Your kitchen or bathroom may be sparkling clean, but from underneath those pristine surfaces, a nasty odor can arise. No matter how diligently you use a garbage disposal unit or sink strainer, the frequent usage of the drain allows many particles and substances to clog it. The clogging of the drain forms bacteria, producing a stinky smell.
If you like keeping your house clean and follow deep cleaning routines, the foul smell of the drains in the morning can make you lose your mind. It becomes even more difficult when you do not know the source of that smell and search every corner of the house to find out where the smell is coming. If your drains are also smelling like rotten eggs, then this article is a must to read for you.
Here, you will get to know some of the best tips to make those stinky drains smell pleasant again:
1. Finding the Cause
Before solving a problem, you should know its purpose. A block in drainage is not always the culprit, and sometimes the stinky smell arises due to crack in the pipes or trapped sewage gases. If you won’t check the drain, then idly pouring disinfectants or hot water can be a wrong decision.
2. Getting Professional Help
Ordinary people are generally not experts in plumbing. Therefore, if your pipe breaks and gets blocked, you require professional help. You can call a skilled plumber for fixing your drain. There are places like Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Ottawa who offer excellent plumbing services.
3. Boiling Water
When it comes to stinky drains, you can never underestimate the power of boiling water. Whether your sink is smelling bad or not, you should make a habit of pouring boiling water in it regularly. It prevents mild drain smell. If you do not want to boil water, especially for the drain, you can reuse the hot water of tea or pasta. After making tea or pasta, pour the remaining hot water immediately down the drain. When the nasty smell is intense, then boiling water alone does not always do the trick.
4. Soapy Water
Drain often stinks because of the particles or substances like hair get stuck in the soaps scum inside the pipes. First, you should try simple methods to see if it solves the problem or not. To clean your drain with soapy water, you need to boil some water in a pot and add a few drops of liquid dish detergent. Pour the soapy water down the drain and leave for a few minutes. Cascade some cold water to solidify the grease, then again flush with hot water to remove all the dirt.
5. Lemon, Salt and Ice Cube
If boiling water is not helping the stinky smell, check, if the disposal blades are clean from all the clogging particles. You can use the three punch power of lemon peel, salt, and ice cubes.
When you throw some ice cubes in the sink and a handful of salt in the disposal, the ice cubes remove the clogging particles and salt scrubs sides of the drain. For better results, repeat the procedure. In the end, add a few lemon peels for a sweet and fresh smell.
6. Vinegar
Vinegar is acidic and acts as a cleaning agent. It is used for cleaning the stove, makes the food tasty, and keep the sink free from bad odor. It has a substantial acidic property that will overpower the substances causing a bad smell in your drain and will get rid of bad odor.
7. Baking Soda
We use baking soda to keep things fresh because it has excellent absorbing properties. Similarly, when you add some baking soda to your drain, it will absorb the nasty smell. As the baking soda gets down the drain along with boiling water, it will take away the pesky drain smell with it.
8. Warm Water with Bleach
If you are doing a deep cleaning of your drain components, nothing works efficiently then warm water with bleach. For this tip, first, fill the sink with enough warm water, then add 1/4 cup of bleach in it. Leave the mixture for stand for 10 to 15 minutes and then let it drain. It is useful in cleaning and reduces the funky drain smell.
9. Citrus and Bad Odor
Don’t trash citrus rinds because citrus removes the bad smell. You can use lemon, lime, or orange peels in your sink and turn on the faucet to deodorize the sink. It is an effective home remedy for getting rid of nasty sink smell. It also protects your drain from harsh chemicals and their effects.
10. Baking Soda and Vinegar
During childhood, we did the fantastic science project at school, where we mixed baking soda and vinegar, and a chemical reaction occurred. That’s what you are going to do for your drain. Pour half-cup of baking soda down the drain and flush it with vinegar. Leave it for 20 minutes, and then use hot water down the drain. It will do wonders in eliminating the foul odor.
11. Borax
Borax deep cleans the drain and acts as a disinfectant. Mix 5 tbsp of borax with an ice cube and let it rest. After a few minutes, pour lemon juice to give a pleasant smell.
12. Boiling Water, Baking Soda, and Lemon Juice
Baking soda, lemon juice, and boiling water mixture provide the same reaction as the baking soda, water, and vinegar does. However, when you use lemon juice, it will give a more refreshing smell to the drain.
13. Baking Soda with Essential Oils
The baking soda and boiling water will do a good cleaning. After the cleaning session, all you desire is a refreshing smell that you can obtain by adding a few drops of essential oils to the drain. You can use any essential oil like peppermint, tea tree, lemon, and eucalyptus. Let the oil sit for an hour or overnight for better results and then flush it with hot boiling water.
Conclusion
With the tips mentioned above, you can quickly get rid of the stinky smell of the drain. If you wish to maintain a fresh scent, then you should follow these tips regularly. Home remedies work not only work more efficiently but also do not cause any harm to the drain.
