Disposethegarbage.com is supported by our readers. When you buy a product or service through a link on this website, I may earn an affiliate commission.
It is not uncommon for the kitchen to experience some foul stench from time to time. The main reason underlying this is the extensive employment of organic stuff which is biodegradable. Among these are the peels of fruits and vegetables. The last thing you would want to experience is the stinky odor.
Other than the discomforts that are brought about by the foul stench, there is also the likelihood of flies and harmful insects being attracted. It is against this backdrop that you ought to put in place measures that are designed to ward off the emergence of this odor. Here below, we explain 14 top strategies that may be of help.
14 Ways To Remove The Awful Smell In The Kitchen Sink
1. Adopt A Proactive Approach
By far the most effective way of getting around this issue is to adopt a proactive approach. This simply means suppressing the emergence of the foul stench way before it arises. You may do this chiefly by sprinkling salt on the kitchen sink.
Salt has been noted to delay the rise of the kitchen odor for weeks. This gives you ample time to implement other strategies that may root out the odor completely. It also minimizes the hassles you will have to undergo much later when combating the problem.
2. Use Some Hot Vinegar
Do you brew a lot of coffee in your home? The coffee wastes have been noted to not only clog the sink but also trigger an unpleasant odor. Of all the substances that exist for the elimination of kitchen odor, it is the hot vinegar that is useful and essential.
- You May Like: See how to unclog your garbage disposal
When poured into the drain, the hot vinegar has the attendant impact of de-stinking it. It neutralizes the acidic contents to give rise to neutral solutions. This, in turn, reduces the levels of smell which are naturally bound to arise.
3. Use A Mixture Of Essential Oils, Baking Soda And Boiling Water
Just in case you have never washed your drains thoroughly for a very long time, we advise that you use a mixture of essential oils, baking soda, and boiling water. This mixture is potent enough to tackle the most unpleasant odors possible.
The essential oils will give the drains some sparklingly fresh scent, while the boiling water will break down the hard oils which may clog the skin. The baking powder lastly does neutralize the acidic contents which further prevent the same from producing further stench.
4. Pour A Mixture Of Boiling Water, Lemon Juice, And Baking Soda
Sometimes it is not enough to merely clean the drains. It pays to go beyond that and rejuvenate the awesome smells too! This is a feat you may only achieve by pouring a mixture of boiling water, lemon juice and baking soda in the drains.
Baking soda and lemon juice do give rise to some bubbling reactions when poured in the drains. Thanks to this reaction, even the hardest stains shall be eliminated fully. After eliminating the said stains, they do leave behind some fresh smelling scent that suppresses the foul odor completely.
5. Mix And Pour Baking Soda, Vinegar, And Salt To Boiling Water
The typical sink will from time to time sustain corrosions which have the attendant consequences of inflicting harsh smells. The mixture of baking soda, vinegar, salt, and boiling water has been noted to do a good job of dealing with them.
That is because the mixture has some abrasive effects. When poured in the drains, they scour the structures to leave behind some sparkling clean metallic strictures. These definitely are devoid of any smells or tendencies to smell.
6. Pour Some Boiling Water Into The Drains
Hot water is the simplest, most accessible, yet one of the most powerful odor-suppressing agents available. Hot water has several impacts on your kitchen sink. Its primary benefit stems from the fact that it breaks down the hardened grease.
Then also comes the added advantage of killing germs that may reside in the drains. For best results, you are advised to pour a cup of hot water once a day, preferably before going to bed. This will ensure a consistent way of eliminating the said dangers.
7. Eliminate Any Food Wastes
As noted earlier, the food wastes, when allowed to get into the sink, usually clogs the drains and begin decomposing thereafter. The first line of defense against this likelihood happening is to refrain from pouring food wastes in the sink altogether.
In the unlikely event that you dispose of the wastes in the sinks, you should take necessary steps to prevent the same from decomposing there. This you do through pouring hot water as we have said, unclogging by use of a rubber sucker, and the applications of air fresheners.
8. Treat The Sink
Complementing your efforts to make the sink smell nice, you should also consider treating it. This mainly entails spraying the sink using the disinfectants which kill the minute bacteria that cause the smells to arise in the first place.
This is a duty you should carry out at least once a week. It does a pretty good job of preventing the germs from arising altogether. In this way, it also prevents the need for wholesome cleaning altogether. Be sure that the disinfectant you use is safe and less likely to inflict harm.
9. Crush A Mix Of Ice And Salt
In case your kitchen sink comprises garbage disposal, you should consider crushing a mix of ice and salt. Ice does scour and cleanse the blades of the disposal. Salt, on the other hand, acts as an abrasive scrub would do.
Together, they clean out all the leftovers that may be existent on the food grim. This obviously has the attendant benefit of preventing unpleasant odor from arising. When utilized periodically, it also spares you from the need to conduct a thorough cleanup on the whole.
10. Scour Your Sink Using Borax
Borax is by far the toughest cleaning agent. It scours and disinfects the garbage disposal to keep it in a state of absolute cleanliness. The attendant benefit of such a scouring is the fact that the items so cleaned are devoid of any harsh scents.
