What that Musty Smell in your Drain is and How to Get Rid of it

While you’re cleaning and doing the dishes, you smell an unpleasant odor coming from the drain. This smell isn’t only regulated to just the kitchen sink but can appear in other areas of the house such as the bathroom and spread throughout the rest of the home. We offer some tips on how to deal with and get rid of that musty smell coming from your drain.

What is That Smell? 

You may have guessed already that it’s mold and mildew. This fungus loves the damp, dark environment and drains makes the perfect living areas for it to thrive in. It can be worse in the kitchen sink because of the passing of food and hair particle debris that the mold feeds off of. Mold and mildew not only smell bad but can also cause respiratory problems, and skin or eye irritation. 

Getting Rid of That Smell

There are a few different ways you can deal with moldy drains. There are drain cleaners or bleach you can find at the store to kill the fungus, but unfortunately, those can cause more damage to your pipes and health problems for you. Another way is to try using ingredients you might have in your house already. All you need is baking soda and hydrogen peroxide or distilled white vinegar (use a funnel if available). The reaction from mixing the baking soda with either hydrogen peroxide or white vinegar acts as a mild abrasive that kills the mold and mildew. There are a couple of mixtures and procedures that provide clean smelling results for your drains.

Baking Soda + Hydrogen Peroxide

1. Pour half a cup of baking soda into the drain.
2. Wait 20 minutes.
3. Pour 1 cup of hydrogen peroxide into the drain.

Baking Soda + Distilled White Vinegar

1. Pour half a cup of baking soda into the drain.
2. Pour 1 cup of distilled white vinegar into the drain.
3. Wait until the froth settles (about 15 minutes).
4. Run hot water down the drain for 1 minute.
5. Wait 5 minutes.
6. Run cold water down the drain for 1 minute.

WARNING: Never mix vinegar OR hydrogen peroxide with bleach or pour it down the drain if you have recently used chemical drain cleaner. The mixture of the vinegar or hydrogen peroxide with the chemicals can create a toxic gas.

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Engineering Specialists Inc. has nearly 30 years of field experience in analyzing the damage to vehicles, residential, commercial, and industrial buildings. We can work on any project in any state, nationwide. When you or your business needs to confirm the extent of damage or how to correct a problem, email us at office@esinationwide.com or call us, toll-free, at (877) 559-4010.