SINK FIXTURES DRIVING ME NUTS LATELY
Funny you mention the touchless faucets. I put a few in at a rental property thinking they'd be this huge upgrade—less mess, less wear and tear, all that jazz. In reality, they were more finicky than I expected. Tenants kept calling about the sensors acting up, or the batteries dying at the worst possible time. One guy ended up just leaving a wrench under the sink to turn the water on and off manually when it glitched out. Not exactly what I’d call low-maintenance.
Honestly, I get the appeal of being able to clean behind fixtures, but sometimes the more “innovative” stuff just adds headaches. I’ve started leaning toward single-handle faucets with a high arc—easier to wipe down, and you can actually get your hand around them for cleaning. Plus, fewer nooks for gunk to hide.
Brushed finishes are a double-edged sword too. They hide prints better, but like you said, streaks show up if you use anything other than a microfiber cloth. I tried one of those matte black faucets once—looked amazing for about two weeks, then every water spot and soap scum mark started showing up like neon signs.
At this point, I’m convinced there’s no perfect fixture. Everything’s a trade-off between looks, cleaning hassle, and how much you want to gamble on new tech not breaking down in two years. If someone ever invents a faucet that cleans itself and never shows fingerprints, I’ll be first in line... until then, I’m sticking with simple stuff that’s easy to reach and doesn’t need batteries or a degree in engineering to fix.
