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I Prefer a Single Sink to a Double Sink in My Kitchen — Here’s Why

Shifrah Combiths
Shifrah Combiths
With five children, Shifrah is learning a thing or two about how to keep a fairly organized and pretty clean house with a grateful heart in a way that leaves plenty of time for the people who matter most. Shifrah grew up in San Francisco, but has come to appreciate smaller town life in Tallahassee, Florida, which she now calls home. She's been writing professionally for twenty years and she loves lifestyle photography, memory keeping, gardening, reading, and going to the beach with her husband and children.
published Feb 28, 2023
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So many “hot topics” of debate in the kitchen (or anywhere!) boil down not to a matter of right or wrong, but of personal preference. Shoes on or off in the house? Up to you! Paper towels or rags? You decide. Your house, your choices, I say. 

But even in, maybe especially in, these matters of preference, it behooves you to be open to people’s experiences on both sides. Sometimes your mind changes and you end up loving a different “way of life” than the one you thought you’d chosen for good. 

Although I still seem to be an outlier at times — I never choose gas stovetops, when I have a choice — I have become a single-sink convert recently. I’ve been fortunate enough to be able to choose my sink in three different homes now. My first two sinks were doubles, and I almost chose another double this time around when we moved our family of seven to a new state because I thought I preferred them. But I took a chance on a large single sink instead and I am in love with it. 

Basically, everything my double sink could do I can still do in my big single sink. But my single sink is able to accommodate so many more needs than my double sink ever could. The reason I enjoyed a double sink was because I liked having two separate spaces to work in. For instance, I could soak dirty dishes on one side and still prepare produce or wash things right away on the other side. 

I can still do these things in my big single sink. I happen to have a workstation sink that makes these tasks even more convenient, but even in a simple single sink, all you need for “separate spaces” is a simple soaking tub that you can set right in the sink. In a pinch, even a big bowl will do! 

My single sink also has the capacity to do things that my double sink never could. I love how I can set large pots and pans or baking sheets in the sink to soak. I also like to “hide” dirty dishes I can’t get to right away in the sink rather than having to see them pile up on the counter. I can also put so many more dirty dishes in this sink than in the double. 

The large single sink also allows me to maneuver more easily when I’m cleaning large or heavy items like my cast iron skillet or my big Dutch ovens. I like being able to scrub and rinse inside the sink with my cookware flat, rather than taking it out to scrub or scrubbing while my items are on their sides and having to hold it and turn it around to rinse like I did in our double sink. Now that I’ve had both types of sinks, I can safely say I’m a total convert. You live and learn — and sometimes you switch sides. 

This post originally ran on Kitchn. See it there: I’m Now Convinced Single Sinks Are Better than Double Sinks — Here’s Why

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