No More Sink Smells: a Practical Guide for an Odor-free Sink

The best tips and tricks to solve the problem and some advice to prevent it

Alex1 week ago

5 3 minutes read

Everyone hates sink smells, but how so you deal with them? It often happens – especially when it is very hot and on the most humid days – that bad smells come from the sink. There are many specific products on the market but, in most cases, they are chemical substances. It is definitely better to opt for home-made, economical and above all with minimal environmental impact solutions.

Contents

1 Sink smells: most likely causes
2 Sink smells: the natural remedies
3 How to prevent sink smells
4 More on this topic

Here is a short guide with some useful tips on how to eliminate sink smells in an environmentally friendly way.

Sink smells: most likely causes

The main cause of this annoying problem is… us! Yes, because the strong odor that emanates from the drains is the result of bad habits that we unconsciously put into practice every day.

Let’s see below what they are.

Food waste

This is the main cause of the problem. It is important to clean dishes and pans well before soaking them in the sink and use a strainer.

Detergents

Constant use of soaps and detergents releases chemicals that adhere to the pipes in the form of grease, which gives off the annoying smell over time.

The solution: choose good quality or, better yet, eco-friendly products.

Stagnant water

In some areas of pipes, water stagnates, promoting the growth of mold and bacteria. Periodic deep cleaning can curb the problem.

Old pipes

They are the ideal environment for the proliferation of yeast and bacteria.

Pipe joints

Mold and moisture, over time, deteriorate pipe joints. Silicone, thus ruined, gives off an unpleasant odor.

Sink smells: the natural remedies

There are plenty of products on the market that promise to solve the problem. But they are, almost always, chemical products that, will also solve the problem in the immediate but at the cost of heavy consequences on health and the environment.

Instead, there are just as many eco-friendly solutions. Here they are in detail:

Baking soda and rock salt

Pour a pot of boiling water into the drain where you have dissolved 5 tablespoons of coarse salt and as many tablespoons of baking soda. Bad smells and bacteria will instantly disappear.

Vinegar and coarse salt

Boil 2 liters of water, add vinegar and a few tablespoons of coarse salt. Pour the mixture down the drain a little at a time, one hour apart from one dose to the next.

Lavender essential oil

Place a cotton ball in the sink hole and wet it with a few drops of lavender essential oil, an effective natural antibacterial.

Lemon

Squeeze two lemons and pour the juice down the drain. Leave it for a couple of hours, avoiding opening the faucet. Lemon is a good natural sanitizer.

Vinegar and baking soda

Boil half a liter of water and add 1 cup of white vinegar. While the mixture boils, add 100 g of baking soda to the pipe. Then pour the boiling liquid into the sink. Plug the drain and let it sit overnight. Repeat once a week.

bad smells sink — Baking soda is an important ally for household cleaning.

Coarse salt

Prepare a mixture with coarse salt, cloves, mallow leaves and a teaspoon of bicarbonate. Pour it into the drain and leave to act for about 40 minutes. Flush with hot waterafter that. The operation must be repeated several times until the drain is free.

How to prevent sink smells

Prevention is better than cure. It may be old, but this adage always applies, even in this case.

So here’s a list of tricks you can put into practice to prevent – or at least – delay the onset of the problem.

clean the sink after each use and absolutely avoid leaving food residue on the filter overnight
use a filter that retains any residue and lets only liquids pass through
spray a solution of water and mint essential oil
maintain in good condition the joints of the pipes
clean and clear pipes at least once a month