How to Remove Stink from Your Sink

You enter your kitchen and get a whiff of an offensive odor. You immediately check the trash can and fridge – no luck. Perhaps your curious toddler or pet stashed a piece of food somewhere. It’s not that either. Your nose finally follows the foul smell to your kitchen sink, and bingo! – stink central!

It’s common for food debris to get stuck in your kitchen sink’s plumbing system, resulting in a rancid scent. Here’s how to banish it and keep it from coming back.

Clean the sink thoroughly. Food residue can sometimes get stuck on the sides and base of the sink after dishes have been left sitting for too long. Once empty, insert the sink stopper into the drain and fill the basin with hot water. Add a teaspoon of dish soap and with a gloved hand, swirl the water around until the soap dissolves. Let it sit for at least 10 minutes and, using a soft bristle brush or sponge, scrub the sides and bottom of the sink to loosen stuck on food. Then, remove the stopper and turn on the garbage disposal to flush debris down the drain. Rinse with clean water.

Scour the drain with baking soda and vinegar. Boil a tea kettle of water and set it aside. Pour one cup of baking soda into the sink drain and follow with one cup of vinegar, letting the combination effervesce for 10 minutes. Then slowly and carefully pour the hot water from the tea kettle into the drain. Turn on the cold water and rinse the drain for one minute. The combo of baking soda, vinegar, and hot water will scour the walls of the sink drain and remove lingering odors.

Clean the sink flange. The sink flange is located at the top of the garbage disposal where it meets the sink drain. It can get filled with gunk and food debris that is not easily rinsed away. Unplug the garbage disposal and squeeze a few drops of liquid dish soap onto a dish scrubbing wand. Wet the bristles with water and lower the wand into the drain. Scrub the top of the sink flange thoroughly, then run cold water for a minute to flush out loose residue.

Sanitize the disposal. Garbage disposal blades and the impeller plate that are responsible for grinding away at food can accumulate with food residue and lead to a foul odor. To clean and sanitize, drop two cups of ice cubes and one cup of table salt into the drain. Turn on the cold water tap, then turn on the garbage disposal. Run it until the ice has been completely crushed.

Deodorize the garbage disposal. Remove stuck on food from the walls of the disposal with the power of citrus. Drop five citrus peels into the sink drain, turn on the disposal and grind for 30 seconds. The grinding action will release acid from the peels to deodorize the drain. You can stockpile leftover peels in the fridge in an air-tight container.

If the above tips don’t work, food debris might have congealed and settled into your drainpipe. To clear the pipe and get rid of the odor, you may need to open the plumbing pipe through the P-trap beneath the sink. If this is beyond your area of expertise, contact a licensed plumber for assistance.

Prevent future odors. Avoid leaving dirty dishes to pile up in the sink all day or overnight. Scrape food scraps into the trash, especially if you don’t have a garbage disposal. Run cold water for 30 seconds before and after turning on the disposal to flush any lingering food remains through the drain. Deodorize and sanitize the sink, drain, and disposal regularly to keep noxious odors at bay.

How can Best Choice Plumbers help? In several important ways: garbage disposal repair or replacement, drain cleaning, fixing or repairing leaky faucets – in fact, we’re your complete home plumbing resource. Have a need? Call on the Best crew to get the job done – Best Choice Plumbers.