How to Get Rid of Kitchen Sink Drain Odor
From the strainer to the drain opening, ten minutes a week with baking soda and hot water keeps sink smells away.
What you need
Supplies
- 1/2 cup baking soda
- 1 cup vinegar or citric acid solution
- Dish soap
Tools
- Detail brush or toothbrush
- Rubber gloves
- Kettle
How to do it
- 01
Remove the strainer and cover
Lift out the drain cover and strainer and throw away any food scraps. The slimy film inside the strainer (biofilm) is the biggest source of odor, so start here.
- 02
Scrub the strainer
Sprinkle baking soda over the strainer and cover, then scrub between the holes with a toothbrush and dish soap until the slime is gone. Rinse with water.
- 03
Pour in baking soda
Pour 1/2 cup of baking soda into the empty drain opening and brush it around the walls of the opening. Baking soda loosens grease and absorbs odors.
- 04
Add vinegar and wait
Slowly pour in 1 cup of vinegar or citric acid solution and it will fizz. The foam lifts residue off the drain walls. Put the cover on and wait about 15 minutes.
- 05
Flush with hot water
Slowly pour 1–2 liters of water at about 60°C (140°F) to wash away the loosened grime. Pouring boiling water straight in can warp plastic pipes, so let a boiled kettle cool for about 5 minutes.
Be careful
- If you have used bleach that day, do not pour vinegar or citric acid. Mixing them releases toxic gas.
- Do not pour different drain cleaners one after another. They can heat up or react.
- Boiling water can damage PVC pipes and rubber seals under the sink.
Malkkeum tips
- Run hot water for 30 seconds after washing dishes so grease does not set in the pipes.
- Wipe greasy pans with a paper towel before washing them. Drain odor drops noticeably.
- Check that the pipe under your sink has a U-shaped bend. The water trapped there blocks sewer smells.
Where does the smell come from?
Sink odor usually comes from two places. The first is food and grease film on the strainer and drain opening, where bacteria grow and create a sour, musty smell. The second is sewer gas rising from the pipe. A U-shaped bend under the sink (the trap) holds water that blocks this gas; if there is no trap, or it dries out, the smell comes straight up.
The method above solves the first problem. If the smell continues after cleaning, look at the pipe under your sink. If it runs straight down with no bend, adding an odor trap or calling a plumber is the quickest fix.
Do baking soda and vinegar need to be used together?
The fizzing itself does not add much cleaning power, because the alkali and acid neutralize each other. In a narrow drain, though, the foam physically helps lift residue off the walls, which is the one case where using them together makes sense. See baking soda, citric acid and oxygen bleach compared for the details.
FAQ
My drain is slow to empty. This method is for odor. If water pools in the sink, try pulling debris out from below the strainer with a long brush; if that fails, use a plunger or call a plumber.
