How to Freshen a Smelly Drain

There's nothing that destroys the vibe of a kitchen more than an unpleasant odor. And since it's a place where food is prepared and stored, there's always ample opportunity for bad smells to fester. One area of the kitchen renowned for these nasty scents has to be the kitchen drain. Over time, the sink's plumbing can become clogged with old food, grease and other debris — which lead to the smelliness kitchen drains can be famous for. Dealing with these foul scents tends to mean dealing with the cleanliness of your drain overall.

According to Mr. Rooter, bad drains smells can be caused not only by trapped food and dirt but by stagnant water, trapped gases and poor plumbing too. The first sign that a kitchen drain may require a clean is a sometimes subtle and even sporadic bad smell. If this smell is ignored, it can easily spread to other areas of the house and should, therefore, be dealt with as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Another clear sign your drain needs clearing out is if the water is taking a long time to clear from the sink. This may occur before a bad smell begins to appear, but it's a sure sign your drain is less than fresh and needs cleaning quickly to prevent future odors.

According to Coastal Drains, prevention is the best way to deal with bad-smelling kitchen drains. Having a sink food catcher in your drain can stop food from entering the pipes and becoming stinky. You can also pour boiling water down your drain once a day to thoroughly rinse out the area.

Garbage disposals can also be prone to smelling less than pleasant. Like with a kitchen drain, keeping it clean is key — but it still may need a deep clean over time.

You can purchase a ready-made garbage disposal cleaner. However, many are concerned about using such harsh and potentially harmful chemicals near areas where they prepare food. If that's the case, you can freshen smelly disposals through more natural means, like running citrus peels through the disposal.

According to Scott English Plumbing, there are many different natural ways to freshen a smelly drain using ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen. Putting lemon juice, salt, baking soda or vinegar in your drain are all good methods for freshening unpleasant odors, and each has its pros and cons.

If a drain is clogged and smelly, using baking soda and vinegar can cause a chemical reaction that clears debris and odor-causing bacteria. First, pour 1/2 cup of baking soda into the drain, then follow with 1 cup of vinegar. The alkaline soda will react with the acidic vinegar to clear the drain quickly and efficiently.

If your drain still seems clogged, you can follow this trick with ice cubes and salt. According to Express Drainage Solutions, the texture of these two together can help manually scrub the drain from the inside. If the scent persists, you can follow with 1 cup of lemon juice to freshen and add a fresh, citrus aroma.