchen, installed Corian, wanted the Corian sink, and Corian sinks were only single, and besides I installed a dishwasher as well. While it looked awesome as hell (and was too rich for that neighborhood), I hated-hated-hated that decision. Thing is, when cooking for two, we never really used the dishwasher. It was just easier and faster to wash in the sink. But without running the water all the time, the single sink didn’t give me that option. In my current house when I redid the kitchen, I used real stone, so a Corian sink wasn’t an option, but I sure as hell picked the largest, unequal double sink that I could find. (And also the not-oft-used dishwasher.) ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2011, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-i-want-a-double-sink/571753/22 "2011-02-18T03:11:42Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Shouldn’t the question be, why would you want a boyfriend? 😛 Hey, sometimes when you spring for the 20HP chip-o-matic garbage disposal, you want to see what it can really handle. They say the spray nozzle makes clean-up a breeze… 😛 ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2011, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-i-want-a-double-sink/571753/23 "2011-02-18T07:10:50Z")
> [@rachelellogram](#): > > I grew up handwashing dishes in a single sink, and it’s the worst. If you never handwash your dishes, though, seems like single is the way to go. There’s no point to a double sink otherwise. Me too, from the age of 11 until we moved when I was 18. If you ever have to hand wash dishes, a single sink sucks much worse than a double one. You need a basin for rinse water, a place to put it…sucks. ---
**Author:** ![Orville\_mogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/aeb1de/32.png) [@Orville\_mogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orville_mogul)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2011, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-i-want-a-double-sink/571753/24 "2011-02-18T08:01:53Z")
forgive me if this is a hijack, but to me the bigger question is why would anyone want a double sink in their _bathroom_? I am married and can’t think of a single time when it would have been convenient for my wife and myself to brush our teeth together. Yet they are quite common in bathroom fixture stores I have visited… ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2011, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-i-want-a-double-sink/571753/25 "2011-02-18T08:09:44Z")
We just moved from a double sink apartment to a single sink one. Until we came to the new apartment, I never thought about it. Now, there’s never any room to do anything in the sink. It’s hard to even get a cup under the faucet without touching the dirty dishes. ---
**Author:** ![rhubarbarin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eb9ed0/32.png) [@rhubarbarin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhubarbarin)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2011, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-i-want-a-double-sink/571753/26 "2011-02-18T13:11:19Z")
I love double sinks, but only because they are easier and more efficient to use for washing - I wash all my dishes by hand currently. If you don’t wash in it and can’t think of another use, just get a single. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2011, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-i-want-a-double-sink/571753/27 "2011-02-18T13:49:19Z")
Not everything can or should be washed in the dishwasher, which is why I insist upon a double sink. I have Calphalon pans that must be hand-washed, as well as expensive knives. I’ve had single sinks before and they’re horrible. Hate them. In some newly remoded kitchens I’ve seen giant single sinks that look big enough to bathe a golden retriever in. Explain this to me please. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2011, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-i-want-a-double-sink/571753/28 "2011-02-18T13:49:47Z")
Moving thread to Cafe Society, where foodish type discussion could possibly add some illumination. ---
**Author:** ![jacobsta811](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jacobsta811/32/2893_2.png) [@jacobsta811](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jacobsta811)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2011, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-i-want-a-double-sink/571753/29 "2011-02-18T14:11:06Z")
> [@Endemic](#): > > forgive me if this is a hijack, but to me the bigger question is why would anyone want a double sink in their _bathroom_? I am married and can’t think of a single time when it would have been convenient for my wife and myself to brush our teeth together. Yet they are quite common in bathroom fixture stores I have visited… They aren’t so you can brush your teeth together, they are so you can have your crap around one and she can have her crap around the other (and leave curling irons and other knick knacks in the sink without getting yelled at because now you can’t use it) ---
**Author:** ![saje](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saje/32/3631_2.png) [@saje](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saje)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2011, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-i-want-a-double-sink/571753/30 "2011-02-18T14:23:27Z")
HATE my double sink, and I do wash dishes by hand. I want a large stainless or stone sink, please. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2011, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-i-want-a-double-sink/571753/31 "2011-02-18T14:33:59Z")
