Your kitchen is a hub of activity from morning until evening. Whether cleaning dishes, preparing food for meals, or washing your hands, you’re probably spending a good chunk of that time near your sink. So when you notice strange odors wafting up from the sink drain, it’s understandable if you feel at least slightly annoyed.
So, what’s that smell coming from your kitchen sink? It usually doesn’t take a lot of sleuthing to get to the bottom of this particular issue. In fact, there are typically only a few culprits behind this common plumbing problem. Below, we’ll discuss all the potential reasons why your kitchen sink drain smells bad.
Clogged Drain
What’s that smell coming from your kitchen sink drain? If your answer to this question is rotten food, there’s a good chance that you’re dealing with a classic drain clog. Food particles, grease, soap scum, hair, foreign objects, and more can find their way into your drains — where they can form a severe blockage.
Unfortunately, clogs can be a major pain to deal with, as they can result in slow-moving drains, water backups — and of course, foul odors. Fortunately, you can use various methods to remove stubborn drain blockages.
How to Fix a Clogged Drain
First and foremost, you’ll want to avoid using chemical drain cleaners to fix the blockage in your kitchen drain. Although these products can be effective, they can damage your plumbing to the point of needing a drain replacement.
Homemade drain cleaners are much safer and can sometimes be as effective as store-bought products. One of the most popular DIY drain cleaners consists of baking soda and vinegar. You’ll want to let these ingredients sit in the drain for a few hours or overnight, then flush them out with a pot of boiling water. However, you may need to repeat the entire process several times before seeing noticeable results.
One of your best options is to schedule a drain cleaning service with a professional plumber. A highly trained and knowledgeable plumber will have the tools needed to thoroughly clean your drain, so you don’t have to worry about the blockage returning in the future.
Dirty Garbage Disposal
If your kitchen sink drain smells bad, your garbage disposal could also be to blame. If you tend to overload your disposal or misuse it, this can, unfortunately, lead to food debris getting stuck in the unit.
How to Unclog a Garbage Disposal
If you’re tired of dealing with bad smells coming from your garbage disposal, you can take various steps to resolve this problem. Of course, you’ll want to start by shutting off the power at your disposal. It’s also a good idea to unplug the disposal as well.
Now that all of the precautionary measures have been taken, you have a few options. For example, you can start by removing any large pieces of food debris with a long pair of tongs. Like with a clogged drain, you can also use a mixture of baking soda and vinegar to tackle food buildup. A pot of boiling water with Dawn dish soap can also be used to break down grease, fats, and oils.
If you want to avoid another blockage from forming in your disposal, don’t forget to perform proper plumbing maintenance. For instance, you can occasionally grind up ice cubes and salt to keep the inside of the unit clean. Even the littlest tasks can help prevent unpleasant odors in your kitchen.
Dry P-Trap
We’ve addressed how rotten food odors are usually due to drain blockages and clogged garbage disposals. So, what’s that smell coming from your kitchen sink? If your answer is either sewer gas or rotten eggs, you may want to take a closer look at your P-trap.
If you take a quick glance beneath your kitchen sink, you’ll notice a U-shaped drain pipe. This is the P-trap. Overall, the main responsibility of the P-trap is to prevent sewage odors from rising up from your drains and entering your kitchen. The P-trap contains a small amount of water at all times that acts as a barrier between the sewage smells and your home.
Unfortunately, if you don’t use your kitchen sink for an extended period of time, the P-trap can dry out. As a result, your home will most likely start to smell like sewage.
How to Keep a P-trap From Drying Out
Has your P-trap dried out, causing sewer smells in your home? Or do you want to prevent this issue from happening? Whatever the case, it’s usually easy to restore the water barrier in your P-trap. In general, all you have to do is pour a half gallon of water down the drain to fix the problem.
When your kitchen sink drain smells bad, you may want to try restoring the water barrier in your P-trap to see if this quick fix solves the problem. Sink smells can be frustrating to deal with — so the sooner you address them, the better.
Get Your Plumbing Under Control With the Experts
“What’s that smell coming from your kitchen sink?” As you can see, there are various answers to this question. The stench of sewage, rotten food, or rotten eggs can all indicate that you’re dealing with a particular problem.
Hopefully, this guide has made it easier to understand why your kitchen sink drain smells bad. The plumbing systems in our home are vast and complex, and unexpected issues can pop up from time to time. If you need services from a professional plumber, turn to the experts at Lee’s Air, Plumbing & Heating! We can help with everything from your drains to your water heater in Fresno, CA.
Don’t let a plumbing problem get in the way of your comfort. Contact us today to schedule your drain cleaning in Fresno!
