Originally Posted by NanRos
Thanks for the advice on vinegar. I read that on some other sites also. This will show what a bad home-keeper I really am: I do not have vinegar. I'm taking my lunch break to get SOS pads and vinegar! I plan to have DS7 use the vinegar as a science experiment; he will LOVE it and it will make it more fun for me!

Progress to report despite the above obstacles: just having the sink shined and announcing it to DS and DH has kept dishes from sitting in the sink...they go straight into the dishwasher. Hooray! It's working already smile Nan

SOS pads might scratch your fixtures if they are chrome. Try the vinegar alone, and you can use a wooden object(spoon, whatever) to help loosen the calcium without scratching the chrome.