I’m a renter with a double sink & no dishwasher. So I use a plastic “tub” in one side to soak the dishes in soapy water. Then scrub & rinse them on the other side under running water. The plastic tub would fit just as neatly into a big sink, still leaving extra space to scrub & rinse the dishes. Or remove the tub & have a big sink! Farmhouse sinks have been getting cheaper. In [porcelain](http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=farmhouse+sink&hl=en&rlz=1C1CHFX_enUS378US378&biw=998&bih=678&prmd=ivns&bav=on.1,or.&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=13332322053957655452&ei=dIFeTbvmNcWatwfpoeCVDA&sa=X&oi=product_catalog_result&ct=result&resnum=8&ved=0CJgBEPMCMAc#) or [stainless](http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=farmhouse+sink&hl=en&rlz=1C1CHFX_enUS378US378&biw=998&bih=678&prmd=ivns&bav=on.1,or.&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=5560418180975142640&ei=dIFeTbvmNcWatwfpoeCVDA&sa=X&oi=product_catalog_result&ct=result&resnum=10&ved=0CKABEPMCMAk#). ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2011, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-i-want-a-double-sink/571753/32 "2011-02-18T14:50:06Z")
I saw that Ikea theoretically has a farmhouse sink… but it’s not on the US webpage. There seems to be some online discussion as to whether it’s available or not. Grr. ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2011, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-i-want-a-double-sink/571753/33 "2011-02-18T15:00:01Z")
I don’t have a dishwasher, so all my dishes are washed by hand. I do have an old farmhouse and I like the look of a farmhouse sink, but in stone or porcelain, not stainless. Stainless doesn’t look farmhouse-y, it looks industrial. That being said, when I had a porcelain sink, it was very hard to keep it unstained. So I stick with my stainless extra-deep double sink that I got at the Habitat for Humanity store for $15. StG ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2011, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-i-want-a-double-sink/571753/34 "2011-02-18T15:33:04Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > I saw that Ikea theoretically has a farmhouse sink… but it’s not on the US webpage. There seems to be some online discussion as to whether it’s available or not. Grr. I’m going to Ikea next week, I’ll look for you. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2011, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-i-want-a-double-sink/571753/35 "2011-02-18T15:44:50Z")
I haven’t been to Ikea lately, but when I was there a couple years ago, they had them, **Zsofia**. They had some ultra mini-size, if I recall, for really tiny kitchens, too, as well as some farmhousie looking sinks for the bathroom. Regarding the two sinks in the master bathroom — my husband and I get ready at the same time and it would be hell if we had to share sink/mirror space! He can shave, I can apply makeup, curl my hair and otherwise beautify. It’s heaven. ---
**Author:** ![Minnie\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Minnie\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Minnie_Luna)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2011, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-i-want-a-double-sink/571753/36 "2011-02-18T16:48:00Z")
Double sink, undermount, unequal sizes, copper. Love it. Had to special order it when we had our kitchen done, but I wouldn’t change it for anything. We had thought about getting a triple sink, but they didn’t offer it in copper. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2011, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-i-want-a-double-sink/571753/37 "2011-02-18T17:06:37Z")
> [@Ellen\_Cherry](#): > > Not everything can or should be washed in the dishwasher, which is why I insist upon a double sink. I have Calphalon pans that must be hand-washed, as well as expensive knives.\ That’s right - I have a nice new set of non-stick frying pans, and I’m babying those suckers to make the Teflon last as long as possible. It might make a difference how often you run the dishwasher, too - for just me and my husband, we run it about once a week. I wash pots and pans just about every day because I keep re-using them for cooking. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2011, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-i-want-a-double-sink/571753/38 "2011-02-18T17:15:39Z")
I have now fallen in love with the Ikea single bowl farmhouse sink and this gorgeous Brizo faucet that looks like a flower… so does anybody know if it’s a big thing to move a dishwasher if you just have to move it six inches to the left? ---
**Author:** ![kushiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@kushiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kushiel)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2011, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-i-want-a-double-sink/571753/39 "2011-02-18T17:16:48Z")
I don’t have a garbage disposal or a dishwasher. I hate my single sink. We used to have a double sink on the farm and it rocked. Double sinks are awesome for tagteaming dishes. One person washes the dishes on one side, passes them on to the second side where the dryer picks them up. It’d be too complicated in a single sink because you couldn’t move the rinsed dishes to the other side. ---
**Author:** ![kath94](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/67e7ee/32.png) [@kath94](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kath94)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2011, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-i-want-a-double-sink/571753/40 "2011-02-18T18:27:22Z")
I’ve never known anything but a double sink, so I can’t argue against it. When I remodeled my kitchen (~8 years ago) I practically LIVED at gardenweb. I chose the biggest double sink I could find. The side with the garbage disposal is big & deep, and the other side is still roomy but not as big & not as deep. Works out great. I wash on the disposal side, move the dishes over to the other side for rinsing & drying. I have a dishwasher, but it’s just me & the hubby, so we don’t run it that often, usually only when we have company. Or once on the weekend. I agree with those who say that some things HAVE to be hand washed. Wine glasses, the occasional pot or pan, knives, etc. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-i-want-a-double-sink/571753.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-i-want-a-double-sink/571753.md?page=3)