No one wants a smelly kitchen.

It’s where we prepare our food (and who wants to eat food that came out of the foul-smelling kitchen), and we tend to spend a lot of our time there. One of the main culprits for the bad odor in our kitchen is the kitchen sink.

Before you start searching for professional plumbers or reaching for chemical drain cleaners, try out these ten ways you can get rid of the kitchen sink smell.

They’re easy, reliable, and most of what you need you’ll already have on hand.

Source of Odor Under Kitchen Sink

One reason for the foul smell could be a build-up of debris and food particles in the drain pipe.

Anything you put down your sink other than water can stick to the sides of the pipes or the p-trap. Over time, bacteria will cause it to decay which produces a horrible smell. It can sometimes even smells like your dog’s bed.

Another reason could be smells wafting up your pipes from the sewer.

If there’s no water in your pipes due to a leak or evaporation, sewer gas will be able to work its way up to your pipe.

Finally, in rare cases, the smell could be caused by mold and mildew.

This could be caused by plumbing problems such as pipes not draining properly or a similar plumbing issue.


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How to Get Rid of Odor Under Kitchen Sink 1

Things To Try If You Don’t Have A Garbage Disposal

Tip No. 1: Boiling Water

Don’t underestimate the power of hot water. The next time you cook up a batch of pasta or boil up a pot of tea, instead of letting the water cool down, just slowly pour it down the kitchen sink drain.

You would be surprised, but this is often enough to get rid of the moldy smell.

Tip No. 2: Boiling Water And Vinegar

Mix one cup of white vinegar with a kettle full of hot water, then pour it down the kitchen sink drain. Let it rest for about five to ten minutes, then wash it out with some water.

This should help descale your sink trap, drain vent, drain line, and your pipes. The best drain odor eliminator that’s natural.

Tip No. 3: Boiling Water, Coarse Salt, Baking Soda, And Vinegar

Pour half a cup of salt (like kosher salt), half a cup of baking soda, and a cup of white vinegar (in that order) down the sink drain. It’ll only take about a minute or so for the solution to bubble up and get to work.

Adding salt adds an abrasive component to your cleaning solution.

Let it rest for about five to ten minutes, then pour in a kettle full of boiling hot water.

Odor Under Kitchen Sink

Tip No. 4: Boiling Water, Lemon Juice, And Baking Soda

Pour half a cup of baking soda and a cup of lemon juice down the sink drain.

In this particular case, the juice of the lemon takes the place of the vinegar which creates a bubbling reaction once mixed with the baking soda.

It’s not as economical as vinegar, but it does end up smelling a lot nicer and tends to leave behind a fresh smell. A great kitchen sink odor eliminator. It also works on grease traps, garbage disposals, and clogged drains.

Let the mixture sit for about five to ten minutes, then, you guessed it, pour a kettle full of hot water down the sink drain.

Tip No. 5: Try A Bio-Enzyme Drain Cleaner

A bio-enzyme cleaner is a natural cleaning product, so you won’t have to worry about toxic fumes. It is quite effective as the natural enzymes break down dogged food particles without harming your sink or pipes. Just simply pour it down your sink drain, following the manufacturers’ instructions, and say goodbye to the terrible smell.

Things To Try If You Have A Garbage Disposal

Now, if you have a garbage disposal unit, you might have to approach the problem from a slightly different angle (especially if your garbage disposal smells like a dead animal). Here are a few things you can try to help get rid of the unwanted smell.

Tip No. 6: Hot Water And Dish Soap

Fill your sink basin with several inches of water. Add in a squirt or two of dish soap and agitate the solution just enough until it gets a little foamy.

Let your garbage disposal run to let the water flush throughout. This is the best natural garbage disposal odor eliminator.

This is different from just turning on the tap water and letting it run, as this allows the nooks and crannies of the disposal to be penetrated by the water as well. This will help clean out grease buildup, debris, food waste, and other food particles, which should, in turn help alleviate the bad smell coming from your kitchen sink.

Tip No. 7: Ice Cubes, Lemon Peels, And Coarse Salt

It’s possible that the terrible odor could be coming from the blades of your garbage disposal. If that’s the case, throwing in a couple of handfuls of ice cubes along with some salt while you’re leaving your garbage disposal running could do the trick.

The ice cubes help to remove particles or other stuck-on food debris from the grinder, and the salt scrubbed out the sides.

Do this a handful of times, and in the final batch, throw in some lemon peels (or your preferred citrus peels). This should help further get rid of kitchen sink smells.

Tip No. 8: White Vinegar And Lemon Ice Cubes

Try this cool cleaning shortcut. Freeze wedges of lemon in white vinegar, then throw it down your sink drain into your garbage disposal! Turn on the cold water and let it run in conjunction with the garbage disposal.

Things To Try To Maintain An Odor-Free Kitchen Sink

So you’ve tried the tips above, and your kitchen sink smell is gone! Here are a few things you can try to keep it that way.

Tip No. 9: Pour Baking Soda Down Your Sink Every Now And Then

Sprinkling some baking soda down your sink drain now and then will help prevent any smell before it gets problematic. You know what they say, an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure.

Tip No. 10: Let The Water Run

Sometimes, the simplest solution is the answer to our problems. Turning the water on and letting it run for a minute or two can sometimes be sufficient to eliminate the kitchen sink smell.

Frequently Asked Questions

How will I know what the underlying cause of the smell is?

While there could be causes that can only be identified by professionals, quite often, just being to tell what type of odor you’re smelling is sufficient.

Is it a sewer smell or a sewer gas smell? A sewer smell most likely points to the smell coming up your pipes from the sewer. Is it a rotting smell? Then it’s likely some stubborn food debris that’s causing the rotten food smell.

Can I get rid of food waste by dumping them down the sink drain even if I don’t have a disposal unit?

While oftentimes, minuscule pieces of food can make their way down the drain without any major problems, big chunks will cause a jam in the drain vent and will likely remain stuck in the pipe, building up with other particles over time — which leads to that rotting food smell.

If you’re worried about having a lingering smell (and clogging your drain), then it’s best to take any remaining scraps and toss them into the garbage can. This will not only protect your sink, but it will spare you from foul odors, too!

What should I do if the smell persists?

If you’ve tried a few times and, despite your efforts, your kitchen sink continues to smell like a rotten carcass, then it’s likely time to call in professional plumbers, as the underlying problem could go much deeper.


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AF LEMON ZEST

Room Spray - Natural Essential Oil Spray for Living Room, Dorm Rooms

AF LEMON ZEST
Vanilla – 399 Servings IN STOCK ready to ship
      4.3 of 5 838 REVIEWS
  • ✔ BEST ROOM SPRAY: Freshen and deodorize bedroom, living room, dorm rooms.
  • LEMON ZEST ESSENTIAL OILS: Hypoallergenic. Made with the best essential oils.
  • AROMATHERAPY FOR ROOMS: For all living areas. Invigorating lemon scent.

$9.99

30-Day
Money Back Guarantee

Free ground shipping View Label / Ingredients

How to Get Rid of Odor Under Kitchen Sink 1

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