Smelly Drains: What Causes Them
Grease accumulation in kitchen drains retains food waste, creating germs and attracts pests like fruit flies, causing them to stink. In the bathroom, detergent, toothpaste, and fatty oils may gather hair and dead skin cells, causing a similar accumulation. So, if a drain starts to stink, its typically a sign that a blockage is forming. You will get rid of the smell while saving a pricey plumbers charge if you treat it promptly using one of these ways. Your kitchen sink may smell for one of four reasons:
Four Ways To Solve A Foul
Have you ever noticed a drain in your home seems to smell particularly foul? Does this only seem to happen after the drain hasnt been used for several hours? Does this particular drain cause the entire room it is in to smell so bad that using it is a genuinely unpleasant experience? Drain odors are a pretty common plumbing problem, and the good news is they arent always super difficult to fix. Lets take a closer look at what causes foul smells to come from your drain and what you can do to fix the problem.
Now On To The Actual Smelly Drain Cleaner
Here is a straightforward recipe for an environmentally friendly solution to cleaning smelly drains and minor blockages. Dont wait for a serious blocked drain to plague you. Lets not only get rid of the stinky drain smell but also clear up your minor blocked drains now. So, before you rush out and buy a commercial drain cleaning product and the harsh chemicals that come with it, try this first!
Baking soda and vinegar are natural, non-toxic ingredients. While unclogging drains, they pose no health dangers. They are preferable to the sodium hydroxide, commonly known as lye, found in most drain cleaners.
Combining baking soda and vinegar can form carbon dioxide and sodium acetate. This presents as the bubbles scrubbing the drains insides. These natural, non-toxic ingredients get flushed further down, ensuring a clog-free drain.
Check the ingredients below and follow the application.
Ingredients:
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How Often To Clean A Shower Drain
Clean your shower drain monthly to remove trapped hair and soapy sludge. If there are multiple shower users with long hair, cleaning out the drain every other week is even better.
Clogs should be removed as quickly as possible using a toilet plunger, drain snake, or commercial solution . Slow-running or smelly drains can be easily cleaned with household products like baking soda, distilled white vinegar, or chlorine bleach.
One caution: Never mix cleaning productseven mixing chlorine bleach and vinegar can produce toxic gas. Follow the instructions on the label carefully!
Clean The Garbage Disposal
If your sink has a garburator, that might be the source of the smell. You can clean it by adding a handful of lemon or lime wedges, turning on the water, and running the disposal. The acid from the citrus will eat away at any built-up gunk that’s causing the smell. You can do this periodically as a preventive measure. Ice, salt, and Borax are also good garbage disposal cleaners.
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Final Thoughts On How To Remove Bleach Smell After Cleaning
The smell of bleach can be a little overbearing after cleaning. With a bit of extra work and patience, you can have your immaculate home and one that smells good.
Simply ventilate the area by opening windows and doors. Use fans, air purifiers, and deodorizers. You can leave vinegar, activated charcoal, baking soda, or cat litter in the room overnight or even spritz the area with a lemon and water spray.
Why Does My Dishwasher Smell
If you have a smelly dishwasher, it could be because youre not rinsing your dishes properly before loading them. Food particles can collect in your dishwashers filter and crevices, and over time, this can cause an unpleasant odor. To avoid smelly dishwashers or drains its important to know how to clean your dishwasher regularly.
One way to prevent food from accumulating is to practice proper dishwasher usage. A great rule of thumb is to thoroughly scrape and rinse plates, silverware, bowls, and other items before they go into the dishwasher.
Depending on the mess, you probably wont need to scrub the plates with soap, but scrape food off and rinse dishes clean. Failure to do this means large food particles can get caught in the grates . This can result in clogs that prevent draining or can create a smelly dishwasher.
If theres food caught in the drain system of your dishwasher, remove it. Then, use a clean sponge to wipe the area clean. Also, you can pour a chemical drain cleaner down your garbage disposal, too. Itll help freshen the same plumbing the dishwasher uses and leave a fresh, citrus scent.
For more information on how you can use Liquid-Plumr® products, visit our FAQs page.
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How To Get Rid Of Paint Smell In Car
The first thing that you can do to remove paint smell from cars is to keep the car well-ventilated. You should open all the doors and roll down all the windows for a couple of hours.
It is best to check and clean your cars aircon filter since it has probably absorbed paint smell. However, if you still find the paint smell strong and offensive, you may place buckets of water with slices of lemon and onion to absorb the odor.
Regularly change the water, lemon slices, and onion slices every eight hours until you can no longer sense the paint smell.
Image by fromUnsplash
Ways How To Get Rid Of Paint Smell Safe And Fast
It is always satisfying to see a room with a fresh coat of paint. However, you may find the lingering fumes bothersome. Aside from leaving the doors and windows open, you might be surprised to know that there are certain household items that can naturally absorb paint odors.
There are several ways to get rid of the fresh paint smell in a painted room. Most of these items can be found in your kitchen such as water, baking soda, onions, lemon water, charcoal, coffee grounds, and a lot more. These items are safe to use and can absorb paint smells fast.
If you find yourself constantly leaving the room or covering your nose when entering a freshly painted room, this time, you dont have to! This article will share with you 15 safe, and fast ways to remove paint odor from a painted room.
- Keep the House Cool
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Sprinkle Baking Soda Down Your Drain Periodically
Is that smell finally gone? Keep it that way by periodically sprinkling baking soda down the drain to absorb odors. You can do this after you wash the dishes or just once a week, but its especially useful when youre headed out of town and wont be using your sink for awhile.
I also sprinkle baking soda down the drain if Im going to be out of town for more than one day it prevents coming home to a nasty funk in there.
I once a week and it works a charm!
Even just sprinkling some baking soda down the drain after washing the dishes makes a huge difference for me.
