As it is often said, the kitchen is the heart of a home because it is where you prepare meals, and everyone gathers for meaningful conversation.

Imagine you’re in the kitchen and are about to prepare a meal for the family. At that moment, you begin to notice a funky smell that begins to disturb your attention. You check your garbage disposal, and it’s not coming from there; you check your trash bin, and it’s still not there. Where is it coming from?

After a bit more search, you realize that the nasty smell is coming from your drains! Sinks are where smelly drains often stem from because of the food that is washed down them. However, you can also have smelly drains from the tub or shower.

What Causes Foul Drain Smells?

There are many causes behind smelly drains. For one, debris like food scraps, grease, hair, or soap residue that line your pipes may cause the drain to smell because of the bacteria they attract that releases these nasty odours. Clogged drain pipes or vents can also leave you with stale odours because they promote sluggish water movement.

Other than that, even mould and mildew may cause nasty-smelling drains. Yet, it could also be due to sewer gases that rise up from the drains.

In the case that you smell a rotten egg smell, it could be due to a bacteria that is in your hot water tank that reacts with the sulphates in your water. Last but not least, plumbing mistakes may cause a bad smell to come from your drains. A missing P-trap or drain vent can cause strong odours, as well as leaks or rotting drain tubes.

How Do You Get Rid Of The Smell?

When you have determined the cause of the nasty odour, it’s time to eliminate it by using the following tips:

For debris build-up: Boil water, add vinegar, and slowly pour the mixture down the drain and wait for a few minutes before you run some cold water. After that, pour the remainder of the solution down the drain to wash away everything. You can also use a baking soda and vinegar mixture by letting the solution fizz and settle for an hour, then rinsing it with hot water.
For clogged P-traps: Remove the curved portion of the plumbing and empty it out. Then, rinse the P-trap with a garden hose.
For sewer gases: Have water regularly running through all the drains to prevent sewer gases from rising to your drains. For drains that aren’t used very often, pour some mineral oil into the drain to slow down water evaporation from the pipes.
For water sulphates: Turn up your hot water temperature for a short period. Once it had time to heat up, turn off the main water supply line, attach a garden house to the lower drain port, and empty the tank into the floor drains.
For mould and mildew: This task is best left for expert plumbers because they have the expertise and tools to effectively determine the cause of mould and mildew and remove them from the pipes.

Getting rid of the nasty drain smells may seem easy at first. Yet, if you have tried various tricks and nothing seems to work, that’s the time you need professional help!

Conclusion

At this point, you now know the various causes of nasty drain odour and the various steps to overcome it. For times when that nasty smell just won’t go away after doing home solutions, there could be something else going on behind your plumbing system that may require professional intervention. If that’s the case, take the time to find a reliable plumber in your area to ensure the best service that could completely eliminate that nasty drain smell.

Are you looking for reliable 24-hour plumbing service? At Emergency Plumbing & Heating, we have over 20 years of experience providing top-quality plumbing services, and our experts are dedicated to top-quality customer services. Get in touch with us today to schedule your appointment!