Here we have collected our best solutions to get rid of bad odours in the sewer. Some tips are classic housewife tricks (with things you usually have at home) while others require you to buy tools that you can find in a store such as Clas Ohlson, Biltema or similar. So nothing advanced. We hope you find the solution and get rid of your bad odour in the drain quickly!
Why are there bad odours in the sewer?
Bad odours in the sewer can be caused by different things - and can come on suddenly. It may be due to a blockage, a build-up of dirt, grease or something else that needs to be flushed or cleaned out. If you've been away, it could also be that the water trap has dried up. Then you just need to flush or pour down some water and the odour will disappear by itself. But most of the time, it can take a little bit of fixing - which we'll tell you about below!
Get rid of bad odours down the drain - 3 tips
- Clear your water trap: When your water trap is full of dirt, it attracts bacteria and quickly starts to smell bad. To fix it, unscrew the trap and clean it by removing dirt and hair. Use plastic gloves and a little washing-up liquid.
- Clean with bicarbonate of soda and vinegar: An effective housewife's trick to clean out grease and hair that has accumulated in the drain is to make a paste of washing-up liquid, bicarbonate of soda and vinegar. Then pour the viscous liquid down the drain and wait 5 minutes for it to work. While you wait, bring 1 litre of water to the boil and then pour it down gently so that it sizzles and sizzles. Leave for another minute or so, then pour in the rest of the water.
- Get rid of mould with citric acidAnother reason for bad smells in drains can be mould. Mould is common, large and small, in damp environments and it is not uncommon for it to take hold in sewer pipes. One trick to get rid of it (at least in the early stages) is to treat with citric acid mixed with water. If that doesn't work, you can always buy products specifically designed for mould in drains.
READ ALSO: How to remove limescale from bathrooms and kitchens
Getting rid of bad odours in bathrooms
Your bathroom is the most exposed to dirt, moisture and water in your entire home. So it's not surprising that it occasionally starts to smell bad. Some general tips to avoid bad odours in the bathroom include airing it out as often as you can (so that the moisture dries after showering or bathing and your textiles dry after use) and regularly emptying your water trap of hair and other things that can collect there. Regularly washing textiles, shower curtains and similar items that are often found in the bathroom also helps prevent bad odours. If odours do occur, you can follow our effective and fragrant tips below.
Get a fresh scent in your bathroom - 4 tips
- Clean with vinegar: There are countless products designed specifically for bathrooms. But there's not much that beats a classic: Vinegar and bicarbonate of soda. Mix vinegar, bicarbonate of soda and washing-up liquid into a viscous paste and scrub the floor, walls, sink and toilet seat clean, just like any other cleaner. Leave the paste to work for a couple of minutes before wiping it off with a cloth and some water. The result will be shiny + vinegar is good at absorbing any stale odours. Two birds with one stone!
- Ventilate to make it dry: As the bathroom is the place most exposed to moisture and water in the whole home, it is important to keep it dry at all times. If it stays damp, it can easily start to mould. And it doesn't smell good! Even dust and other dirt found in bathrooms gets a sharper odour when it gets wet. So try to always dry up properly and let air into the bathroom as often as you can.
- Wash your textiles: Regularly washing textiles, shower curtains and similar items often found in the bathroom prevents bad odours. It's easy to forget, but every time you dry yourself with a bath towel, wash your hands on a towel or pull the shower curtain back and forth, dirt accumulates. And over time, it starts to smell stale and bad. So make sure you wash your textiles regularly!
- Scented candles and sticks: This isn't a tip that works best when your neutral scent is fresh. If your bathroom is clean, dry and you just want to make it feel even nicer, scented candles and scented sticks are a hot tip. Linen, jasmine and lemon are three scents that make the bathroom feel clean and fresh. But at Christmas, it can be cosy if a scent of cinnamon spreads through the room. Or why not ginger? You see, the only limit here is your imagination!
READ ALSO: Cleaning tile joints - here's how!
Get rid of bad odours in the sink
We often flush beards and hair that falls off when we brush our hair down the sink, resulting in blockage in the sewer. So if the water runs down slowly, one tip is to pour some washing-up liquid into the sink, wait a few minutes and then rinse with plenty of boiled water. As washing-up liquid is a grease dissolver, it can help to dissolve even the most stubborn blockages. You can also add some bicarbonate of soda and baking soda to your mix for extra effect.
If the water hardly flows at all, it's probably because something has got stuck in the container under the sink itself. Probably hair or dirt and grease that has formed a clog. In that case, you can loosen the container (the water trap) and clean it of hair and other dirt. Once you've cleaned the container, just put it back in place and then flush it down the sink with hot water for a while. You can also keep dishwashing liquid, bicarbonate of soda and baking soda in here to get it extra clean while you're at it.
Cleaning the sink - 2 tips
- Clean with bicarbonate of soda: Mix the washing-up liquid, bicarbonate of soda and baking powder to make a thick cream, which you hold in the sink. Wait a few minutes for it to work, then rinse with hot water. This will rinse away any grease, dirt and other things that have stuck.
- Clear the water trap in the sink: When the sink is completely blocked, so that no water flows down but collects in a puddle when you turn on the tap, your water trap is most likely blocked. Then you just unscrew the container (water trap) that sits under the sink and clean it from hair and other dirt.
Get rid of bad odours in the sink
If your sink starts to smell bad, there are probably two reasons: Either there is old, wet food in the sink that smells bad. Or you have a blockage in the drain in the sink. If there's food lying around, throw it away and wipe it up, but if there's a blockage in the drain, we have another tip that will get rid of bad odours in the sink.
Start by emptying the sink and then pour 1 dl of bicarbonate down the drain. Then carefully pour in ½ cup of vinegar or vinegar so that it starts to bubble and sizzle in the pipe. Wait 5 minutes to allow the mixture to work properly. Then rinse with hot water - and just like that, the blockage is gone!
READ ALSO: Blockage in the sink? How to clear drains yourself!
Prevent bad odours - keep your home clean
We hope this article has helped you find the solution to your problem and get rid of your bad sewer odours. We've given you some tips on how to prevent bad odours in different parts of your home - and here's another one. Maybe our best one! Keeping your home clean and tidy on a regular basis will help you avoid unwanted odours in your home or blockages in your drains. Dust, grease and other dirt contribute to just that. Regular home cleaning with us at Hello Clean might be just your solution? We'll give you ongoing help with cleaning so that your home stays sparkling clean and tidy. Get in touch with us if you want to get started with home cleaning in Stockholm, Västerås or Bålsta, and we will solve it!