Which of these tips or any others not listed here! have worked for your smelly sink drains?
How To Use A Drain Snake
A drain snake is a tool that can be used to clear clogs from drains. It is a long, flexible coil of metal that is inserted into the drain and then rotated.
The snake will catch on the clog and break it up, allowing the water to flow freely again. Using a drain snake is relatively simple, but there are a few things to keep in mind.
With these tips in mind, using a drain snake can be an easy and effective way to clear clogged drains.
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How To Eradicate Smelly Drains By Snaking Your Drain
Tried bleach and baking soda but still have a smelly bathroom drain or kitchen drain? Try cleaning out the odour-producing nasties with a snake tool:
Buy a drain snake from your local DIY store. Can’t find one? Twist an old coat hanger out of shape and use instead but go gently to avoid damage.
Insert your snake into the drain and twist to help remove blockages and debris that could be the source of your bad odours.
Always follow the instructions on the packet for shop-bought options and run water through your drain afterwards to flush out any loose materials you may have dislodged.
Whether itâs the kitchen sink or the shower drain, bad smells donât have to be tolerated. Try one of these methods to eradicate the underlying cause of smelly drains and give your pipes a thorough clean.
Cleaning Washing Machine Drains That Smell Like Sewage
If you notice a sewer odor coming from your laundry room, theres probably greasy buildup in the drain line behind your washer. Use a pencil to mark where the drain hose enters the box, so you know how far to reinsert it. Remove the hose and put a funnel in the drain box opening. Combine 1 gallon of warm water and 1 quart of white vinegar in a pitcher. Slowly pour this down the funnel. Flush it with 1 gallon of cold water and reinsert the line, stopping when you reach the mark you made. You may also want to deep clean your washing machine once youre done.
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A Natural Way To Get Back To A Fresh Smell
Citrus peels from fruit such as lemons and oranges are a great hack to get a fresh and clean smell.
If you have a garbage disposal, first turn it on and run some water for a few seconds to make sure that everything is flushed down. Next, slice off some peels from the orange or lemon, and run them through the disposal. With a bit of cold water, turn on the disposal with the peels for a short time. Clear the drain line with more running water, and voila! Your drain should have a natural and clean fragrance.
For consistent, clean smells and an unclogged drain, make sure to use some of these techniques on a regular basis. Whether using natural or store-bought ingredients, cleaning out your kitchen drain continually will be the best way to prevent major backups and avoids the need to pay a plumber in the worst-case scenario.
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Neutralizing Odors With Baking Soda
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Choose Rainbow Restoration For Kitchen And Bath Water Damage Restoration
Did your clog lead to a flood or water damage? Are you still experiencing foul odors in or around your home? Trust the pros at your local Rainbow Restoration to deliver water damage restoration and odor removal services you can trust. Call 724-6269 for 24/7 emergency service or schedule an appointment online to get started.
Do you know what a P-Trap is? Learn about this common piece of plumbing from our friends at Mr. Rooter. Like Rainbow Restoration, Mr. Rooter is a part of the Neighborly community of trusted home service brands.
The Fastest Way To Fix A Stinky Drain
You can deodorize most drains by pouring 1/4 cup baking soda into the opening, followed by a squirt of liquid dish soap. Then run the hot water faucet for 2 full minutes to flush the drain. If that does not eliminate the odor, try one of the methods below.
Many people find that a combination of methods works best to clean and deodorize their drains. So, start with the one most convenient for you, then try another approach if it continues to stink.
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How To Clean Smelly Sink Drains
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After cooking and a long bout of dish cleaning, a kitchen Sink Drain can inevitably collect a lot of gunk and debris. A combination of grease, oil, food scraps, and other excess particles is ideal for attracting bacteria and foul smells. It can also lead to a major clog, with water pooling every time you run the faucet.
When a putrid smell is wafting from the drain, everyone wants to dodge the kitchen. It depletes appetites and makes guests run in the opposite direction!
In this article, well outline some of the best ways that can teach you how to clean smelly sink drains, in your kitchen and any other sink around your house such as laundry room and toilets.
For best results in your kitchen sink, make sure to clean the drain monthly to decrease the chance of any plumbing issues. Cleaning weekly can also make sure that the fresh, sanitized smell lasts a little longer.
Why Does My Bathroom Drain Smell Bad
Your bathroom drains take so much over the course of a day Toothpaste, soaps, mouthwash, and germs from our hands, the list goes on! You may be facing a nasty bacteria buildup that can occur in the drain pipes due to the wet environment. That can lead to weird odors and smells coming from the drain. If youve got an unpleasant smell in your bathroom, your drains may be the culprit. The plumbing experts at Watters Plumbing in Menasha are here to help you better understand bathroom drain odors, so you know where theyre coming from and how to get rid of them!
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Reason #: Problem With The P
If you can look underneath the shower drain, youll see a U-shaped pipe that water passes through. This is called a P-trap, and the purpose is to hold a small amount of water at all times to block sewage gasses from coming back up the pipe and into your bathroom.
If you havent used the shower in a while, its possible that the water in the P-trap has evaporated. This is an easy fix just run water in the shower for a few minutes and the P-trap will refill and the smell should go away.
However, if you have used the shower recently, it could be a sign that theres a leak in the P-trap. If thats the case, the pipe needs to be replaced to resolve the smell and prevent further water damage in your home.
How To Clean A Smelly Garbage Disposal
Follow these simple steps to rid your garbage disposal smell:Step 1: Cut a lemon into quarters .Step 2: Turn your disposal on and run the hot water.Step 3: Drop lemon or lime slices down the drain, piece by piece, until theyre completely ground up.Step 4: For a more thorough cleaning, pour 2 cups of ice and 1 cup of rock salt into the garbage disposal.
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