There’s nothing quite as unpleasant as getting smacked in the face with a big waft of foul, rotten egg-like odors every time you go near a sink or shower drain. Those putrid sewer smells have a way of lingering and making your whole bathroom or kitchen area feel like a toxic waste dump. If you’ve noticed your Upstate New York home’s drains are kicking out some particularly pungent funk lately, chances are good that a nasty clog or buildup is the smelly culprit.
In this quick guide, we’ll break down the most common reasons why drains start stinking up a storm. We’re talking about everything from gunky obstructions and improper plumbing venting to those pesky dried-out p-traps. Once you understand what’s causing those repulsive odors, you can take the right steps to get your drains deodorized and flowing freely once again. No more holding your breath or spraying a million cans of Febreze!
Food Particles and Grease Buildup
Over time, all those little food scraps and greasy residues from dishes and cooking can solidify into a thick, nasty sludge coating the inside of your drain pipes. As this gunk builds up, it starts trapping moisture and creating the perfect breeding ground for foul odor-causing bacteria to thrive. The smells only get worse as that clogged buildup gets more rancid.
To clear it out, try pouring boiling water down the drain followed by baking soda and vinegar. Let it fizz for 15 minutes before flushing with more hot water. For stubborn clogs, you may need to disassemble the p-trap or use a drain snake.
Soap Scum and Hair Accumulation
Bathrooms are a hair-raising situation when it comes to stinky drains. All that gunky soap scum combining with shed hair strands is a recipe for some serious drain funk. As this nasty mixture builds up over time, it traps moisture and creates the perfect petri dish for odor-causing bacterial growth.
Your best bet is using a drain stick or zipper tool to physically remove as much of the clogged gunk as possible. Follow up with boiling water and baking soda to help freshen things up. Installing a drain hair catcher can help prevent future buildup too.
Bacterial Growth
Even a little bit of standing water or organic matter trapped in your drains is an open invitation for bacteria to move in and start multiplying like crazy. As these microbes feed and reproduce, they release those foul-smelling hydrogen sulfide gases that can quickly make your whole home reek.
Keeping drains clear and flushing them regularly with hot water can help control bacterial buildup. Enzymatic or bleach drain cleaners can provide a deeper disinfecting clean when needed.
Sewer Gas Leaks
Few things can clear a room faster than the putrid rotten egg stench of sewer gases like hydrogen sulfide and methane leaking back up through your drains. These toxic fumes are produced by the natural breakdown of organic matter in municipal sewer systems and septic tanks. If you notice the smells getting worse when you run water, chances are good there’s a leak somewhere in your home’s plumbing letting those gases seep inside.
Replacing faulty wax rings under toilets or cracked drain pipes can help stop the leaks.
Dry P-Traps
That looped section of drain pipe under every sink and tub is called a p-trap, and it’s designed to hold a small amount of water at all times to prevent sewer gases from leaking back up into your home. If those p-traps are allowed to go dry by not using a drain for an extended period, those foul gas smells suddenly have a clear path inside.
The simple solution is running some water down the drain for 60 seconds or so to re-prime that p-trap’s water barrier.
Improperly Installed or Blocked Vents
For proper airflow and pressure regulation, your home’s drain system needs to have vent pipes installed that allow air to flow in and out. If these vents are blocked, improperly installed, or simply missing, it can create a vacuum effect that sucks those nasty sewer smells right back up through your drains.
Hiring a plumber to inspect and correct any venting issues is usually the best fix for this stinky situation.
Mold and Mildew Growth
All that excess moisture buildup combined with soap residues and organic matter creates the ideal breeding ground for mold and mildew to start growing inside your drains and pipes. As these fungi colonies spread, they release extremely unpleasant musty, mildew-like odors that can permeate your whole bathroom or kitchen area.
Using a bio-clean drain treatment can help eliminate these funky smells at the source. Installing drain hair catchers and keeping moisture levels under control with proper ventilation also helps prevent future growth.
Rotting Organic Matter
Whether it’s a long-forgotten potato chunk, decaying leaves, or even a dead rodent or bird, any type of organic matter trapped somewhere in your drain system is going to start rotting and smelling absolutely putrid after a while. These smells just get fouler and more overwhelming as the decomposition process continues.
Your best bet is trying to manually dislodge and remove the rotting debris using a drain snake or auger. Enzyme cleaners can help break down remaining organic gunk as well.
Dirty Garbage Disposal
For kitchen sinks, a filthy, clogged garbage disposal can quickly turn into a big stink bomb. All those rotting food particles and grease buildup create a literal trash compactor of foul odors that get recirculated every time you run the disposal.
Regularly grinding up lemon or orange rinds can help deodorize the unit. For a deeper clean, disconnect the disposal and manually scrub out all the gunk and debris. Avoid letting it go too long between cleanings!
Clogged or Slow Drains
Even just a partial clog that’s preventing your drains from flowing freely can quickly start causing some nasty smells. That standing water and gunk creates a breeding ground for bacteria while also letting sewer gases seep back up through the pipes.
Using a drain snake or auger to clear out clogs can instantly freshen things up. Installing drain hair catchers and pouring boiling water down drains weekly can help keep things flowing smoothly too.
Don’t Hold Your Nose Any Longer – Let Reimer Deodorize Those Stinky Drains!
From clogged hair and food buildup to dry p-traps and sewer gas leaks, there are plenty of reasons why your Upstate New York home’s drains may be kicking out some foul, rotten odors lately. But no matter the smelly culprit, those putrid sinks and showers make for an incredibly unpleasant living situation that’s anything but normal.
Don’t just resign yourself to holding your breath or trying to mask those nasty smells with air fresheners. For over 30 years, Reimer’s team of expert plumbers has been helping homeowners across the region get to the root cause of their stinky drain issues and deodorize things for good. We have all the proven techniques and professional-grade tools to eliminate even the most pungent odors at their source.
Save your nose and call Reimer’s today at (716) 272-2371! We’ll get your drains smelling fresh and flowing freely once again in no time.
