- Stinking drains often are caused by material stuck inside the pipe trap, or the curved elbow section of pipe under the drain. Sink traps usually are inside the sink cabinet, under the basin. Place an empty bucket under the pipe trap to catch waste water and twist the trap connectors to loosen them. Use a pipe wrench to loosen metal connectors or loosen PVC connectors with your hands. Remove the trap and place it in another bucket with soapy water. Clean the inside of the pipe using a soft dishwashing brush made for cleaning bottles, then rinse and dry the piece. Apply plumber's pipe thread sealer, called pipe dope, to the connector threads and reconnect the trap. Bathtub traps usually are located under the floor and are difficult to access for manual cleaning.
- Numerous materials stick to drain pipe linings, causing bad smells. Hair, toothpaste, soap scum and food particles are common odor-causing materials. If your drains are very stinky, foaming chemical drain cleaner can help. These cleaners contain different chemicals, partitioned in separate compartments inside one bottle, that combine to create foam when you pour them out. Foaming drain cleaners coat the pipe lining and dissolve odor-causing buildup. Never put any chemical down the drain after using drain cleaner until the pipes have been completely flushed with cool tap water
- Chlorine bleach disinfects, deodorizes, helps dissolve some odor-causing particles and removes mildew odor. Pour one cup of undiluted bleach down the drain. Pour more into the overflow drain, if your sink has one. Let the bleach work for approximately 30 minutes, then flush with cool tap water to rinse the drain and pipes. If you have a septic tank, consider another option as chlorine can kill beneficial septic bacteria, according to Popular Mechanics.
- A seldom-used drain can allow terrible odors to rise into the room. Pipe traps are designed to hold water continually, which blocks the pipe. Each time water flows down the drain, the trap is flushed and refilled with new water. This prevents sewer gases from moving up the pipe, out of the drain and into the room. The water inside a rarely used trap can evaporate, breaking the water seal and allowing the gases to escape. Run cool tap water down the drain for about one minute to refill the trap with water and block the gases.
- Garbage disposals notoriously collect food particles, which cause bad odors in your drain. However, chemical drain cleaners should never be placed inside a drain with a disposal. Instead, run cool water down the drain, turn on the disposal and drop in small pieces of fresh citrus fruit peels without pulp. The disposal blades are cleaned by chopping the peels, and fragrant citrus oils are released to freshen the drain.
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