Your kitchen is the heart of your home, so the last thing you want is to smell a funky odor coming from your kitchen sink. Not only can this cause some unhappy houseguests, but you don’t want to wonder what that smell is every time you’re in your kitchen. Between all of the food that goes down your garbage disposal or the particles that accidentally slip down your drain each week, it’s safe to say your kitchen sink goes through a lot.
While a stinky sink might make you immediately think there’s food trapped in the drain, not all smells come from food. A clog caused by food in your drain can still be why you’re smelling an odor, but there are a few other reasons you might have a case of a stinky sink and Alpine Plumbing and Rooter is here to share them.
Food Blocking the Drain pipe
It’s no secret that food is a common culprit of drain clogs. From cooking all throughout the week to disposing of your leftover food in the garbage disposal, you’re bound to have a blockage at some point. If you’re allowing food particles like coffee grounds, potato peels, stringy vegetables, or grease to go down your disposal, now is the time to stop. These foods will clog your pipes and can result in a foul, rotten odor that emits from your kitchen sink. Disposing of your food correctly is key to avoiding clogs in your drainpipe. You can also try these at-home methods to clear your drain with common household products:
Grab the Dish Soap
Plug your sink drain with a drain stopper and fill it halfway with hot water. Put some dish soap in the hot water and remove the drain stopper. Drain your sink while you have the garbage disposal running.
Baking Soda, Vinegar, and Boiling Water
Pour one cup of baking soda down your drain and then pour one cup of vinegar down the drain. Wait 10 minutes and then pour boiling water down the drain to clear out any remaining particles.
Grease and Oil Blockage
If you’re used to dumping oil, grease, or fats down your drain after cooking, try and get out of this habit quickly. Oil, grease, and fat harden once they cool down, meaning they will clog your drainpipe and eventually begin to rot. We all know what rotten food smells like, so imagine grease rotting in your drainpipe. It’s a recipe for disaster. If you think this might be the case for you, try the baking soda, vinegar, and boiling water solution to clear your drain.
Clogged Vent
Your plumbing vent is designed to allow fresh air into your drain, which helps the water move through your pipes. If the vent is clogged, the water most likely won’t drain properly and sewer gas can slowly flow into your kitchen. A clogged plumbing vent often requires the help of a professional, so this is when it’s time to give Alpine Plumbing and Rooter a call.
Drain Hasn’t Been Used
If you recently came home from a long vacation and haven’t used your kitchen sink in a while, you might be able to smell a foul odor. There is a trap in your drain line that prevents sewer smells from coming through your kitchen sink, so if you haven’t used your sink in a while, that means there has been no water running down the drain. Those awful sewer smells are often a result of not running water down your drain, so just run some hot water in your sink and it should clear the sewer smell.
At Alpine Plumbing and Rooter, we understand the importance of a properly functioning kitchen, and if you can’t use your kitchen sink, the whole house will be affected. If you’re in need of a drain cleaning appointment, give us a call at (888) 241-4755 or fill out our online contact form to schedule your service.
