Most individuals don't think about their drains until something bad happens. Frequently, that unpleasant incident is either a stinky drain or a clogged drain.
Sinks, shower drains, and kitchen drains must be cleaned regularly to avoid odours. Scented candles or potpourri help mask nasty drain aromas, but to completely eliminate odors, you must address the source. You may avoid smelly drains by learning how to clean them and doing regular maintenance.
Continue reading to find out what causes different drains in your home to clog or smell, as well as how to clean stinky drains and keep them from smelling in the future.
There are a few home solutions you can try to get rid of this noxious stink from your drains.
If you want to do it yourself, you'll need a few things, including:
· Water on the boil
· White vinegar, distilled
· Baking powder
· Lemon juice and salt
WHAT IS THE SOURCE OF A SMELLY DRAIN?
Because different things might go wrong inside the pipes, sink and shower drains are notorious for creating unpleasant odours over time.
The following are the most typical reasons for stinking drains:
Bacteria and gunk: As previously stated, food, hair, grease, and soap particles, among other things, can clog your drains. These components can eventually combine to form bacteria, which can emit a foul odour.
Gases from sewers: The P trap is a U-shaped conduit beneath your bathroom sink that should constantly be full of water. Empty or dry P-traps allow odorous sewer gases to rise from the drain, posing a health danger. This is common in sinks that are used seldom.
Blocked vents: Vents in plumbing systems allow trapped gases to move through the pipes and escape to the outside. They then fade without leaving a stench in your home. These gases will leak out through your drains if your vent becomes blocked.
WHAT CAUSES THE SMELL IN MY BATHROOM SINK?
There are several reasons why your bathroom sink smells. Cleaning a smelly drain in a bathroom sink is simple if you have the correct tools.
A functional P-trap is essential for cleaning a bathroom sink and eliminating dirty bathroom drains. The bent section of piping beneath the sink is known as a P-trap. It's designed to form a seal by keeping water, preventing sewer gases from entering.
If the stench is coming from the water flowing from your sink rather than the drain, it is most likely caused by anything in the faucet. Remove the aerator cap and inspect the inside for any buildup or muck that can be cleaned away. The severity of the smelly drain is largely determined by how frequently you clean your drains. There may also be stagnant water in your overflow drain, causing an unpleasant odour.
WHY DO THE DRAINS IN MY SHOWER AND BATHTUB SMELL?
There are several reasons why your shower or bathtub drain smells. How to clean smelly drains is determined by the degree of the scents and the source of the stench.
There could be odour-causing bacteria in your pipes that are feeding on trash. This process produces a foul-smelling gas called hydrogen sulfide, which smells like sewage or rotten eggs.
Mould also flourishes in warm, moist environments, and mould growth on the debris causing a drain clog can produce a foul odour. It is critical to clean your drains to minimize odours and other drain troubles such as mould.
WHY DOES MY DISHWASHER SMELL?
Dishwasher odours are typically generated by a buildup of trapped food particles or grease. They can clog your dishwasher's filters, spray arms, drains, and other nooks and crannies.
If left to accumulate, these food leftovers begin to smell and emit fishy or nasty scents, which can transfer to your dishes. Bacteria can also accumulate, making your dishwasher a breeding ground for germs and mildew
If your dishwasher smells musty or damp, it could be due to a kinked hose or a clogged drain. If feasible, turn off and disconnect the appliance before slowly taking your dishwasher out of its cavity.
SMELLY DRAINS OUTSIDE
If you go into the garden or near a drain cover outside your house and smell sewage, the situation may require more than a swill of bleach!
Once the problem has exited your home's interior pipes, determining the source of the odour becomes considerably more difficult. Unfortunately, do-it-yourself methods are unlikely to work. Even if your drain is clogged anywhere along the line, high-pressure jetting will most likely be required to clear it.
The pipe could also be broken or collapsed, resulting in obstruction and backlog that could be causing a sewage odour in your home.