how do i fix a smelly bathroom drain

1. Sprinkle the drain with baking soda at least once a month. Baking soda is very effective at absorbing odors.
2. Use lemon slices and peels to deodorize garbage disposals. Drop a lemon wedge or a few peels into the disposal.
3. Flush drains with dish soap and hot water regularly. Flush drains once a week to prevent the buildup responsible for most smells.
4. Remove potential clogs manually before they block the drain. Shine a flashlight into your drains to check for unpleasant buildup.

Full Answer

How to clean a bathroom sink drain that smells?

• Pour boiling water down the drain followed by half a cup of baking soda
• Wait for 5 to 10 minutes
• Pour a cup of white vinegar and another cup of hot water down the drain
• Cover drain with a drain plug or thick clock
• Wait for another 5 to 10 minutes
• Flush again with boiling water

How to deodorize smelly kitchen and bathroom drains?

• Soak the sink in soap and water. ...
• Remove obstructions from the sink drain or garbage disposal blades. ...
• Scrub the sink flange. ...
• Sanitize the disposal blades and impeller plate with ice and salt. ...
• Deodorize the garbage disposal with citrus fruit peels. ...
• Deep clean the garbage disposal with oxygen bleach. ...
• Minimize future odors. ...

How to clean bathroom sink drain naturally?

Ways to unclog your drain without using chemicals

1. Snake, Wire Hanger or Plunger. These are the simplest, most obvious methods most people use to unclog a drain. ...
2. Dish Soap & Hot Water. Another great natural way to unclog your slow drain is to use dish soap and hot water. ...
3. Baking Soda and Vinegar. ...
4. Hydrogen Peroxide. ...

How to eliminate sewer smell in bathroom?

• You have a water trap under a floor drain, laundry tub or wash basin that has dried out from lack of use. ...
• Check for a cleanout plug inside the floor drain to get rid of a sewer smell in bathroom or laundry room. ...
• It’s less likely, but the water in the toilet trap also could have evaporated. ...

More items...

How do I stop my bathroom drain from smelling?

A baking soda, vinegar, and boiling water combo can add extra power for breaking up the buildup in your drain's pipes. Periodically adding baking soda down your drain can keep the sink fresh and odor-free. Changing the filters eliminates the bad smells from a contaminated water softener.

What causes smelly bathroom drains?

There could be odor-causing bacteria feeding on debris in your pipes. This process will give off a foul-smelling hydrogen sulfide gas, which smells like sewage or rotten eggs. Also, mold grows where it's warm and wet — and mold growth on the debris causing a drain clog can also cause a bad smell.

Why does my bathroom drain smell like sewer?

A sewer gas smell in the bathroom can be caused by: evaporation of water in the P-trap piping. broken seal around the toilet in the wax ring or the caulk. A burst pipe.

Why do my bathroom drains smell like rotten eggs?

A slow-draining sink clogged with ordinary hair and soap scum can build up bacteria in the P-trap until your bathroom sink smells like rotten eggs. This smell can also happen in sinks that haven't been used for a long time. Clear the clog by using a combination of baking soda, white vinegar and hot water.

Can I pour bleach down the drain?

You may permanently damage your septic system. Bleach and cleaning fluids create toxic gasses when mixed together. If you pour bleach and other cleaning agents down your sink drains, and they mix in your pipes, you can contaminate the air in your home with the resulting gas created.

How do I stop my sewer drain from smelling?

Start by pouring ¼ cup of baking soda down the drain, and then leave it for about 10 minutes. Then, follow it with one cup of vinegar. Let the mixture fizzle and work for a few minutes, and then finish by turning on the water and running the disposal to clear out any leftover food waste.

Why does sewer smell come and go?

Clogged drains One of the most common causes of sewage smells is a clogged drain. When your home's wastewater has nowhere to go, the odors will come back up the drain they should be going down.

How do you get rid of sewer smell in shower drain?

Mix 1 part bleach and 1 part water, then pour down the drain. First, pour one cup of baking soda down the drain. Then add a cup of white vinegar. Cover the drain as the mixture fizzes, then flush with hot water.

Why does my bathroom smell like a drain?

You may be facing a nasty bacteria buildup that can occur in the drain pipes due to the wet environment. That can lead to weird odors and smells coming from the drain. If you’ve got an unpleasant smell in your bathroom, your drains may be the culprit.

How to get rid of odors in sink?

A baking soda, vinegar, and boiling water combo can add extra power for breaking up the buildup in your drain’s pipes. Periodically adding baking soda down your drain can keep the sink fresh and odor-free.

What does it mean when your drain smells like sulfur?

A sulfur smell coming from your drain is also common. A sewage-like smell can be coming from the drain or water. Determining the source is easy. Checking other faucets in the house and noticing the similar smell means it is most likely coming from the water supply. If not, then the pipes are likely contaminated or there are venting issues.

What causes a smell in a bathroom?

