Jul10

By Dave Bangar

How To Clean a Stinky Kitchen Drain

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Plumber-Approved Tips For Preventing a Clogged Kitchen Sink

Have you started noticing a foul smell coming from your kitchen sink? You’re not alone. Every homeowner has dealt with the dreaded smelly kitchen sink at some point. No matter how hard you try, it’s inevitable that food particles and debris will get caught in your kitchen drain and create a foul smell. When this happens, it’s important to deal with it right away to avoid further build-up that can lead to a clog.

In this article, we will list some of our top plumber-approved tips for cleaning out your kitchen drain before it becomes a bigger issue and preventing clogs from forming. Keep reading to find out what they are.

How to Prevent Build-Up and Clogs in Your Kitchen Drain

The best way to prevent food build-up and clogged drains is to avoid pouring grease, oil, or any food scraps down the drain. If you do end up accidentally pouring food down your drain, use a food trap that will catch any food or other items that don’t belong in your drain before they have the chance to travel down through your pipes.
Cleaning your drain at least once a month by following the tips mentioned below will also prevent smelly buildup.

How to Clean Your Kitchen Drain

Cleaning your drain is incredibly simple and requires just a few easy steps. Below, we’ve outlined our foolproof method for successfully cleaning out a kitchen drain without having to get a plumber involved.

Flush Your Drain With Hot Water

Turn on the tap and run hot water down the drain for several minutes to help loosen grease, food particles, and other debris trapped in your drain that may be causing the odour.

Clean The Drain With a Natural Solution

Avoid using harsh chemical drain cleaners when cleaning out your kitchen drain, as these can damage your pipes. Instead, use a natural solution that is just as effective.
Baking soda and vinegar are an incredibly powerful combination and can be used to clear out food particles and smells. Simply sprinkle about half a cup of baking soda down the drain, followed by one cup of white vinegar. Let the mixture sit for 20 to 30 minutes. While you wait, the mixture will turn into a foam that breaks down any trapped organic matter and eliminates odours. 

After waiting at least 20 to 30 minutes, pour hot water down the drain again to rinse away the vinegar and baking soda along with any remaining food residue.

Clean the Inside of Your Drain Using With a Tool

If the odour persists after you have used the baking soda and vinegar solution, you can use a pipe brush or drain snake to further clean the inside of the drain. 

What Happens When Build-Up and Clogs Go Unaddressed?

A buildup of food residue in your drain not only causes a foul smell in your kitchen, but can also create some serious plumbing issues. When you don’t clean your drain frequently, the buildup grows until a clog forms. When a clog is not addressed in a timely manner, the pressure from the backed-up water can put strain on the pipes, causing the pipes to crack, leak, or even burst.
A clogged drain can also cause water to back up and overflow, resulting in water damage to your floors, walls, and surrounding areas.
All these issues can be incredibly costly to fix, so it’s important to pay attention to what is going on and address any issues right away. 

When to Call a Plumber

If you have thoroughly cleaned your kitchen drain and you continue experiencing issues with foul smells, there may be a clog that needs to be addressed by a plumber.

Other signs you may have a clog include:

• Gurgling sounds from the drain
• Water backups
• Slow or no drainage

At My Plumber Kelowna, we have a team of licensed, trained, and highly experienced plumbers who can help you dislodge large, hard-to-remove clogs and resolve any other plumbing issues you may be experiencing.
Call us today at 250-601-0000 or fill out a form on our website and we will be in touch ASAP.