Stinky Kitchen Sink Drain

Updated on September 15, 2008
D.H. asks from Tyler, TX
50 answers

My kitchen sink smells bad down in the drain!!! It all started when I thought the screen for the drain was in place but it wasn't, therefore, I accidentally let some food go down in the drain (but I didn't know that at the time). To make thing worse, it was the side where I let dishes stack up and I didn't get them taken care of for 2 days so the food just set there not completely washed down I guess. Yikes!!! Does anybody have suggestions of what I can do to get the smell out?

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J.D.

answers from Dallas on

Go to Walmart and buy Disposer Care. They are little packets that you put in the disposer side, with hot water running, and let disposer run for 3 or 4 minutes. It foams up into both sides of sink and then back down drain. Smells wonderful.

1 mom found this helpful
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M.C.

answers from Dallas on

D.,
Go buy some fresh lemons. Cut them into quarters. Squeeze one or two down the drain and let it sit for a little while, maybe10 minutes or so. Then take one or two lemons, and drop them in the drain (with the water running and the garbage disposal on) and let the garbage disposal cut each section of the lemon up before you throw in another one...This always helps me. If that doesnt work, try sprinkling a good amount of baking soda in there and let it sit for a little bit before you run the water. This could also absorb the smell and wash it away. Good luck!

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L.G.

answers from Dallas on

If the problem is in the disposal side, you can buy garbage disposal cleaner in the same aisle at Walmart as the dish detergent, etc. If it's not the disposal side, try some bleach water...that will stink initially, but will take the odor away permanantly...hope this helps!!!

More Answers

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A.G.

answers from Dallas on

Lemon juice works great!

1 mom found this helpful
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T.B.

answers from Dallas on

I usually pour some bleach down mine when this happens and then run hot water for a couple of minutes. Good luck!

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D.J.

answers from Dallas on

Hi! My plumber husband said to telll you to boil 2 gallons of hot water and dump it down the drain. If it is coming from the garbage disposal side of the sink dump your entire ice tray down the disposal with it running and you can use a plastic cup to help cramp the ice down.
Let me know if you have any more questions!

God Bless

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B.M.

answers from Dallas on

pour baking soda down the drain

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D.C.

answers from Dallas on

Vinegar, Lemon juice or Bleach. I always freshen the disposal by grinding up lemons.

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C.A.

answers from Dallas on

First of all, don't feel bad by some of the comments below. I do not believe that there is not someone who has not left a dirty dish in the sink longer than they would have liked, and on the off chance they do the dishes as soon as it hits the sink every single time I'm sure there is another area of their house that has been not so great at some point.

Second, if your sink has a disposal try cutting up a grapefruit or orange and feeding it down the disposal. It always works for me.

Good Luck.

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J.W.

answers from Dallas on

Lemmon Juice and or baking soda will help with the smell just pour it right down the drain, bleach will work too and now you can buy the scented bleach like lavender or rain smell. Also you might want to get under the sink and take the food out. You can unscrew a section over a bucket and just dump whatever is caught in there out.

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B.P.

answers from Dallas on

I agree! Baking soda & vinegar. I just cleaned all my sink drains this morning with that mixture & do so on a regular basis :)

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A.L.

answers from Dallas on

I have been told White Vinegar works for these types of things, but have never tried it. Good luck!

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T.T.

answers from Dallas on

Bleach will work the best I think. It will get the smell out and will clean the pipes out to. try that and see if that will work for you.

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M.S.

answers from Dallas on

Pour a cup baking soda in your drain, follow it with a cup or two of vinegar and let it bubble and sit. Repeat if necessary.

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T.M.

answers from Dallas on

I would try pouring some lemon juice or bleach down the drain and let it sit before rinsing water behind it. If that doesn't work, you might consider pouring some of that foaming drain cleaner (for clogs) down there to finish the job and get the pipe cleaned out.

Good luck!!

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T.Z.

answers from Dallas on

Pour some bleach and run the disposal. Good luck. Consider starting a compost pile so you don't get back to this point...composting your foods is wonderful soil for plants and flowers!!

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T.K.

answers from Dallas on

Once a week I put one cup of baking soda down the kitchen sink drain/disposal and then pour one cup of white vinegar down there--it foams and eats up the residue. Also good to do once a week is heat a big pot of boiling water and pour it down the drain.

