Drain Smells

Do you ever have a sulfur smell that comes from your kitchen or bathroom drains?  Here are some helpful hints to solve your foul smell that has not been alleviated by traditional cleaning.

Make sure your drain pop up is properly cleaned.  Pop up the drain stopper, clean off any residue that has attached itself to the assembly.  This residue can build up and cause blockage and bacteria that will lead to further drainage issues.

Next, check to see if there is any blockage in the drain itself and clean out the blockage.  You can stick a long screwdriver in the drain to pull out any hair or gunk that could possibly cause further problems.  Then flush the drain with very hot water to push any small particles through.

If this blockage is thick, you may have to disassemble the elbow pipe under the sink and clean it out as well.  The elbow holds a small amount of water that is supposed to block sewer gases from coming back up the pipes and home.

Sometimes it is these gases that you smell along with bacteria that is formed from the gunk clinging to your drain stoppers.  You can try this mixture to clean your smelly drain and get rid of musty and other unpleasant odors: 1 cup ammonia, 1 cup white vinegar, ¼ cup baking soda and 1 gallon of water.

If the odor persists you can try leaving a pan of cat litter in the dry sink.  Keep the door closed and replace the litter every couple of days until the smell is gone.