How to get rid of the bad smell from drains

Asha Bogenfuerst Asha Bogenfuerst
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A bad smelling drain in your home can be both very unpleasant and embarrassing if you have guests over. Kitchen drains can be so off putting that you don't feel like preparing food in the kitchen and partially lose your appetite. Bathroom drains and laundry room drains that smell can also be equally frustrating. No matter how much you clean or scrub, as soon as the smell of detergent lingers away, there is that nasty, horrid smell of rotting gunk in your drains. The bad odour comes from grease and rotting food waste that has been clogged up in the drainage system, and the only way to get rid of the smell is by unclogging those drains. Other than the bad smell, a clogged drain can also cause slow drainage and backflow problems. In the worst case scenario, it could also mean that a pipe has cracked and is leaking into the building.The good news is that in most cases, a plumber is not really necessary and the job can easily be done by yourself with a few simple ingredients. Today, we are here to guide you on how to get rid of the bad smell from kitchen drains, bathroom drains and laundry room drains with a few simple techniques that is easy to do yourself at home. Although these methods are effective, they may not always work, especially if it is a serious case where it is best to consult a plumber. 

1. Boiling water, baking soda and vinegar

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One of the most effective methods of removing the bad odour from kitchen drains is to pour boiling hot water mixed together with baking soda and vinegar down the sink. You can also add lemon juice to help deodorise the drain. The alkaline from the baking soda and acid from the vinegar react to form foaming bubbles that can dislodge grease and gunk from drains. The boiling water adds to the effect. There are also strong chemical drain cleaners that can be bought from the store, but why pay more when you can use a few simple ingredients from your kitchen to deodorise the drains. For more ideas, please read 46 uses of lemon to clean the house.

2. Prevention is better than cure

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Once you've unclogged your drains, make sure you maintain them that way. The best way to do is to avoid putting any food waste, grease or oil down the sink. Even small amounts build up over time and the rotting food waste will attract loads of bacteria, which cause that awful drain smell. So make sure you remove all the food residue from kitchen ware properly and throw it into the bin before washing the dishes, and never pour oil down the sink, because prevention is better than cure. 

3. Bathroom drains

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Bathroom drains usually smell because not enough water is flushing down all the grease and gunk. This is why bathrooms that have not been used for a while tend to smell. However, even though the bathroom is used all the time, the water flow that goes down the drain could be weak and not enough to flush out all the hair that gets stuck in the drains. To solve this problem, we recommend using a high pressure hose to flush out the drains or try using the boiling water, baking soda and vinegar method we mentioned above. For more information, please read 5 reasons for smelly bathrooms and how to fix it.

4. Plants in the bathroom

Certain plants can deodorise your environment and act as an air filter. Find out what the best plants are for your climate and make use of them in your bathroom and kitchen. For more ideas, please read our article titled Pheeeew- Get rid of bad air at home.

5. Laundry room drains

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Basically, the same method can be applied to laundry room drains. However, if you've tried all the methods mentioned above and it is not effective then we highly recommend that you consult a plumber. 

We hope this article has been helpful. For more ideas like this, please refer to our article titled Fed up? This is how you avoid bad odour from the trash can.

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