What causes smelly drains? Each drain in your home can develop a smelly drain at one point or another. When this happens, it is important to know how to clear out the drain so that you have a functional drain that doesn’t release unpleasant odours into your household.
There are several reasons why drains become smelly drains. For example, drain odours usually develop from organic matter that has been flushed down the drain. Some common culprits include grease, food scraps and hair. Hair is particularly difficult to clear out of a drain because it can easily get tangled up in other matter which results in a clogged and smelly drain.
Other factors causing a smelly drain can be invasive tree roots. These can find small cracks in sewer lines and exploit them to gain access which can lead to serious blockage. Invasive tree roots grow and expand inside the pipe causing structural damage and leading to smelly drains.
Before calling out professional plumbers here are a few things you can do to alleviate those nasty odours from your drains:
7 Tips to get rid of Smelly Drains
1) Pour baking soda and vinegar into your drain. The chemical reaction will help with smelliness.
2) Run hot water down your drain for a while, it will help with smelliness.
3) Pour salt down your drain and add some dish soap, another chemical reaction that will help get rid of the smell.
4) Keep a little cup of baking soda in your sink’s drain plug to reduce smelliness.
5) Make sure to clean out your garbage disposal and keep it clean as well as running hot water down it occasionally.
6) Vinegar works wonders as a deodorizer. By dissolving biofilm or other debris, it also cuts through grease to assist clear smelly drains. Small obstructions, which are often the source of the drain’s odour, can also be broken up with hot vinegar. Bring four cups of vinegar to a boil, then pour half of it down the drain to clean your stinky drain. To keep your P-traps from drying out, run cold water for a minute and then dump the rest of the hot vinegar down the drain.
7) Plastic Drain Snake- Simply remove the drain plug and feed the snake down the drain slowly. Then slowly turn it while holding it by the plastic handle. Hair and other debris that coats the inside of your drain are collected by the snake’s short, strong bristle
If these methods don’t work, it may mean that there may be a bigger problem than first anticipated. You may require the assistance of a professional plumber to find the root cause of the problem.
Professional plumbers can resolve smelly problems by clearing the drainpipes of any build-up. They can also install equipment that helps to prevent future problems caused by organic materials.
How to Keep Your Drains from Smelling
Regular maintenance helps prevent odour-causing build-up in your drains. One of the most common causes is drain obstructions or poorly maintained drain lines. Another cause for drain odours is the sulphur in the water reacting to anaerobic bacteria
Kitchen
In the kitchen, this means not pouring oil down the drain and flushing the drain with hot water on a regular basis. Many individuals also claim that putting baking soda into their drains once a week helps to eliminate odours.
Bathroom
Pour hot vinegar down the drains once a week to remove soap scum and body oil and keep them from stinking. If you have long hair or shed a lot, use a plastic drain snake as recommended above every couple of months. In the shower or bathtub, you might want to instal a hair-catching drain cover.
Dishwasher
Putting lemon slices into your dishwasher before running it can both deodorize and clean your dishwashers. The fruit’s acidic juice does a great job of removing grease, too.
Garbage Disposal Drains
Ice cubes are an excellent way to clean your disposal and remove grime. To achieve great results, clear your drain with hot water first, then push two cups of ice cubes past the rubber flange into your garbage disposal. Turn on your disposal and let it run for two minutes while the cold-water tap is running full blast. When the timer goes off, switch off the disposal and run hot water for a minute.
Clogged Vent Pipes
When debris clogs drain vents, water can start to pool in the sink. The sluggish water movement leads to stagnant odours. Regular maintenance and cleaning of your pipes will alleviate these odours.
For more information and advice regarding blocked drain services please call Apex Plumbing solutions.