How to get rid of kitchen sink smells?

In fact, your kitchen needs to invite the people in your house to have a look at the delicious meal you prepared for them.

Unfortunately, the truth is that the sinks of many modern kitchens may emit  a foul smell. This can be due to many reasons. Improper usage of sinks, maintenance issues, and much more. 

In this blog, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about getting rid of foul smells in the kitchen sinks and maintaining a top-class drainage system. 

Are you excited? Let’s get started!

What exactly is the cause of the foul smell?

Primarily, the foul smell of your kitchen drain can occur due to two reasons. 

• The first and foremost reason is the accumulation of food or its debris in the drain pipe. Over time, you can guess what happens. The decay of food particles creates a foul smell. The food also gets stuck to the interiors of the pipes, thus enhancing the foul smell. 

• Secondly, the sewer can produce a foul smell rising up from the pipes if the U-bend has a shortage of water which is possible due to a leak or evaporation. 

If you’re able to take care of the drain pipe and the U-bend, there’s nothing stopping your kitchen from smelling great. 

Now that we know the causes of the smelly kitchen sink, let’s see how we can prevent the foul smell. 

Methods used to prevent foul smell in the drain

If you tick the right boxes, you’d never have to worry about a smelly kitchen sink. Yes, easier said than done. However, you can practice these habits regularly to prevent any foul smell. 

• You need to avoid pouring any sort of fat or grease down the drain as it can mess up the sewer, resulting in a foul smell. 

• We’ve already talked about how the accumulation of food in the drain pipe can result in foul sink smells. All you need to do is cover the plughole with a drain screen. This way, no solid food particles can slip into the drain. 

• Boiled water can also do the magic. Regularly pour some hot water down the plughole to kill the bacteria residing there. 

• Every time you’re on a vacation, pour some baking soda down the plughole to activate top-class cleaning. 

• You can regularly consult with a professional plumber to make sure your kitchen drain is in good shape. 

How we can rectify the issue of a smelly kitchen sink

Alright, let’s go digging into solutions if you probably have a smelly kitchen sink. Before we do that, we must also know what kind of smell is coming from the sink. 

Accordingly, we can come to a suitable solution. So, there are two types of foul smells. 

The rotting and the sewer gas smells. The rotting food smells are best eliminated by the use of chemical cleaning methods. The sewer gas smells require you to check your U-bend. 

Ok! These are the DIY drain cleaning methods for getting rid of rotting food smells.

DIY drain cleaning methods

1. Boiling water

Hot water is the easiest solution when it comes to cleaning the kitchen drain pipes, removing food particles from its sides. Most of the time this method should work. 

2. Baking Soda

What if the boiling water method doesn’t work? That’s when you use baking soda to do the trick for you. Baking Soda is used for a variety of purposes and cleaning smelly kitchen drains is on top of the list. 

The most prominent baking soda solution is: 

Baking Soda + Vinegar + Boiling Water 

Take some baking soda and put it in the drain. Wait for some time. Let the baking soda do the magic. Pour half a cup of vinegar into the mixture of baking soda. Once the popping settles down, add some boiling water. 

Note: You can also use salt to add an abrasive component to the solution and thus maximize the efficiency of cleaning the drain. Pour half a cup of salt once you’ve added the baking soda and vinegar. Flush it off with some boiling water. 

• In place of vinegar, you can also use lemon juice to clean the smelly kitchen sink. Lemon juice reacts with baking soda to clean the drain effectively, leaving no residuals in between.

• Take a step further and add some eucalyptus oil or any of your favorite oils with the baking soda solution to produce the smell of your choice. 

Rest assured, your kitchen sink won't produce any false odor. 

Chemical cleaning methods 

Let’s see how chemicals can be used for getting rid of rotting food smells. 

1. Potassium Hydroxide

If the condition in your drain is really bad, occupied with fats and grease, you can pour some KOH ( Potassium Hydroxide ) to transform the grease into soft soap. 

2. Bio-enzyme drain cleaner

Modern chemists would suggest to use enzymes that are eco-friendly to eat the food debris, ensuring your drain works smoothly. 

3. Other chemical alternatives

Caustic drain cleaners are composed of sodium hydroxide, lye, or sulfuric acid to react with the food particles and hence clean the drain pipes. 

U-bend checkup 

The U-bend is the main culprit if there’s a sewer gas trap in your kitchen drain pipe. The U-bend is supposed to be full of water, thus preventing sewer gas from escaping out the plughole. 

Take these measures to check if your U-bend is working properly. 

• The U-bend needs to be hydrated always, i.e it must always be filled with water. If the water has evaporated due to some reason, just make sure to run some water to fill up the U-bend.

• A leak in the U-bend is a critical aspect to look into. If there are any patches or holes in the drain pipe, call a professional plumber to rectify the leak. 

• In case, there are food particles flogging in your U-bend, make sure to remove the U-bend and clean it. 

Smart Cover to your rescue!

However well you manage the drain pipes, there’s always a chance for a burst pipe or a blocked drain. Smart Cover will make sure that you don’t have to fork out all your money for an expensive repair.

You can count on us always - your trusted plumbing and drainage insurance partner.