How to Get Rid of the Rotten Food Smell in a Drain
Food can get caught inside a sink drain, where it decomposes and emits a foul odor, much like old, rotting food in a trash can that needs to be emptied. Help prevent this by scraping the leftover food from eating utensils, plates and cookware before placing these items inside the sink. In other words, don't use the sink drain as another trash can. When you notice the smell of stuck, rotten food coming up from inside the drain, get rid of it altogether. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Bucket
- Pipe wrench
- Wire
- Bleach
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Instructions
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1
Clear out any cleaning products or other items from the area around the trap, which is the curved section of pipe underneath the sink. Place a bucket underneath the trap.
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2
Turn the slip nuts on each end of the trap counterclockwise with a pipe wrench then remove the trap. Watch out for any water or debris that drains out and let it fall into the bucket.
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3
Probe the inside of the trap with a piece of wire to scrape out any trapped food. Dump any food bits out of the trap into the bucket.
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Put the trap back into position and tighten each of the slip nuts by turning them clockwise with the pipe wrench. Do not over-tighten them. If the trap and slip nuts are made of PVC, you may be able to remove then re-install the trap by loosening and tightening the nuts by hand.
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Mix 1/2-cup bleach with 1/2-cup water and pour it down the sink drain. Wait one hour.
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Turn on the sink faucet's cold water and allow a few gallons of water to flow down the drain pipe, flushing out any remaining food debris.
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