If you have a bad smell coming from your kitchen sink, it could be due to any number of things. The most common causes are: leftover food particles in the pipes, an accumulation of grease or oil on the bottom of your drainpipe, or even a buildup of soap scum. Luckily for you, we’ve seen everything and can help resolve issues with your kitchen sink.
Dishwasher Drain
Your dishwasher drain connects to the kitchen sink drain, which is why a clog in this drainage system can cause your sink to back up when the dishwasher drains. A sink that drains into the dishwasher or vice versa could indicate a drain clog somewhere along the line. However, this connectivity also means you could potentially smell any stinky dishwasher drain clogs if you take a good sniff in the kitchen sink. If you notice a kitchen sink smell and you’ve also recently noticed signs of dishwasher drain problems (like standing water in the dishwasher, for example), this could be the problem.
Leftover Food Particles
Most of the time, food debris will rinse down the dishwasher drain before it starts to get too smelly. Occasionally, the drain may accumulate debris rather than draining it away.
If you have leftover food particles in your pipes, simply pour a cup of baking soda down the drain followed by vinegar. The combination will help eliminate that pesky odor!
Grease or Oil Accumulation
If there is an accumulation of grease or oil on the bottom of your drainpipe, try pouring boiling water down it to remove some of this mixture which has most likely caused mold and mildew buildup over time. If this doesn’t work, use a commercial cleaner accordingly with its directions for usage.
Soap Scum Buildup
Soap scum buildup can appear on the side of your sink bowl and is usually caused by excess soap. If there’s a strong smell coming from your drain but you don’t notice any other signs, this could be an indication that there’s too much soap left behind in the pipes after rinsing away some suds. To clean it out, pour white vinegar down the drain followed with baking soda.
Sewer Smells
Old, smelly food is bad enough. But a sewer smell is probably the last thing you want to smell in the room where you prepare and eat food. Sadly, sewer smells can come up your kitchen drain under some circumstances. For example, if the trap under your sink doesn’t work right or the plumbing vents are clogged, sewer gases could enter your home.
You should never ignore a sewer smell in your kitchen; sewer gases can actually be dangerous to your health.
In some cases, what you might think is just a smelly situation could be the precursor to sewage backing up into your home. So anytime you smell a sewer-like odor, your best bet is to call a plumber to handle the situation rather than trying to fix it yourself.
Contact Bodenheimer Plumbing Services
If these DIY solutions don’t help resolve your kitchen sink odors, you’ll want to contact a plumber since something else may be causing the issue which will require more hands-on work. At Bodenheimer Plumbing Services, we’ve been helping homeowners with their plumbing services for over 80 years. Contact us to resolve any plumbing issue you may face now or in the future!
