Cleaning a Kitchen Sink Drain
A smelly, dirty kitchen sink drain can ruin a whole kitchen. Getting it clean, though, is not too difficult. It may take some work, depending on why it is smelly, but you should be able to handle most smell kitchen sink drain problems all on your own and for just pennies. You can avoid smelly drains if you learn how to clean them right.
First Steps
The first steps you should take to clean your kitchen sink drain is to clean the actual sink out. Go ahead and rinse it out and wipe it down. Run the garbage disposal if you have one. If you see stuck food in the garbage disposal then turn it off and clean it out by hand. Be careful, though. Make sure the garbage disposal is off. After you have cleaned visible dirt and muck out of the sink then you can move on to a more thorough cleaning.
Hot Water
The first step is to use simple hot water. Turn it on and let it run through your drains. If you have a double sink then run it in both drains. Be careful, again, you do not want to hurt yourself. Hot water can get very hot and can put you at risk for getting burned. If your hot water does not get steaming hot then boil water and dump it down the drain. Hot water will not always work, so you may need to try something more.
Baking Soda
Baking soda is your next option. Baking soda is a natural odor reducer. Dump some down the drain and run the hot water. Make sure you do it to both sides. Again, try to use very hot water. You may need to boil water again. You can also follow the baking soda with vinegar instead of water. Vinegar activates the baking soda and causes a nice fizz that really deep cleans the drain and can remove clogs or build ups.
Last Resort
If hot water and baking soda do not cut down the smell, then you may need something stronger. There are some deodorizing cleaning solution that you can choose. You want to pour some in the drain and let it sit for a while. You can then rinse with hot water. You can try different solutions until you find one that works.
If after trying it all the smell lingers then you may need professional help. A lingering smell can mean more serious issues. You may have a deep clog or a more serious problem. You might need your garbage disposal professionally cleaned or you may need your pipes flushed.
Cleaning out a bad smell from your kitchen sink drain is a must. Nobody wants a stinky kitchen sink drain. Do your best to get it clean and then keep using the techniques above to help keep it smelling clean.