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C.C.

answers from Amarillo on

When my sink starts to stink I pou some vinager down the drain the add some baking soda and it foams up I repeat that again then I let it set for a few hours before I turn the water on...Hope that helps...Good luck

E.M.

answers from Dallas on

Is is your disposal side? Try this; I do it about once a month to keep the "stink" down. Put some lemon peel, orange peel/slices, or apple slices down the drain and through the disposal. The strong aromas will mask everything else and keep your kitchen smelling SO yummy!!

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D.V.

answers from Amarillo on

I have had that problem before too. I have used bleach. Bleach usually kills the bacteria that is causing the smell. It worked for me, it might work for you too. Good Luck!

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E.J.

answers from Dallas on

You can pour some baking soda down the drain than pour very little vinager and that should get the smell out. If it is the side with the garbage disposal I usually turn on the disposal and a few drops of liquid dishsoap and turn the water on to get the soap bubbles and it cleans it out too.

Good Luck!

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C.W.

answers from Lubbock on

The store carries disposal drain cleansers. I buy the powdery packets at Walmart.

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K.R.

answers from Dallas on

Home Depot sells "Foaming Garbage Disposal Cleaner" made by ZEP. It has a black top and a blue spray can with a photo of a garbage disposal on it. I LOVE this stuff. It does the job for me!

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A.M.

answers from Dallas on

get some lemon and cut up and use your garbage disposal with it--it will have your drain smelling great! There are also products you can put down the drains from Bed Bath and Beyond or Linens and Things that will help. A.

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H.K.

answers from Dallas on

If you have a disposal, cut a lemon up and feed it into your disposal with the disposal on and it will leave a very clean lemony smell. If you don't have a disposal, Fuller Brush has a product that will help you. fullerbrush.net. Good luck and God Bless!

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T.S.

answers from Dallas on

Hi D.,

If it's on the disposal side, you can use 1/2 cup of salt; pour it down your drain slowly as you run your disposal and water simutaneously. Not sure if salt will work for the other side, but try anyway....you never know.

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A.H.

answers from Dallas on

I just moved into a new house and I had noticed a smell in my kitchen sink. I thought it was the water, until my husband~s grandmother told me it could be the garbage disposal. She poured some bleach down and rinsed with very little water. Than she poured some more bleach and let it sit for 30 min. After the 30 min she let some hot water run and the smell was gone. You should try it and see if it works for you. It sure did work like a charm for me.

A.

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J.I.

answers from Dallas on

You can do baking soda or they sell disposal cleaner at the store. I find it where all the dish soaps, etc. are. I run the hot water as hot as I can get it at full power and have in the past poured some bleach to help with the smell. My hubby once a year pulls the pipe off under sthe sink and cleans it out.

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G.F.

answers from Dallas on

I used this odor-buster just last weekend. It is from "Heloise".

1/2 cup baking soda in the drain and then follow with 1 cup of vinegar. Let it foam and bubble, then follow by running cold water for at least 30 seconds or longer.

It works! Good luck!

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J.L.

answers from Dallas on

I'd just pour some ammonia down the drain. That always does the trick for me. Good luck!

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T.T.

answers from Dallas on

If it is the drain with the Garb. Disposal...take a large pitcher of ice cubes and put it in the drain and start the water and garb disposal. This should rid the drain of remaining food.

I would also pour about 1/4 cup of bleach and run the GD and this should rid the smell! Works for me everytime.

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J.G.

answers from Dallas on

For $3 you can go to the laundry isle at WalMart and get a box "20 Mule Team Borax"
It is a green and yellow box. Should be near the bleach. It is a great deodorizer. I use it in my laundry, toilets, and garbage cans.
It gets the animal smell and smoke smell out of the clothes.
It gets the coffee stains out of my sink. I also have had dishes sitting, so I just dump some down the drain and let it sit for awhile and then I run LOTS of water with the garbage disposal to get the smell out.
It also took out the ink marks on my daughters back pack.
And I use it on the tile grout.

Very Handy Stuff!!!

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C.C.

answers from Dallas on

You didn't mention if you have a garbage disposal. If you do, use one of the "Disposer Care" packets to clean it out. They are easy to use and you can find them in Walmart. If you don't, then I actually suggest using Drano. You may not have a full-blown clog, but chances are the food pieces are sitting in the pipe decaying which is causing the smell. The Drano will break it up. I've tried the lemon and baking soda thing, and neither worked for me but the Drano always did the trick!

