How To Clean A Smelly Bathroom Drain

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Catching a whiff of a stinky drain is unpleasant, just most drains tin can exist cleaned without harsh chemicals. Smelly drains are oftentimes the upshot of buildup from hair, soap, grease, food, and other debris. The classic way to handle this problem is with vinegar or lemon juice. For stubborn clogs, use a drain auger to clear most drains or take autonomously the P-trap to deodorize a sink drain. Then, treat your drain regularly to prevent foul odors and clogs from coming back.

1. one

   Pour hot tap water downwardly the drain. Turn the tap to the hottest water setting possible and allow it run for a few minutes. The hot water will loosen soap scum and any other foul-smelling debris in the drain.^[i]

   • If using the tap isn't an option, heat a pot of water on the stove. Remove the h2o from heat before information technology boils.

2. 2

   Add ½ cup (133.half-dozen k) of fibroid salt to the drain. Salt acts as an abrasive on debris clinging to the sides of drains. Even if this debris isn't the immediate cause of the smell, it somewhen attracts evil-smelling bacteria and even forms clogs.^[2]

   • Grains of coarse or kosher salt are much larger than grains of tabular array common salt, then they are more constructive for clearing a drain.

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3. 3

   Sprinkle ½ cup (90.0 g) of blistering soda downwards the bleed. Remove the encompass or stopper if your drain has one. Pour the baking soda out gradually, trying to get as much of it as you lot can down the drain. A lot of it will end up on the sides where the unpleasant droppings and bacteria collect.^[3]

4. 4

   Pour ii cups (470 mL) of white vinegar or lemon juice down the drain. Both vinegar and lemon juice react to baking soda right away. Encompass the drain with its stopper or place a towel over it to forcefulness the bubbling mixture downwardly the pipe. The mixture volition deodorize as well as treats impending clogs.^[4]

   • Oestrus the vinegar or juice on the stove or in the microwave outset to requite it more cleansing power.

5. five

   Wait at to the lowest degree x minutes for the cleaner to have result. Running water through the drain pipe too soon washes away the cleaner, and so give information technology plenty of time to settle in. Continue the drain covered to prevent air and any remaining cleaner from coming dorsum upward.^[five]

   • For greater result, particularly if you oasis't cleaned the bleed in a while, leave the baking soda mixture in the drain equally long as overnight.

6. 6

   Affluent the drain with more than hot water. Turn on the hot water or heat another pot of it on the stove. Pour it down the drain, letting it wash abroad the cleaner and any gunk in the pipe. Well-nigh, if not all, of the odor will be gone.^[6]

   • For particularly nasty odors, you may need to practice another flush. Repeat the handling with more of the baking soda and vinegar mixture.

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1. 1

   Wash the drain plug to eliminate pilus and other debris. Drain plugs are oftentimes a significant source of debris. Pull the plug out and examine the bottom terminate. If you see any gunk, rinse information technology off with water and a newspaper towel. Sprinkle it with blistering soda or an alternative treatment to eliminate any remaining odors.

   • Clean drain plugs often, at least once a month, to prevent buildup. Buildup like hair and grease not only makes the plug olfactory property, only it may plow into a smelly clog inside the drain pipage.
   • Spraying white vinegar on the drain plug also helps remove debris. Another option is to heat a pot of vinegar until information technology bubbles gently, then go out the drain plug in it for a few minutes.

2. two

   Break up the clog with a drain stick or auger. Shine a low-cal into the drain to run into how far down the clog is. Then, lower a drain-cleaning tool similar a bleed stick downwardly to the clog. Plastic bleed sticks are the cheapest tools bachelor, and all y'all do is lower the stick downwards and pull it support to remove the clog slice past slice. Wash off the tool and use it repeatedly until most of the material causing the clog is gone.^[seven]

   • Create your ain bleed stick out of a wire hanger. Straighten it out, adjusting the end into a hook that fits down the drain. And then, use it to pull out hair and other fabric in the drain.
   • For a more effective drain-clearing tool, buy an auger or drain snake from a general store. Augurs are longer than plastic sticks and more effective at breaking up solid clogs. Rotate the auger in the drain to loosen the nasty gunk on the walls.

3. iii

   Flush the drain with hot water to clear out the remainder of the clog. Turn on the hot water and allow information technology menstruation into the bleed for several minutes. If the water flows freely down the bleed, the clog is gone. If not, effort using an auger or taking apart the drain piping.^[8]

   • Boiling water can impairment PVC pipe joints, then avert pouring humid water down the drain unless you lot're sure your pipes are metal. Remember this if you demand to heat a pot of water for drains without working taps.

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1. 1

   Remove the sink drain trap if your drain is still clogged or smelly. The office you need to remove is the P-trap, which is an S-shaped component connecting the wall outlet to the sink's tailpipe. Information technology will have 2 nuts, which wait like plastic or metal rings, securing information technology to these other pipes. Plough them counterclockwise with a wrench to loosen the P-trap. When information technology'due south loose enough, y'all will exist able to wiggle it downwards and off of the connecting pipes.^[ix]

   • The P-trap will likely accept water in it, so have a bucket or container nearby!
   • The P-trap is normally visible underneath sinks. The P-trap will be underneath the floor or inaccessible with other types of drain. Try to treat the bleed through some other method or call a plumber to fix it.