Clogged drains are a common cause of drain odors. Whatever is clogging the drain oftentimes just sits there, growing bacteria which causes the smell. A few common types of clogs that we see in bathrooms around the Fox Cities are: 1 Buildup from toilet paper and products that shouldn’t go down your toilet (such as feminine products and baby wipes) that can prevent proper flushing. 2 Tree roots that cause underground pipe leaks. 3 Hair buildup that causes a blockage in the drain. 4 Mineral buildup from sediment over time.

Why change water softener filters?

Changing the filters eliminates the bad smells from a contaminated water softener.

What causes a blockage in the drain?

Hair buildup that causes a blockage in the drain.

Who cleans out vents in Fox Valley?

Call your local Fox Valley plumbers from the Watters Plumbing team to locate the issue and clean out the vents for proper functioning.

Why Do Bathroom Drains Get Smelly?

Before we move on to treating the smelly drains, let’s look at the reasons behind the problem. It is much more effective to find solutions after learning the root cause of the issue.

How To Fix Smelly Bathroom Drains?

We discussed the main reason that can lead to smelly bathroom drains. We’ll now proceed to the fixing part, so keep reading to find out.

Fixing Your Smelly Bathroom Drain

Alright, folks, that’s about it for this guide; you should have got some clarity on why bathroom drains stink and how to fix them.

What to do if you smell a drain?

If you clean out your drain and still detect an unpleasant smell, consider calling a plumber. Sometimes pipes crack and release noxious sewer gas.

How to clean a drain that smells?

To clean a smelly drain, start by sprinkling half a cup of baking soda down it, which will help get rid of unpleasant debris and bacteria. Alternatively, pour 2 cups of white vinegar or lemon juice down the drain. For the best results, heat the vinegar or lemon juice on the stove or in the microwave first.

How to get rid of a clogged sink drain?

For stubborn clogs, use a drain auger to clear most drains or take apart the P-trap to deodorize a sink drain. Then, treat your drain regularly to prevent foul odors and clogs from coming back. Steps.

What to use to clean a stinky drain?

Catching a whiff of a stinky drain is unpleasant, but most drains can be cleaned without harsh chemicals. Smelly drains are often the result 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 apart ...

How to clean a drain with dish soap?

Mix in about 1 tablespoon (15 mL) of your regular dish soap. Unplug the drain to let the water wash away the debris. Flush a drain right after using it. It washes away oil or food particles in your kitchen sink, for example, before they settle on the drain pipe.

How to get rid of a swollen drain?

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

How to clean a clogged pipe?

Take a look at the connecting pipes as well. They often have smelly debris in them. Use a paper towel to wipe up debris and use an auger to break clogs.

Why Your Shower Drain Gets Smelly?

Ok, before we go all Ninja on fixing your smelling drain, take a moment to review the essential workings of your bathroom’s plumbing. (We promise you won’t doze off!)

How to Clean Out a Smelly Shower Drain

Now that you know the basics of your bathroom plumbing, let’s get started!

How to Clean Hair From The Shower Drain

Trapped hair is one of the common causes of shower odors and drains clogs.

When Is the Time to Call Your Plumber?

Some plumbing issues are easy to fix, but others need a professional touch.

What to do if sink drain smells?

The first thing you can do, and the most simple, is to remove any type of stopper from your sink or drain and clean it . There is a possibility that there is debris lodged in the stopper that is causing a gross smell.

How to get rid of a stinky drain?

4 Home Remedies for Stinky Drains 1 The first thing you can do, and the most simple, is to remove any type of stopper from your sink or drain and clean it. There is a possibility that there is debris lodged in the stopper that is causing a gross smell. 2 The second thing that can be done is to pour ¼ cup of baking soda into the drain, and then pour ¼ cup of vinegar into the drain. Allow this to bubble for 10 minutes to deodorize the pipes and remove and debris that has built up on the side of the pipes. It might also be worth buying some type of drain cleaner to pour down your drain. Make sure to follow the instructions on the bottle though. 3 If the first two steps don’t work, try repeating the baking soda and vinegar step, but this time pour boiling water down the drain after you have let the bubbling occur for 10 minutes.

Why does my drain smell?

If a drain has not been used for quite some time, the water in the p-trap can evaporate and cause sewage odor to escape.

What to do if your toilet drain is clear?

If your drains are clear and your P-trap isn’t in need of repair, you’ll probably have to hire a plumber . It could be that there’s a broken wax ring where the toilet meets the floor—a situation that you can detect by observing how much water remains in the bowl between uses.

What causes a odor in a vent pipe?

Alternatively, clogged or incorrectly installed vent pipes could be the culprits. These pipes conduct sewer gases out of your home, and fixing them would require specialized equipment and a trip up to the roof. If the vent pipes are involved, tracking down the source of the odor and remedying the problem is a job best left to a professional.

How to tell if a sink is leaking?

Check for standing water on the floor or cabinet base beneath the U-shaped pipe (the P-trap) under the sink. Also, run your hand along the length of the pipe to detect any moisture. Dampness in either location is a sure sign of a leak.

What happens if water in a P trap leaks?

But if the water in the P-trap dribbles out and leaves the interior of the pipe dry, those gases will escape and linger in the air.