Nothing can ruin the ambiance of cooking a delicious meal or taking a relaxing shower than stinky odors emanating from the drain. This unpleasant drain smell is the result of food particles or soap scum that has accumulated within the drain pipes. Learn how to make a homemade drain deodorizer to eliminate bad odors in your kitchen and bathroom drains.
As diligent as you are in making sure that food doesn’t end up down the kitchen drain by using a stopper or drain filter, small particles of food and grease can still make their way into the pipes. This is also true in the bathroom, but rather than food, the drain pipe gets clogged with hair, soap, and mold.
If you have a slow drain or a smelly drain, it’s time to take action to remove the smelly gunk that is building in the pipes. Not taking care of the problem right away eventually leads to a fully clogged drain.
- Make Your Own Powerful Drain Deodorizer
- Making a Garbage Disposal DIY Sink Deodorizer
- Natural Drain Deodorizer for the Garbage Disposal
- Deodorizing the Garbage Disposal Drain with Vinegar-Lemon Cubes
- Clearing a Kitchen Sink Drain with Boiling Water
- Unclogging the Kitchen Sink Drain with Baking Soda
- Kitchen Sink Drain Clog Remover and Deodorizer
- Removing Bad Smells from the Drain
- Getting Rid of Bad Odors from a Bathroom Drain
- Removing Foul Odors in the Shower Drain
- Eliminating Foul Odors in the Sink Drain
- Getting Rid of Odors in the Dishwasher Drain
- Cleaning and Deodorizing a Dishwasher Drain
- Preventing Drain Odors and Clogs
- Recipe for a Homemade Drain Deodorizer
Make Your Own Powerful Drain Deodorizer
Keeping the drains clean in your home is not only beneficial for preventing bad smells but is essential in preventing clogging. We’ll show you how to unclog, clean, and deodorize your kitchen and bathroom drain without using harsh chemicals or calling in a plumber.
Making a Garbage Disposal DIY Sink Deodorizer
Frequently, small bits of food linger in the garbage disposal that remain unseen and eventually rot and smell. Use this DIY sink deodorizer daily to prevent the build-up of food and grease in the garbage disposal and keep your kitchen smelling fresh.
To clean a stinky garbage disposal or for preventive maintenance, put the stopper into the drain of the sink and fill it with a few inches of hot water. Add a few squirts of dish detergent and pull the stopper. Run the garbage disposal while the soapy water drains. Doing this should loosen and rinse away stuck-on food pieces.
Natural Drain Deodorizer for the Garbage Disposal
If cleaning the disposal with soapy water doesn’t do the trick, try using something with a little more kick. This natural drain deodorizer not only cleans the blades of the disposal system but the sides, as well. It’s a simple and effective way to get rid of kitchen sink smell that tends to permeate throughout the house.
For this easy natural garbage disposal cleaner recipe, pour a handful of course salt into the sink drain and add a couple of ice cubes. Turn on the disposal to pulverize the ice cubes.
The salt scrubs the sides of the unit clean while the ice cleans the blades. Finish up by throwing in a few lemon peels to freshen the disposal after cleaning.
Deodorizing the Garbage Disposal Drain with Vinegar-Lemon Cubes
For regular garbage disposal cleaning, make a tray of drain cleaning cubes. Once a week, grab a couple of these cubes from the freezer and toss them into the disposal for quick drain cleaning.
Cut a lemon into quarter size pieces and place each piece into the sections of a muffin pan. Pour white vinegar over the lemon pieces and place the tray into the freezer.
After they freeze, drop a couple of the drain cleaner cubes into the disposal, turn the kitchen faucet on low and run the unit to crush the cubes.
Clearing a Kitchen Sink Drain with Boiling Water
Boiling water is a natural drain declogger for removing small bits of clogged food debris. While it doesn’t work for clearing tough clogs, it’s beneficial if you have a slow drain.
Easy Kitchen Sink Drain Cleaner
Bring a large pot of water to boil and slowly pour the boiling water directly into the drain to melt away grease and loosen food particles. Routinely pour hot water from a tea kettle down the drain rather than allowing it to cool on the stove is also an excellent preventative measure.
Unclogging the Kitchen Sink Drain with Baking Soda
Baking soda is an excellent natural ingredient to use as a kitchen sink drain deodorizer. This alkaline powder absorbs and eliminates odors quickly.
Pour a quarter-cup or half-cup of baking soda into the sink drain and allow it to sit for half an hour. Finish up by flushing the sink drain with hot tap water for about a minute to rinse away the residue.
Kitchen Sink Drain Clog Remover and Deodorizer
Combining the acidic action of white vinegar with the alkalinity of baking soda creates a chemical reaction in the sink drain. These ingredients not only deodorize sink drains but loosen grease and the build-up of food gunk.
Pour the salt, baking soda, and vinegar down the drain pipe and cover with a stopper. The coarse salt works as an abrasive to scrub away grime, while the baking soda and vinegar fizz and foam to push away clogs and deodorize the drain. After about one minute, remove the stopper and flush the sink drain with hot tap water.
