How to Clean a Sour Drain

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Things You'll Need

  • Water

  • Baking soda

  • White distilled vinegar

  • Lemon

Image Credit: Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images

There is nothing more annoying than to be greeted in the morning by a sour drain. Even without a clog, a drain can sometimes smell sour. Though there are products on the market to clean a sour drain, you can also use items you probably already have to rid the drain of the odor.

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Step 1

Heat a pot of water on the stove. The water can reach boiling or just be really hot.

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Step 2

Pour the hot water down the drain to remove debris. Pour slowly so that the water does not splash and burn you.

Step 3

Pour 1/2 cup of baking soda down the sour smelling drain.

Step 4

Pour 1/2 cup of vinegar down the drain. The mixture will bubble up which is normal. If you do not have white distilled vinegar, use the juice of one lemon. If you do not have vinegar or lemons on hand, just stick with the baking soda.

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Step 5

Let mixture sit for 10 minutes.

Step 6

Pour warm water from the tap down the drain to wash away the baking soda mixture. If the drain still smells sour, repeat the process.

Tip

Before tossing old boxes of baking soda in the trash, pour the contents down the drain with running water to deodorize the drain.

To deodorize a disposal, make ice cubes out of vinegar and toss those into the disposal while water is running.

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