The One Thing We Added to Our Kitchen (And Told No One About—Until Now)

The product was gifted but all opinions are our own.

About six months ago, we added a foot pedal to our kitchen sink. (GASP! I know!)) We kept it under wraps because we really wanted to test it out for a while to see if it was something we could recommend. It all started earlier this year, when a small company Principle Faucets reached out to ask if we’d like to try their new product. We said we would, and they sent the box. But it sat in our garage for a month because we were a little nervous about it. I mean, it's kind of a big change from your traditional kitchen sink experience!

We finally unboxed it, and Chris set it up in about an hour. We gave it a thorough test for months, cooking, rinsing dishes, washing hands...and the result? We literally cannot imagine our kitchen without it now!

I'm telling you, this pedal is so convenient. If you think "dental hygienist" when you think foot pedal, think again. I don't think a foot pedal could get any more sleek. Plus it has even more benefits than what we expected...

(And if you're interested in getting your own, Principle Faucets graciously gave us a code CLJ30 for 30% off!)

What We Like About Our New Sink Foot Pedal

Shop The STEP2 Sink Pedal

1. It's kid-friendly: The sink pedal has helped even our smallest child be able to help with the dishes because she doesn't have to reach to turn the water on! It's just really accessible for the kids.
2. It's great for cooking. Chris has really fallen in love with this pedal as a serious home cook—it's just an easier way to work at the sink. And I love that we can wash our messy hands without having to touch the handles (less polishing needed on your faucet and fewer drips on the counter!)
3. You keep your faucet aesthetic. A lot of smart faucets we've used in the past have a more modern look to them, and you're sort of stuck with that. I loved that I could keep my beautiful faucet, and now I have this foot pedal that can control it as if it were a smart faucet.
4. You can control the flow. With a no-touch sensor faucet, it's set at one flow speed. This pedal works like a car accelerator—you can push it lightly for low flow or press down fully for maximum flow.
5. It saves water. It's not going to dramatically change your water bill (at least in our experience). But because you're pressing the pedal down when using it, you're not leaving the water running while moving away to grab a dish from across the island. It helps you eliminate the moments when water is needlessly running down the drain.

Why a Sink Foot Pedal?

While there are low-flow showerheads, low-flow toilets, and high-efficiency dishwashers, nothing really has been done to improve water use at the sink. Sure, there are touch sensor faucets which are great from a hygiene standpoint and even ones that work with voice command. But those don't really help conserve water.

So John Porteous and Lauren & Matt Wall—the brains behind Principle Faucets—came up with this idea (during a drought in California no less) to create the first-ever fully integrated foot pedal. That means you can switch between standard hand control and a foot pedal. And in their tests, working at the sink with a foot pedal can conserve 44% more water. Kind of wild!

How We Installed the Sink Foot Pedal

Installation was a little scary because we had to drill a hole into the base of our sink cabinet which was our brand-new kitchen cabinets. But there were just three small screw holes, and the pedal hangs under the toe-hang space. The engine box is about a foot wide and is just mounted in the cabinetry under the sink. Principle Faucets provides all the equipment necessary for the install—all the hoses and fittings. 

I will say it came with a beautiful nickel plaque which looks very high-end and Chris was able to install it himself in about an hour. There are lots of install videos on their website so it's DIY-friendly—you don't need to have a plumber to install. I think it was pretty straightforward, and I was grateful that the finishes were really nice.

How the Sink Foot Pedal Works

With the STEP2 foot pedal adapter system we ordered, it runs through your faucet's hand controls, so you have to open your faucet's handles and set it at the temp you want. If you want to go back to using hand control, it's doable with the built-in tap features!

You can do a light tap to keep it on, or you can hold it down with your foot to control. It does turn off after two minutes with the system’s safety timer. We have had smart faucets in the past, and you can touch any aspect and it can turn on, and we love this so much more. A lot fewer fingerprints!

It did take about a week to get used to. But it doesn’t take any effort to press it, you don’t even feel it even. I can do it with slippers or bare feet. The first couple of days we had it, I was like, "I can’t believe that it’s on, I’m barely pushing it!!"

Final Thoughts

The only downside is that when people come over, they try to turn on the faucet and we have to explain how it works (but this is also common with touch faucets). Now usually the only ones trying to use it are our parents or our cleaning lady. But if we have a party, I can see it throwing people for a loop. There is a way to "bypass" the pedal and revert to the normal faucet operation with a flip of the valves located on the engine box or even just unplug it temporarily—it's not too hard.

While we don't have toddlers, there are some people who may wonder how this works with young kids. You can just turn the faucet handles off, and problem solved! It cuts the water supply. Our girls love to show off the sink pedal—they think it's a fun party trick to show their friends.

It's an upfront investment. But think of it more as an appliance—faucets are one of the most-used things in the kitchen. You will use it so many times a day, you won't be able to keep track. The STEP2 system with chrome finish starts at $675 and the matte black or bronze finishes go up to $849. As I mentioned above, they're giving our community 30% with code CLJ30, which is the biggest sale price they offer!!

Shop The STEP2 Sink Pedal

With hosting season upon us, I can't imagine a better way to treat yourself. The Principle Faucets STEP2 pedal adapter has been so convenient—we love it so much. It's a really innovative product—one that has made our kitchen feel even more high-end. There's no going back!