For the best results, it is important that you leave the borax to stand for some time. This will give it time to sink in and get entangled into the fabrics of the items impacted. Pour some fresh lemon juice down the drain to make the item smell nice later.
11. Look Up To Distilled White Vinegar For Extremely Foul Stench
The foul stench, especially those that have taken many years to build, cannot be removed normally. You cannot rely on your normal cleaning agents to tackle them. For these, you need an equally stronger cleaning agent, like the distilled white vinegar.
When appropriately applied, this substance peels off adhesives, gums, and other hardened stains. It also goes beyond to overpower the source of the foul stench altogether. This way, it leaves behind a fresh and clean air to breathe.
12. Toss In Some Citrus Rinds
Citrus does natural wonders to eliminate bad odors. After washing the sink thoroughly and eliminating all chuff, you have to toss in some citrus rinds to make your sink smell fresher and more habitable. To do this, cut the citrus fruits into finer particles.
Toss these finer particles into the sink or garbage disposal. Then, use a gentle brush to scour the sink and spread the substances uniformly. One distinct advantage of the citrus rinds is that they are devoid of the harsh chemicals.
13. Sprinkle Some Baking Soda Frequently
To tackle everyday gentle smells, you should sprinkle some baking soda on the sinks frequently. This should be a routine maintenance strategy. Baking soda has some potent absorption agents which readily pick and neutralizes smells.
Moreover, it is cheaper, readily available, and easier to apply. Simply pour the baking powder in small bits into the drains. Leave it for some time to sink after which you use a clean cloth and a container of water to wash it away.
14. Apply The Bio-Enzyme Drain Cleaner
Some stains are way too stubborn to confront the ordinary natural cleaning approaches. They require that you use extremely potent cleaning agents. The bio-enzymes drain cleaner comes to mind for such applications. They are very powerful and more likely to do a good job.
They literally eat away all the debris and dirt that have the impacts of making your sinks smell ghastly. Take great care though that you do not maintain some direct contact with them though. They have very powerful chemicals that may impair your hands.
Useful And Practical Tips
When cleaning your kitchen to eliminate unpleasant odors, it is always necessary to adhere to some practical tips. This is the only way you will be to achieve the best outcomes and safeguard your own health. Below are some of the useful tips:
- Always put on the necessary protective attire to safeguard yourself against the harmful effects of the harsh chemicals in use. Examples of these include gloves, gas masks, and wigs.
- Clean your drains slowly and steadily each day. This approach will prevent the dirt from piling up and becoming a nuisance later on. It also makes your task hassle-free and peaceful to undertake.
- As part of preventing the issue from arising, you should also desist from disposing of your food wastes directly into the sink. Instead, place that garbage into the dustbin and take them to the garbage collector for further disposal.
- Use the right cleaning agent for the right job. As you may have noted, different kinds of dirt have varying levels of hardness. Only by choosing the right cleaning agent will you be able to do a good job. In particular, take note of the potency.
- Needless to say, keep your children away from the cleaning area. You do not want to imperil their lives or wellbeing in the course of cleaning the drains.
Conclusion
Getting rid of the kitchen sink odor, as you may have already seen, requires concerted efforts indeed. That is because there is no single approach that may yield the necessary outcome. For this reason, you have to take good care that you master all of the above.
It is important to prevent the foul stench from arising first and foremost rather than waiting for it to happen then act later. This is necessary because prevention is way better than cure. With regard to this, you ought to clean your skin on a daily basis preferably after each wash or use of the sink.
The organic or natural cleaning items are better options as they are safer. They do have a serious downside though. Their potency is a bit weak and may hence not really deliver the awesome outcomes that are desirable. Using them in small bits consistently will yield good outcomes though.
Recommended Reading
Is Composting Better Than Garbage Disposal? Garbage Disposal Versus Compost Bin.
"Is composting better than garbage disposal?" The straight answer to this question is a firm NO! A garbage disposal is by far the better.
How To Connect A Dishwasher To Your Garbage Disposal (Drain Hose Connections)
Dishwasher not draining? Here you can learn how to connect your dishwaher drain hose to your garbage disposal in just a few easy steps.
Can I Have A Garbage Disposal With A Septic Tank?
Garbage disposal is limited only to the kitchen and in shredding food wastes to finer particles.The septic tank handles all of your household wastes.
20 Amazing Easy Tips To Keep Your Garbage Disposal Running Smoothly.
Maintaining garbage disposal is indeed a crucial step in so far as leveraging the benefits it brings about is concerned. Read out useful tips here...
How To Unclog A Garbage Disposal In 9 Easy Steps
Learn how to unclog your garbage disposal in 9 easy steps. We acknowledge that an ordinary homeowner may lack the skill necessary to do this job...
How To Use A Garbage Disposal Wrench To Unjam Your Device At Home
The garbage disposal wrench is an item you will find to be very handy when your garbage disposal is jammed or you need to unclog it. This is how you do it.