When you notice a sour or foul odor coming from your kitchen sink drain, you start to wonder what might be causing the unpleasant smell and how to prevent it. You could even begin exploring drain deodorizers and other products that claim to keep your drain smelling fresh and pleasant. But the solution lies in eliminating four items that should never find their way down the drain in your home.
Bones
Even if you have a garbage disposal in your kitchen sink, it can be tempting to look at it as somewhat of an indestructible force. However, it is only meant to grind up the tiny bits of food waste that get rinsed off of dishes and cookware. Under no circumstances should there ever be bones or pieces of meat bones washed into the disposal. The grinder will not have the durability to break up the bones small enough to avert a clog as the shards wash into your home’s drain pipes. Soon you will find that your kitchen drain is slow to clear and that newly formed clog is capturing dirty water that is beginning to create the foul odor you are noticing. Put all bones in the trashcan to avoid clogs and an awful odor in your kitchen.
Veggies
While the fiber from veggies is great for your body, it is the nemesis of your home’s garbage disposal and drain system. The stringy center of many vegetables and the fibrous skin of things like carrots and potatoes is sure to clog your disposal and your drains. The chunks and bits of peel will linger in your garbage disposal and drains for days and begin to rot. At that point, your nose will tell you that a clog formed in your drain and will soon be creating more costly issues.
Food Waste
In general, food waste needs to find its way to the trashcan rather than down the kitchen sink. It takes a few extra seconds to scape dishes into the trash, but it will save you a lot of time and money in the future. As an extra precaution, place a mesh screen over the drain in your kitchen sink to capture all of the food pieces that would be causing clog issues and foul odors in your sink. Even small or delicate items like coffee grounds and eggshells are hazardous and will create horrendous drain clogs and a nasty sour smell in your kitchen drain.
Beware Of F.O.G.
If you are unfamiliar with the term F.O.G., it stands for fats, oils, and grease. These are all items that should never be washed down any drain in your home. Even if it is a liquid, when you dump it down the drain, it will soon cool and form a stinky solid that will stick to the inside of your home’s drain lines. As the F.O.G. residue accumulates, it will reduce the size of the drain line and begin to impede water and debris flow moving through the line. Soon, all of the tiny bits of waste from the disposal will be trapped in the grease gunk, adding to the awful odor emanating from your drain. Place all F.O.G. materials in a jar or can then into the trashcan to eliminate potential drain clogs and odors.
If you have noticed a bad smell coming from your kitchen sink drain or the water is slow to clear from the sink, call (208) 571-4089. The licensed plumbers from Viking Plumbing will arrive promptly to clean your home’s drains and remove the sticky clog-causing residue using nothing but pure high-pressure water, but never hazardous chemicals.