Karen, You're lucky. That was an add-on, an extra that not everybody paid for and got in their house. It is a "utility sink," and I have one, too. I am assuming it is located in the laundry room, next to the washer and dryer, as most of them are (although one house I lived in had one in the garage). We even had one as a child, in what we called "the back porch," which is the same place we now have a laundry room (the back porch was actually a laundry room, too),
I generally use the low area to soak things, like to put a dark item and rinse it several times before washing. I also use it to wet down things that I will then scrub on the high area. I keep a scrub brush on the smaller left counter of the sink. The sink is also good to rinse things as others have mentioned.
If I get dry ice or gel packs, I put them in the sink until they melt out, too. I keep a set of heavy gloves there for the dry ice, too, although RX by Mail places stopped using dry ice about a year ago I guess.
For people that are still reading, this sink also has a big double cupboard below it where you can store your laundry soap, bleach, ammonia (great for removing blood or protein stains), etc.
While you could probably wash your grandson's feet/legs there, you'd have to be real careful that he didn't fall backwards and hurt himself. Don't you have a hose bib just past the patio in the back yard? You could rig up a washing station there with a dishpan or something, and it would be a lot safer.
I am glad we have one. We specifically ordered one for our house.
Fern
The first thing I thought of was what others have mentioned, a built-in shelf for working with or resting items that need hand-washing or pre-treatments. But it also looks perfect for rinsing and dying lengths of fabric - you could fold it quarterly length-wise then roll as you go.
