Is there an unpleasant smell in your kitchen, not coming from your trash can or your fridge? There are a few different things that can cause this problem. Let’s have a look at these potential causes and go over some suggestions for getting your kitchen smelling like a daisy once again.
Disposal Debris
If you don’t have a disposal, skip this step. If you do, get a flashlight and have a look at the blades. If they’re covered in rotting food or other mystery gunk, you need to clean them. Here’s one way to do that:
Get a cup of salt (preferably kosher salt or rock salt) and two cups of ice. Turn the cold water on and run the disposal for about 20 seconds before putting the salt and ice down the drain. Allow the disposal to run with the water on until all the ice is gone. This process should have removed most of that gunk, along with its funk, but as an extra precaution you can grind up some citrus rinds in the disposal. Lemon juice and vinegar can help prevent sink odors too.
Ancient Grease
Another common drain problem is grease. When grease goes into your drain, it sticks to your pipes. Food will stick to it and rot, causing a stink. Here’s one way to fix this problem:
Start boiling a large pot of water. In the meantime, pour one cup of vinegar and one cup of baking soda down your drain and let it sit for ten minutes. Then pour the boiling water down the drain. This should wash away most of that greasy food stuff and the smell that came with it.
It’s a Trap
Below your sink is a trap. This just means the outgoing pipe is curved in a way that traps a small amount of water. This keeps nasty air from coming up your drain. If that trap was empty for a while (perhaps you replaced that pipe, or the water sat for a while and evaporated) all you should have to do is run the water to fill it. Take a look at the trap to make sure it isn’t leaking.
Just Venting
If the above solutions don’t eliminate the smell, the problem may be your plumbing drain vent. This is a vertical pipe that takes air from your sewer line up to release at your roof, to relieve pressure and prevent a vacuum. If you see no obvious obstruction up there, you may want to call a professional. Plumbers have methods and tools to inspect and clear these vent pipes.
From emergency plumbing services to toilet repairs, count on Puget Sound Plumbing and Heating to provide sound solutions to all your plumbing problems. For more than 20 years, we’ve been offering both plumbing and heating services to the entire region of Puget Sound, WA. We’re locally owned and operated, and we offer several lifetime warranty programs to back our work. At Puget Sound Plumbing and Heating, trust our team of licensed plumbers in the greater Seattle area to get the job done.