Removing Bad Smells from the Drain
Having bad smells waft out of the sink drain while you brush your teeth or get a glass of cold water is an unpleasant experience. If your house drain smells like sewer, use the power of baking soda to absorb foul odors and essential oils to freshen the air.
Pour a half-cup of baking soda into the sink drain and add a few drops of your favorite essential oil. Citrus oils such as lemon or orange peel work well to eliminate bad smells. Allow it to sit for a couple of hours and pour boiling water directly down the drain to flush away residue.
Getting Rid of Bad Odors from a Bathroom Drain
Baking soda has the power to absorb foul odors, and the acidity of lemons reacts to the powder, creating a fizzy cleaning solution. To remove sewer smell from the bathroom sink or have another unpleasant odor, use these two ingredients to eliminate nasty drain gunk and smells.
Pour the baking soda into the bathroom drain and pour the lemon juice directly on top of it. Place the drain stopper in the sink and let the two ingredients work for about five minutes. Remove the stopper and run hot tap water down the drain to flush out leftover residue.
Removing Foul Odors in the Shower Drain
Experiencing a bad smell coming from the shower drain while you’re trying to enjoy a nice steamy shower can make you want to end that shower rather quickly. Use baking soda and white vinegar to break up clogged hair and soap scum while dissolving away bad odors.
Pour the baking soda into the shower drain first and then pour the white vinegar over the top. Place a stopper over the drain and let it sit for about two hours. Remove the stopper and pour boiling water directly into the drain hole to flush away the dissolved goo and gunk.
Eliminating Foul Odors in the Sink Drain
If vinegar, lemon juice, or baking soda are not working to kill bad odors in the drain, try using household bleach. Bleach kills any germs and bacteria that are growing in the sink pipe and should take care of the odor problem.
Begin by flushing hot water from the faucet down the drain for about two minutes to loosen the gunk from the edges of the drain pipe. Pour one cup of bleach directly down the drain, being careful not to splash any onto the outer edges of the sink.
Allow it to sit until the bleach scent dissipates. If the foul drain odor is still present, pour one more cup of bleach into the drain. Flush the sink drain once more with hot water.
Getting Rid of Odors in the Dishwasher Drain
Kitchen and bathroom drains are not the only drains in your home that get clogged. If you own a dishwasher, you may notice that there is a foul odor whenever you open the door.
This smell is due to tiny rotting food particles that get trapped in crevices and the drain. Use vinegar to clean dishwasher drain as well as deodorize it.
Fill a dishwasher-safe container with white vinegar and place it on the top rack of the dishwasher. Run the hottest cycle of the washer to flush the vinegar throughout the inside and down the drain. Do this once a month to clean and deodorize the dishwasher drain.
Cleaning and Deodorizing a Dishwasher Drain
If you haven’t cleaned your dishwasher in a long time or the drain odor is especially nasty, then use the powerful combination of baking soda and vinegar to not only deodorize the drain but clean away food gunk and small clogs.
Remove both racks from inside the dishwasher. Pour the baking soda and vinegar into the drain basket located at the bottom of the washer. Allow the two ingredients to work their magic for about 15 minutes before pouring boiling water into the drain to flush away all of the residue.
Preventing Drain Odors and Clogs
The best way to avoid drain odors and clogs in the first place is to use an all-natural deodorizer and drain cleaner regularly, and perform simple steps to prevent future drain problems.
DIY Drain Maintenance
Rather than using expensive cleaning products in your drains that can have caustic fumes and harm the environment, sprinkle baking soda once a week into all of the drains in your home, including the kitchen and bathroom sink, shower, and dishwasher drain.
This can also take care of a smelly drain in the basement. The alkalinity of the baking soda naturally absorbs foul odors and keeps the drain pipes clear of gunk.
To prevent bad smells from building up in the garbage disposal, run hot water through the drain for at least 20 seconds after each use to flush away tiny bits of food and grease.
Unfortunately, most of us do not think about cleaning the kitchen or bathroom sink drain until we begin smelling a nasty sewer odor in the room. The good news is that you can clean that drain and keep it odor-free by making a homemade deodorizer with inexpensive ingredients and natural cleaning solutions.
Recipe for a Homemade Drain Deodorizer
Homemade Drain Deodorizer
Eliminate stinky drains for good!
Materials
- 4 ounces Kosher salt
- 4 ounces of baking soda
- 8 ounces vinegar
Tools
- Jar
- Measuring cup
- Spoon
Instructions
- Mix the baking soda and salt in the jar.
- Pour the dry ingredients into the drain and follow with the vinegar.
- Plug the drain.
- Wait up to five minutes.
- Remove the plug and flush with hot water.
Notes
Safe and effective for all kinds of pipes.
A homemade drain deodorizer eliminates bad odors and saves you money, so why not share our drain cleaning solutions with your friends and family on Pinterest and Facebook?