A.Tony Pelcher, a solid-surface fabricator, responds: Examine the sink closely to see whether it is scratched or merely dull. A sink that is dull but not scratched can be restored with Soft Scrub (a mildly abrasive kitchen cleaner available in grocery stores) and a Scotch-Brite pad from 3M.

If you can feel any scratches with your fingernail, the first step is to sand out the scratches with wet-and-dry sandpaper, available at any auto parts store. It shouldn’t be necessary to use anything coarser than 320-grit. Keep the sink wet while you’re sanding. After sanding out the scratches, finish with 400-grit wet-and-dry sandpaper, followed by a Scotch-Brite pad with Soft Scrub. In most cases, restoring a sink should take less than 30 minutes.

In general, dark colors are more likely to show scratches than lighter colors. If the sink is dark, allow it to dry after polishing to see if any scratches remain. If necessary, repeat the process until you achieve the desired results.