2. 2

   Launder the P-trap with a nylon bottle castor and a paper towel. Push the castor through the P-trap to clear out any clogs or crud responsible for the foul aroma. To facilitate the cleaning process, wrap a paper towel around the brush. Then, button the paper towel through the P-trap to absorb the grime on its walls.^[ten]

   • Bottle brushes are available at some domicile improvement and general stores. If you lot are unable to get one, try using a straightened wire hanger.
   • Accept a look at the connecting pipes as well. They often have evil-smelling debris in them. Use a paper towel to wipe upward debris and use an auger to break clogs.

3. 3

   Clean the drain with hydrogen peroxide afterwards reinstalling the P-trap. Gear up the P-trap back in place, twisting the basics clockwise until they're tightly in place. Then, mix 1 cup (240 mL) of hydrogen peroxide with 1 tablespoon (14.xl thousand) of baking soda. Pour the mixture down the bleed to stop removing the remaining debris and smell.^[11]

   • Using blistering soda or lemon juice is likewise an option for neutralizing the remaining odor.

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1. ane

   Sprinkle the bleed with blistering soda at least in one case a month. Baking soda is very effective at arresting odors. Add together near 1 tablespoon (fourteen.40 g) to each drain, particularly those you use often. For well-used drains prone to nasty smells, utilise baking soda more than frequently to avoid problems.^[12]

   • Baking soda neutralizes odors, but it doesn't pause upwardly clogs. Treat clogs as they form to forestall them from becoming an consequence.

2. ii

   Use lemon slices and peels to deodorize garbage disposals. Driblet a lemon wedge or a few peels into the disposal. Activate the disposal, letting it grind upward the lemon. The citrus smell will neutralize nasty odors from other foods and crud in the pipes. If you don't accept a lemon, this works with other citruses equally well.^[13]

   • Yous can besides endeavour using ice to scour the blades and collect grease from your garbage disposal. Add table salt or Borax to assist deodorize the drain.^[14]

3. three

   Affluent drains with dish soap and hot water regularly. Flush drains once a calendar week to prevent the buildup responsible for near smells. Encompass the drain with a drain stopper, then run hot water from the tap. Mix in about 1 tablespoon (15 mL) of your regular dish soap. Unplug the bleed to let the water launder away the debris.^[xv]

   • Flush a drain correct after using it. It washes away oil or food particles in your kitchen sink, for case, earlier they settle on the drain pipe.
   • If your drain has a garbage disposal, activate the blades for more cleaning ability.

4. 4

   Remove potential clogs manually earlier they block the drain. Smooth a flashlight into your drains to cheque for unpleasant buildup. If you see annihilation, use a bleed tool or auger to scrape away the droppings. This is very useful for shower drains that accumulate plenty of hair and lather scum over time.^[xvi]

   • Remember to check the bleed stopper equally well. Wipe it make clean and treat it with vinegar or baking pulverisation every bit needed.

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• Clean your drain routinely, at to the lowest degree once a month, to prevent evil-smelling buildup. Baking soda, lemon juice, and even commercial cleaners are great for deodorizing a drain before smells become noticeable.

• Always cheque drain plugs, stoppers, or covers. They're like shooting fish in a barrel parts to forget, but a lot of evil-smelling debris and leaner ends up on them.

• If you make clean out your drain and still discover an unpleasant olfactory property, consider calling a plumber. Sometimes pipes crack and release baneful sewer gas.

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• Boiling h2o tin impairment PVC pipes. Avoid using hot water unless you lot're certain your drain isn't connected to whatever PVC components.

• Accept precautions when using hot h2o. To avert the risk of burns when heating water for a drain, habiliment long habiliment and oven mitts. Carry the h2o to the drain carefully and pour it in slowly.

• Don't use bleach in your drain if you have a septic system. The bleach can kill the bacteria in your septic tank that breaks down your waste.^[17]

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Things You'll Need

• Measuring cup
• Hot water
• White vinegar or lemon juice
• Baking soda

• Drain stick or auger
• Hot h2o

• Bucket
• Wrench
• Nylon bottle brush or wire hanger
• Hydrogen peroxide
• Baking soda
• Measuring cup

• Blistering soda
• Lemon
• Dish soap
• Hot h2o
• Bleed auger

About This Article

Commodity Summary X

To clean a smelly drain, start by sprinkling half a cup of baking soda down it, which will help go rid of unpleasant debris and bacteria. Alternatively, pour 2 cups of white vinegar or lemon juice downwards the drain. For the best results, estrus the vinegar or lemon juice on the stove or in the microwave offset. Whichever cleaner y'all utilize, give it at least 10 minutes to work. So, flush the bleed with water as hot equally you can get it to wash the cleaner and whatever gunk out of the pipage. To keep the drain clean, endeavour to repeat this process at least one time a month so bad odors don't build upwardly. For more tips from our Cleaning co-author, including how to deodorize your garbage disposal, read on!

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Source: https://www.wikihow.com/Clean-a-Smelly-Drain

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