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J.M.

answers from Lubbock on

Pour baking soda down the drain and follow with some white vinegar. It looks like a volcano erupting, but it will clean the drain. Wait 10 minutes or so and flush with hot water. Repeat the procedure untill there is very little "eruption" going on.

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K.S.

answers from Dallas on

try lemmon if it is on the disposal side, if it is on the other side, try lemmon juice

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A.C.

answers from Dallas on

a wedge of lemon with ice at the same time cures mine most of the time. The acid of the lemon cuts through the grime while the ice being chopped up cleans off the blades. Then your kitchen smells nice. Also, Bed Bath & Beyond sells these little lemony smelling balls you can toss down there and they help too.

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M.A.

answers from Dallas on

Let me just say - gross! Wash your dishes daily!

To remove the foul order caused by lazy house keeping - wash the dishes. Wash the sink with hot water and a house hold dishsoap. Wash again with cold water and bleach. If your drains are full of old food and grease you might need to disassemble them, wash them (same method as above.

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K.B.

answers from Dallas on

Pour bleach straight down the sink. I do this twice a month and it seems to keep the odor out.

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A.E.

answers from Dallas on

This solution is a natural alternative for clogs, but it should work just as nicely to give your drain a good thorough cleaning, as well!

Step 1 - Put the DRY baking soda down the drain. I use about 3/4 of a cup.
Step 2 - Pour 1/2 cup of vinegar down the drain after the baking soda. Be sure to cover the drain immediately afterwards with a rag or plug, filling the hole completely so nothing can escape. This is because the interaction of the two will cause a “mini volcano” that will want to come up and out of the drain...you want to keep it down there.
Step 3 - Leave this concoction in the drain for about 30 minutes. While you are waiting, boil a tea kettle full of water.
Step 4 - After 30 minutes, remove the plug and slowly pour the HOT water down the drain.

Good luck,

A.

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S.T.

answers from Dallas on

Have you tried ammonia? I pour it down my drain and then run hot water. Is your drain backed up? If so, you might need to use draino, which might deoderize the drain as well.

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A.T.

answers from Dallas on

Does this drain have a garbage disposal? try grinding a lemon in it!

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S.S.

answers from Dallas on

Hello D.,
I have products call S.O.S. It's for Smoke, Odor and Stain. It's a natural products using enzyme to breakdown the food and odor. You could go to my website www.marketamerica.com/susansu to from the Home and Garden Care...
I also have something to help the drain be clog up...also the Green products too...
I have using those products more than 10 years, I love it, and it works!!!
If you have any questions, you could email me at ____@____.com
God Blessed!!!
S.

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D.M.

answers from Dallas on

Don't forget to check the sink overflow if you have one. Occasionally food from the disposal backs up and lodges in it. If you have an overflow, make sure to pour a little bleach down it as well.

Also part of the odor could just be the water. It is that time of year in Texas when we get an algae in our lakes and hence into our water supply that they always tell us won't hurt us but sure makes the water taste and smell bad.

D. M

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S.B.

answers from Dallas on

Vinegar,baking soda and the juice of one lemon and let it stay in there as long as you can

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D.P.

answers from Dallas on

have you tried pouring baking soda into the drain, then adding vinegar on top of the baking soda?
it bubbles up, but really cleans it out.

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L.W.

answers from Dallas on

A tablespoon of baking soda and a half cup of vinegar. let bubble and set for an hour or so. Run hot water for about three-five minutes.

Good luck.

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F.C.

answers from Tyler on

Vinegar and baking soda. My mom swears by it!

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B.O.

answers from Dallas on

Run hot water thru the drain to heat it up and then shut it off. Pour bleach down the drain and turn on the disposal to get it good and covered in there. Leave it for about 5 minutes and then run hot water and the disposal again to flush out all the bleach.

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B.P.

answers from Dallas on

I had this happen recently where something was stinking in my sink. It was horrible! I poured a whole small box of baking soda in the sink and let it sit for awhile. Later, I flushed it down with about a gallon of really hot water. It seemed to work. Good luck! B.

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P.B.

answers from Dallas on

When that happens to me. I pore bleach down the drain and then let it sit for a little while and follow up with really hot water

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