How to Remove Smell from a Drain

How to Remove Smell from a Drain

When you entered your kitchen, did you ever smell something bad? You start to check around; the refrigerator isn't causing the foul smell, and it's not the trash can either. No, it looks like a foul-smelling kitchen drain is the culprit. The good news is that you may bid that disagreeable stink farewell and welcome freshness with a little investigative work and drain cleaning!

Why does a drain smell?

There are various reasons why your sink could start to smell foul. The first step in cleaning up your kitchen and stopping a recurrence is figuring out what caused it. The most frequent offenders consist of:

• Bacteria: Food residue, oil accumulation, and other muck can create an ideal environment for the growth of bacteria and other microbes that, as they feed, give off foul aromas.

• Clogged drain: Stagnant water and the growth of bacteria are caused by blocked pipes, which add to the stink.

• Sewer gases: A persistent sewer odor may arise from the drain if the P-trap beneath the sink dries out and releases sewer gases. This mostly happens to plumbing devices that are rarely utilized.

• Plumbing errors can cause unpleasant odors to seep into your home, from do-it-yourself disasters to missing traps or drain vents.

 How to Clear an Odor-Proof Drain

The following four tried-and-true techniques will get rid of foul drain odors:

• Hot water: Gently pour a concoction of vinegar and water that has been heated almost to a boil down the drain. The vinegar masks the smell as the hot water removes the muck.

• Baking soda and vinegar: Begin with the previously described hot water procedure. Should it prove insufficient, discard a cup of baking soda and follow it up with two cups of heated vinegar. Savor the bubbly and give it an hour to settle. After that, use extra hot water to clear the drain of any remaining debris and bacteria.

• Put on your rubber gloves and set a bucket underneath the P-trap to clean it. Remove the pipe by hand-tightening it or, if necessary, using a wrench. Empty the contents into the trash, give the pipe a quick rinse, and then put your sink's plumbing back together.

• A word about bleach: while it's a potent antiseptic, cleaning drains shouldn't be done with bleach. This is not the time to use bleach since it can damage your pipes and release harmful gases.

How to Maintain a Fresh Smell in Your Drains

With a little upkeep, stinky drains can be easily avoided. This is what we advise doing:

• After pulverizing food, run your waste disposal and use cold water to completely flush the particles through the pipes for 20 seconds.

• To avoid the accumulation of junk that causes odors, flush the drain once a week with a gallon of almost boiling water.

• To keep the P-trap filled, run water through sinks that aren't used very often. Add a small amount of mineral oil to the drain to provide additional protection, as it slows the evaporation process.

• To absorb and neutralize smells, pour some baking soda down the drain and then fill it with hot water.

• Sometimes, for a deeper clean, use a cup of white vinegar as a follow-up to the baking soda treatment. After letting it sit for half an hour, completely flush the drain with hot water.

• Grind the peels of lemons or oranges to give your sink a zesty scent.

• Instead of using harsh chemicals to remove odor-causing residue, employ enzyme cleaners to stop it from building up.

• Engage an expert to check your plumbing regularly. This can assist in identifying odor-causing problems before they become significant ones.

• Steer clear of throwing fat and other food particles—like coffee grounds and fibrous vegetables—down the drain since they can quickly clog or decompose.

• Install mesh strainers to prevent dirt and food particles from going down the drain.