Have you been walking around your kitchen lately playing “where’s that smell coming from?” Or, perhaps you’ve been tipped off to the location by slow draining water or bubbling noises in your pipes. Sink odors are actually quite common in kitchens, but that doesn’t mean you have to put up with it. If you want to sink the stink in your kitchen drains and garbage disposal, here are some great tips to help you out!

Trapped Odors

Slow draining and bubbling noises, as mentioned, often accompany sink odors. You’ll need to alleviate the drain blockage to get rid of the odor.

Start with the drain trap — that J-shaped pipe under your kitchen sink. It’s called a trap because it’s designed to trap water. The water, ironically, blocks odors that may backdraft from the main drain line and emit sewer-like odors through the pipe and drain.

To clear the trap of debris that’s causing bubbling noises or slow draining, you’ll need a one-gallon bucket, dish-washing gloves, cleaning cloths, a thin wire brush and maybe a pair of channel locks.

  • Turn off the hot and cold water valves to the kitchen sink.
  • Place the bucket under the trap to catch any water.
  • Unscrew the two slip joint nuts located at both ends of the J-bend. (This is where you might need channel locks if the slip joints are too tight.)
  • There should be some water and muck in the pipe. Dump it into the bucket.
  • Clean the trap outside with a garden hose. A wire brush may be needed if the trap has caked-on grease and other stubborn muck in it.
  • Reattach the J-bend, turn on the water valves and you’re ready for the next step!

Deodorize Your Drain

You may already have the ingredients in your kitchen needed to deodorize your sink — about 1 cup of baking soda, 2 cups of white vinegar, 1 cup of lemon juice from concentrate and a pot of boiling water.

Pour the baking soda into the drain. Let it sit for about 5 minutes. Next, pour the vinegar into the drain. When these two substances mix, there will be a chemical reaction that loosens clogs. Let the chemical reaction do its job for about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, put a pot of water on the stove to boil. Once it has reached a rolling boil and you’ve let the baking soda and vinegar sit for 20 minutes, very slowly and carefully pour the boiling water into the sink. The hot water will wash away the baking soda, vinegar and the blockage.

Garbage Disposal Odor

Just because your disposal is a mighty tough little appliance doesn’t mean that it’s impervious to odors. Though, deodorizing your garbage disposal will be even easier than deodorizing your sink. It’s more fun, too!

  • Cut up a lemon into 8 slices.
  • Put the slices in a muffin tray (8 muffin cups).
  • Pour white vinegar into the cups, too.
  • Freeze over night.
  • Put the frozen lemon/vinegar cups in your garbage disposal and turn it on (with running water), and that’s it!

If you need the help of a plumbing professional to rid your kitchen sink of odors or any other plumbing problems you have, contact the experts at MN Plumbing & Home Services today!