How to Get Rid of Drain Odor?

Have you ever entered a room and just gagged because of that foul smell that greets you? And as you head in you realise that the smell gets stronger and stronger. You try to find the root cause and as you head to the sink, you immediately know it’s the one? Sorry to break it to you but that foul musty smell might be coming from your drain and it could be caused by a lot of things which I’ll tell you shortly, so keep reading.

To some this might be a recurring problem and to others, a one time thing, either way drains smell bad. No worries though, we got both of you covered. With the help of companies like In Deep plumbing, you are now able to get help with just one call. Be it a tiny issue or a big one, and with that, let’s get started.

Why that Smell?

So as we all know, before you solve a problem, you need to identify it. In this case, it’s a drain odor. Now that we know what the problem is, the next step is to find the root cause. I’ll walk you through the possible options.

Mold or Mildew

Despite the fact that both are found under the fungi category, they have different habitats as well as colour.

A mold has different colours thus different appearances and can range from the colour green all the way to the colour purple. It’s best found in places that are damp, moist and warm which makes under the sink a perfect fit, but only if there is a tiny leak that can accumulate around your sink pipe. Note, excessive smelling of a mold could lead to you getting sick.

On the other hand, mildew is white and can be found on top or inside your sink pipe. They grow in dark damp places and sink pipes are probably one of the best habitats for its spores to spread. Its accumulation can lead to clogged drains which leads us to the next option.

Clogged drains

Different things could lead to a clogged drain, some of them being hair or food. The accumulation of both could lead to bacteria growth which in turn produces that foul smell.

Smelly Sewers

If a drain isn’t used often or used at all, then there’s a high possibility of a sewer gas rising up the drains. This might occur because of drain traps that are empty.

A P-trap that’s dry

Just like a plant, all that the P-trap needs is water. Note that this only applies to unused sinks or sinks that are not used often. Located just under your sink, the P-trap is the bend you’ll see when you open the sink cabinet. Sometimes, the water in the P-trap tends to dry up and other times it could just be air pressure from other pipes displacing the water leading to a foul smell being produced.

Solving the Problem: Getting Rid of the Drain Odor

With every problem comes a solution. So here’s ours:

1. Baking Soda & Vinegar: On identifying the problem as Mildew, then all you have to do for a cheaper and environmentally friendly solution, is use white vinegar and baking soda. White vinegar kills the fungi while baking soda scours the pipe gently and gets rid of any accumulated dirt that might still be in your system.
   If mold is the problem, then a cheaper solution would be using a mixture of bleach and water. Not forgetting to fix the sink pipe that may have leaked the water. For that, you might need to get a good plumber.
2. Drain Snake: With clogged drains, if the problem seems to be shallow then you could use a drain snake to unclog it. If it doesn’t seem that shallow, then you could pour hot water bit by bit. You could also use bleach and baking soda or bleach then hot water.
3. Warm Soapy Water: At times all you need to do is let warm soapy water run through your pipes, preventing the gas from rising up. For dry or empty drain traps, after letting the warm soapy water run, you could pour a bit of mineral oil to slow down the evaporation process. This trick goes a long way in not only removing the odor from the drain but also unclogging it.
4. Running Water: The solution to a dry P-trap is letting water run through your pipes. Doing this often is also a good way to prevent such problems from reoccurring again. Just a pro tip, use mineral oil. It alters the evaporation process.

Conclusion

Drain odor is something that no house owner would wish to have. Therefore, get rid of all the foul smells your sinks might have, restoring that amazing scent you once had by following these simple pro tips. Good luck!