Smelly drains can be a nuisance, causing unpleasant odors in the home—particularly in the kitchen sink and bathroom sink areas. Understanding the root cause of drain odors is key to effectively cleaning and preventing smelly drains. Regular drain maintenance in your bathroom and kitchen sink and shower drains can help prevent foul odors and keep drains smelling fresh. In this article, we will go over the causes and common problems within bathroom and kitchen drains that can cause bad odors to emerge, as well as how you can eliminate and prevent the issue and when it is time to call in a drain and sewer professional.
Before you know how to clear away the kitchen or bathroom sink smell, it is good to know the common causes that can create the smelly drain in the first place.
Drains can become clogged with a whole matter of things, such as food scraps, hair, soap scum, grease, and oils. When a small clog begins to form, it can grow into a large mass of everything that goes down your sink. When this gunk becomes trapped in the pipe, it can be a breeding ground for bacteria that will emit the foul odor. This issue can be especially prevalent in kitchen sink drains, where bacteria will grow on any food waste that remains in the drain, as well as things like rotting food particles or an unclean garbage disposal.
Mold is naturally attracted to moisture and therefore can grow within your sink drain pipes. When mold accumulates within a drain, it can emit small puffs of gas that create the smell coming from your sink.
The p-trap beneath sinks is the u-bend that holds the water to prevent sewer gases from coming up the sink drain. If the p-trap dries out or becomes empty for any reason, this can lead to a sewage odor coming up through the pipes. It can also be problematic if the p-trap is improperly installed.
The vent pipes are there to direct the sewer gas outside of your house, but if they become blocked with debris, it will force the gases back up the pipe and into your home. The pipes could also become cracked or damaged, allowing the sewer gas smells to leak out into the bathroom.
In extreme cases, foul smells coming from your drains could mean there is a sewer line issue. If the main sewer line has become blocked or damaged, this can lead to the dangerous gases being backed up through the drains. Sewers can become blocked from things like tree roots that can wrap around pipes and block them or even break into the pipes and create a mass within the sewer. A sign of main sewer line issues would be problems in all the drains in your home, such as slow drainage, gurgling noises, a rotten egg smell, and sewage backup in extreme cases.
In order to rid your kitchen and bathroom sinks of foul smells, you can try any of the following methods. Make sure you have the proper protective equipment, like safety goggles and rubber gloves.
If you are dealing with a foul smell from a drain clog, you will need to get rid of the clog. You can try several methods, one being a sink plunger that you can use in an attempt to dislodge the clog. Another method you can try is using a drain snake to pull out the clog and free up your clogged drain system. Another useful technique is pouring a combination of baking soda and vinegar down the drain and letting it sit for a while to dissolve the clog before pouring boiling water down to wash away all of the other debris.
If you think you are dealing with a dry p-trap, for example, in a guest bathroom or an unused sink, you can refill it with water to prevent the sewer gas from coming up the u-bend and creating the smelly drain. You can do this simply by running the water in the sink until the p-trap refills. If the smell is still lingering, you can check the p-trap for leaks. If you find any damage to the trap, you can replace the damaged parts or seal any cracks. You can also hire a professional if you need assistance.
It is a good idea to examine all of the sink pipes to look for signs of leaks or damage, such as water pooling beneath the sink. If there is minor pipe damage, you could repair it yourself with tools like plumber’s tape or sealant, but if there is a more severe-looking problem, you should contact a plumber.
A regular maintenance technique that is good to employ in order to clean smelly drains and keep all of your drains clear is the baking soda and vinegar method. You can start by pouring a pot of hot water down the drain to break up any residue. Next, take half a cup of baking soda and pour it down the drain, followed by half a cup of white vinegar to create a chemical reaction. Let the mixture sit for around fifteen minutes before pouring the rest of the hot water down the drain to wash away any remaining residue. A half cup of baking soda and half a cup of lemon juice combination can also be effective in ridding drains of bad smells.
For kitchen sink drain smells, the garbage disposal can often be the culprit. A way you can clean your garbage disposal is by filling the sink with ice cubes, turning on the cold water, and then turning on the garbage disposal. You can also add lemon wedges or orange peels to get a more pleasant smell.
1) Keep fats, grease, oils, and large food particles out of the kitchen drain. These can stick to the sides of the drain pipe and form massive blockages in the sink drain that will lead to stinky drain smells due to bacterial growth.
2) Use drain screens or a drain plug to keep large quantities of debris out of your drains, such as hair, soap scum, and food scraps, to prevent bacteria buildup that will lead to smelly drains. This is especially important for bathtub drains or shower drains.
3) Regularly pour boiling water down your drains to kill bacteria. This can be leftover hot water you’ve boiled for cooking.
4) Pour the baking soda, vinegar, and boiling water combination down your drains regularly to maintain them. This can stop debris from building up and creating drain clogs and unpleasant smells.
5) Use your drain taps regularly to keep the p-trap filled with water, even if it is in a faucet you do not use often, to prevent sewer gas from coming up the bathroom sink drain.
6) Scheduling regular drain inspections with a licensed drain company can help identify any issues early on in your bathroom or kitchen sink before they grow.
If all of the above DIY methods do not fix the smelly drain, it may be necessary to call a professional plumber. Sewer issues and complex plumbing system problems especially require professional attention. Sewage backup can be a very dangerous situation, since this is hazardous material coming back up your drains and getting into your house. If there is any sewer damage, it is always best to have a licensed professional handle it safely.
Smelly drains can be a nuisance but can be effectively fixed and prevented with regular maintenance and cleaning. Using natural cleaning methods, such as baking soda and vinegar, can help clean and deodorize drains, as well as regularly cleaning the garbage disposal with ice cubes and lemon wedges. Keeping p-traps full, even in unused faucets, can help prevent foul sewer smells from entering the sink drain. Hiring a plumber can help fix complex plumbing problems and prevent future issues. Don’t settle for the foul-smelling drain in your home. Follow these steps to make sure your drainage system is free of any sewer smell!
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