WHY YOUR DRAIN SMELLS AND HOW TO FIX IT

Learn the best way to clean your smelly drain, formatted in this simple step by step guide. In this guide, you will learn how to easily clean and deodorize a stinky kitchen or bathroom drain.

Drain smells can be caused by all sorts of things. (We see you jamming those coffee grinds down there!)

In your kitchen sink, weird drain smells can usually be traced back to food particles and other debris stuck where they shouldn’t be.
• Food build up in the kitchen sink can cause bacteria and mold to grow, further enhancing the sink stench.
• An unused drain can also develop a bad smell, when the water in the P-trap (which is intentionally there in order to prevent sewer smells from backtracking into your home) evaporates over time.
• Grease and oil (didn’t your mother ever tell you not to dump the bacon grease down the sink?!) can congeal in sink pipes and begin to very slowly decompose in there, causing uber rotten smells.
• It could be the garbage disposal. You should try to clean it out once a week if you use it frequently.

In the bathroom, the culprit is typically clogs, but it could also be a P-Trap issue.
• One word: Gunk. Grease and debris — like hair and soap scum — get down into your drain, hookup with one another and solidify into a gnarly substance that not only clogs your drain, but likely smells weird, too.
• What the heck is a P-Trap? It’s actually the U-shaped pipe beneath most sinks that contains a small amount of water, which stops yucky sewer gases from seeping into your home.

To clean a smelly kitchen sink, start by cleaning the actual sink with hot water and grease-cutting dish soap (we like Dawn). If the smell persists, move on to cleaning the drain itself. Avoid using a harsh cleaner — you likely don’t need it. Try using a sink plunger instead, and get a drain stop to prevent future backups. Flush the drain with near-boiling water to soften clogs, then follow with dish soap to dissolve greasy buildup. As needed, use a plunger, and repeat until clear.

If you have a smelly drain in a guest bathroom you don’t use very often, it’s probably a P-Trap issue, which is simple: the water in the P-Trap that acts as a barrier between your bathroom and sewer smells has evaporated, allowing those smells into your home. All you need to do is run water in the sink or shower for a few minutes and the issue should resolve! That was way easier than you thought it would be, eh? Cue: Sigh of relief. If all else fails: call a professional!

Prevent future smells by simply not putting things that don’t belong down your kitchen and bathroom sinks. Don’t put stringy vegetables, oils, or eggshells down your garbage disposal, and don’t flush anything other than toilet paper (well, and the obvious) down the toilet. Seriously: no floss, and no fingernail clippings. An ounce of prevention really is worth a pound of cure.

Keep things smelling fresh with a Febreze Light Plug in your bathroom or kitchen, which cleans away odors with just a hint of scent — and no heavy perfumes.

For more cleaning tips, visit HomeMadeSimple.com.