You spend a lot of time in the kitchen. From meal preparation to dish duty, there’s no doubt that a lot of your chores involve this space. If you are facing some foul smells during your daily tasks, it can make everything unpleasant. While there can be a few reasons for a smelly kitchen, the kitchen sink is often one of the hardest to overcome. If you have a stinky kitchen sink, here are some tips you can implement to banish odors quickly.
Do the Dishes More Frequently
This may seem like a no-brainer, but it still needs to be said. If you feel that your kitchen sink is responsible for some consistently unpleasant odors, you may just need to implement a better dishwashing schedule. Remember that even a few dirty dishes left in the sink can cause some offensive smells. Before you begin any other regimens, create a rule that you will not go to bed with even one dish in the sink. Try this for a week to see if your odor problems vanish with the dishes.
Get Rid of the Buildup in Your Garbage Disposal
Food particle buildups in a garbage disposal is one of the most common culprits for an awful kitchen smell. Since old food can begin to rot and mold, there’s no wonder that it will cause a foul odor when left unchecked. Be sure that you allow the garbage disposal to fully run when you place food inside. If your disposal hasn’t been cleaned recently, you can treat bad smells by pouring baking soda down the drain. Additionally, remember that garbage disposals should be replaced every 8 years; if your garbage disposal is in need of a replacement you may notice that it doesn’t break up food refuse as easily, resulting in more foul odors over time.
Your Drain is Dry
If you were away for a week on a trip and smell something funky in your kitchen sink, you likely don’t have cause to worry. Your P-trap, the bend in your drain pipes under the sink, is meant to collect water and create a barrier that stops bad sewage smells from further down in your drain to permeate into your house. If you haven’t used your sink for an extended period of time, this water likely dried up. Simply use your sink and run water in your drain to refill the P-trap. If you use your sink more and find that the smell doesn’t go away, or if the smell seems to come from multiple drains in your home, you may need a professional opinion.
