While getting rid of the drain smell in your home is important, it’s more important to take preventive measures. A smelling drain can result from the cumulative buildup of residue over time. Such buildups usually result from rotten food residue collected in the garbage disposal unit.
While you may take measures to prevent these from happening, it’s almost inevitable in the long run. Luckily, we have provided 5 simple tricks that will help save your home from the discomfort of a smelly drainage. If these tips fail, John whittmore from Pipeline Drainage recommends using an expert to fix it. Continue reading to learn more.
5 tricks to help you get rid of smelly drainages
1. Clean out stuck rotting food
One of the most effective precautions to help you avoid the smell emanating from your drainage is keeping food particles from getting inside. But unfortunately, many people take the easy way out, which implies washing your food leftovers in the kitchen sink.
When you continue washing your leftovers down the drain, there’s a high tendency of a blocked drain and accumulated particles. Thus, the smell you perceive. To help you dislodge such food particles, fill your sink with a mixture of bleach and hot water. The hot water will help loosen oily or greasy sediments in the sink. After that, make the mixture flow out through the pipes.
2. Prevent your P-trap from running empty
A smelly drain may result from an empty P-trap. As the name implies, it helps you trap out unpleasant sewer gases, preventing them from infiltrating your home. An empty P-tank results when you let your drain stay for long without use.
In addition, an empty p-tank can happen irrespective of whether it’s a bathroom drain or a kitchen drain. To avoid this, use the sink more often. If it’s in a part of your home that you don’t often use, such as the guest room, occasionally drain some water through the sink.
3. Use some ingredients
Even when you’re careful not to wash food leftovers down your kitchen drain, smaller particles may find their way through. These particles stay in the sink and accumulate over time when they enter. Like we all expect, they’ll start decaying.
Along with the decay, yeast or mold will be formed. These formations are some of the reasons behind the bad odor you perceive from your drain. To kill these bacteria, mix some baking soda with salt or vinegar and pour it inside the drain.
4. Fix plumbing issues
Your plumber probably did rush work in your house. In such scenarios, there are chances that they skipped some part of the installation, which might lead to a faulty vent or trap. Such faults can lead to sewer gases being trapped in the drain, with the only opening leading inside your home.
Also, you must note that drain tubes rot after some years. Of course, you should expect some stench from decaying stuff. To make sure that none of these is the case with your house, we recommend inviting a certified plumber once or twice a year to check your plumbing for any faults that could lead to smelly drainage with time.
5. Your last resort – advanced cleaning requirements
The four tips discussed above should effectively help you get rid of a smelly drain. However, there are rare occasions where none of these works; in that case, you’ll have to get an advanced drain cleaning machine. Luckily, there’s a wide range of cleaning products available.
If this doesn’t work, you have no choice but to contact a professional plumber. This is because they have the needed tools and equipment and the experience they’ve accumulated over the years.
Conclusion
We know you don’t like a smelly drain. So it’s better to take simple precautions to avoid causing it. But if you’ve already landed in one, use the tips discussed above to restore your drain.
Just as we noted, baking soda can do more than baking with flour. They can help you effectively get rid of your smelly drain. In addition, other common household substances such as salt, vinegar, etc., can go a long way with your smelly drain.
