No one wants to notice a strange odor coming out of their bathroom sink. The smell of rotten eggs or sewage coming out of the sink drain can seep into the entire bathroom, creating a stench you notice as soon as you open the door.
If you’ve noticed that your bathroom sink is smelly, don’t worry. This is a common problem and there are some quick and easy tricks you can try to eliminate the unpleasant odor:
Baking Soda and Vinegar
This easy fix involves items from your kitchen. One of the main culprits of unpleasant smells coming from drains is bacteria growth. Soap scum, hair, and other gunk can get stuck on the sides of your pipe where bacteria settle in. You can wash away most of the bacteria and debris with a simple baking soda and vinegar mix.
Here’s how to do it:
- First, run some hot water. Then, turn the hot water off.
- Dump one cup of baking soda down the drain.
- Dump 2 cups of hot white vinegar right after the soda. Allow it to fizz.
- Wait about an hour.
- Wash it down with hot tap water.
You can use this cleaning trick about once a month to keep your drains free and clear. If there’s no gunk in your drains, there’s nowhere for the bacteria to grow and you’ll eliminate your odor problems.
Check the P-Trap
Every drain in a home has a p-trap. It’s a curved area of pipe that you should be able to see right under your bathroom sink drain. The function of this pipe is to keep sewage gasses from coming out of the drain and into your home. The way it works is that when you run water, some of it pools in the bottom of the curve of the pipe, creating a sort of seal.
However, sometimes, this area of your pipe can become very dirty, meaning that it transforms into a breeding ground for bacteria. If the previous cleanse doesn’t get rid of the smell, you might want to try removing the p-trap with a wrench and washing it out by hand. Then, return it to its place.
It’s also worth noting that if you use a bathroom or drain infrequently, the water in your p-trap can dry up, allowing sewer gasses to travel up and into your bathroom. So, if you have a rarely used guest bathroom that’s getting smelly, just run the water for a minute and the problem should go away.
Head to the Roof
Your plumbing system should have a vent pipe on your roof. Sometimes, if the vent pipe gets covered in debris, this can cause smells to seek another path to escape, like through your bathroom sink drain. So, do a quick check and make sure the roof vent is clear.
Pro Tip: If none of these tips work, also check the rubber seal under your toilet. It may have deteriorated, allowing smelly sewage gasses to sneak out into your bathroom.
These tricks should solve the average smelly bathroom sink drain. However, if you still notice a strange smell in your bathroom, consult with a professional who can find the source of the trouble so that you can enjoy a fresh-smelling bathroom again.