Have you ever walked past your kitchen sink caught a whiff of a super gross fumes? All of the junk you’ve poured down your kitchen sink combines with stale water, rust, backwash, and food particles to create a smell that can make even the iron-stomached gag. It’s especially frustrating when you have cleaned your sink with your chosen cleanser and it’s shining – but the drain still smells! Cleansers are great for the surface of your sink, but merely rinsing them down your drain will not conquer the smelly aromas that waft up into your sparkling kitchen. So what can you do? Today we’re sharing 3 ways to keep the drain smelling fresh.
Level One: Quick & Easy
The first attempt works for many smelly drains, and only takes a minute. Plug your drain with a stopper and then fill the sink with several inches of hot hot water. As it’s feeling, squirt a couple of teaspoons of dish soap under the running tap. Once it’s full of hot, soapy water, remove the plug and let the water flush through as you run your garbage disposal.
Level Two: Science Experiment
If you need a little more intense work on the drain, grab your kettle, baking soda, and some vinegar. Run a little bit of water down your drain, then dump a half a cup of baking soda. Follow it with a cup of vinegar and make sure you can hear the frothing and bubbling. After about a minute, pour a kettle of boiling water to flush everything out and kill the bacteria. Repeat as many times as necessary to clear out clogs or smells.
Level Three: All Natural
This option isn’t very difficult – it just takes some prep work! Cut a lemon into wedges and place them in an ice cube tray. Pour vinegar over the lemons and place them in the freezer overnight. The next morning run some warm water into your disposal, then toss in a handful of salt (coarse, large salt works best). Then dump in the ice cubes and run the disposal. This clears the disposal blades and the salt scrubs the entire drain. Rinse with hot water and enjoy a fresh lemony scent!
After your drain has been cleared and cleaned, you can also add a few drops of essential oil to bring a fresh scent to your kitchen. Lemon, peppermint, and lavender are great scents for your kitchen. Preemptively rinse your sink’s drain with baking soda to keep it from getting gross again!
