5 Reasons to Replace the Basket Strainer in Your Kitchen Sink

Most kitchen sinks come with a basic basket strainer: a loose metal cup with a rubber plug you have to find, line up and push in. It does the job, barely. Scraps still slip past it, the plug never seals quite right, and after a few months it looks worse than the sink around it.

A pop-up strainer is a small upgrade that fixes most of that. Here are five reasons it's worth the swap.

1. It catches the scraps that cause clogs

Rice, coffee grounds, peels and bits of pasta are what slowly build up in a kitchen drain. The slotted stainless steel basket stops them at the opening, so they end up in your bin instead of your pipe. Small clogs are a lot easier to prevent than to clear.

2. One press to fill the sink, one press to drain

There's no separate plug to keep track of. Press the cap down and it seals the drain, so you can fill the sink to soak a pan or wash vegetables. Press it again and the cap pops up to let the water out. A spring inside the core does the work.

3. Emptying it doesn't mean touching the mess

Lift the basket out by the center handle, tip it over the bin and rinse it under the tap. No fishing soggy scraps out of the drain with your fingers.

4. A sealed drain keeps smells in the pipe

The cap sits on a silicone sealing ring. When the drain is closed, that seal holds water in the sink and keeps drain odors from drifting up into the kitchen. Two more silicone rings come in the box: fit them on the body if you want a tighter fit in your drain, or leave them off.

A strainer won't clean a pipe that's already dirty, but keeping food out and the drain closed when you're not using it helps.

5. 304 stainless steel that lasts

The body and basket are 304 stainless steel, the same grade used in a lot of cookware and sinks. It handles daily water and food contact without rusting, cracking or warping the way thin plastic strainers tend to.

Will it fit my sink?

It's made for standard US kitchen sink drains, which is what most homes have. Before ordering, take 30 seconds to measure:

• Drain opening width: 75–87 mm (2.95–3.42 in)
• Drain opening depth: at least 37 mm (1.46 in)

It replaces the basket in your existing drain. It's not a full drain assembly, so there's no plumbing to undo. If your sink has a garbage disposal, measure the opening first, since disposal flanges vary.

Installing it takes about a minute

• Lift out your old basket strainer.
• Set the new strainer into the opening so the wide rim rests on the sink.
• Press the cap a couple of times to check it closes and opens.

No tools and no plumber.

Getting one for each sink?

If you have a double sink, or want a spare for a second kitchen or a utility sink, the bundles bring the price down: 2 for $29.90 ($14.95 each) or 3 for $39.90 ($13.30 each).