Smelly Sink - Columbia,MO

At one of the Home Depot Workshops for Women, they touched on this very issue. Incredibly, the solution it a cup of Dawn dish liquid down the drain, then flush first with hot water, then cold. Home Depot recommends doing this about once a month. It certainly did work for us. Good luck to you.

Bed, Bath & Beyond has little sink cleaning balls called Plinks. They are very small and have about 10 to a package, lemon or orange shaped. I just drop one in my disposal and run it according to the directions about once a week for an always fresh sink. Good luck!

Lemons or limes - cut them up into big bite-sized chunks and drop them in the drain w/ hot water and the garbage disposal running. Works great!

J

happened to us once ... husband used a wrench to take the U-shaped (S-shaped?) pipe apart from the pipes under the sink. Something gross got stuck in there and wouldn't wash down and was rotting.

Worth a shot.

You did not specify if you had a garbage disposal or just a smelly drain. I've found the best solution for both to be: Put a tablespoon of baking soda in the drain then pour a cup of vinegar into it. It will bubble up while it eats away any stale sediment. Then run hot water through it.

Orange, lemon or lime fruit or peelings down the disposal, run some water and turn it on for a clean smell as well as a clean disposal.

You need to flush the drain. Try vinegar followed by boiling water. Then put a few drops of a scented oil down the drain and put the plug in, leave it overnight.
When I go on holidays or am away for a few nights I put disinfectant in the drains and then put the plugs in, When I get back if flush with boiling water, no smells

Try cutting up a whole orange and putting it in your disposal and then run it. That's always a good freshener for your disposal. Or they sell stuff for cleaning your disposal at Walmart. You could try that too.

cut up a lemon and run it through the disposal.

Alot of people have responded with bakin soda & that is a really good idea, but it's a lot better when paired with vinegar. Put a 2-3 tablespoons of baking soda in the drain followed by a half cup of vinegar. Let set ofr about 15 minutes & flush with warm water. This acts as a drain cleaner & freshener. Lemon is also good.

C.,
You can do a couple of things - try putting a lemon down the disposal. I usually cut one up into chunks and then turn on the disposer - you can also pour baking soda down the drain and let it sit. The longer you can not use the sink and let the soda work the more smell it will take out.
Hope these help!

Hey C.,
I don't know if they work, but the other day I was at Bed, Bath and Beyond and they have these little orange and yellow balls, I think they are about $5-$6 for a package, that you put down the disposal to freshen it up. Good luck!!

Usually baking sod or white vinegar cleans like crazy. The two together are bubbly and sometimes dangerous. Take precautions!.

Have you tried baking soda? Or how about some Drano maybe that would clean it out? Otherwise maybe put some fruit or something down there(assuming you have a garbage disposal) that smells good! LOL

Good luck

Try putting chunks of fresh lemons in there and running it. It's worked for me.

I usually fill a pitcher w/ ice & dump it in the disposal, squirt a few tablespoons of dishwashing liquid in there & turn it on WITH the water running. The ice hits the sides & top of the disposal as well as the suds. Ice is supposed to sharpen the blades so it can't hurt it. Keep the water running the whole time you are doing it so it will flush out whatever is in there. If you need to, you can repeat. Oh there might be something stuck under the blades so the ice can help knock it out.

Could it be the other side of the sink? The side without the disposal? That happened to us and we had to run vinegar down that side of the drain. Just a thought. Good luck and God Bless.

WOW! Lot's of responses here! But haven't rad the one that happened to us.
It also started after coming back from vacation, if the smell continous after the lemosn and or baking soda thing, you have to clean the pipes, it is a disgusting job but we had to do it, the food that the disposal grind is stuck onto the walls of the pipes, specially greassy stuff and some kind of soaps, it stays there no matter what! And you can't use drano or stuff to unclogg the pipes with the disposal or you will ruin it! I read some people suggested this but don't do it!
We use one of those plumber metalic things to unclog drains first, but we end up having to go to the basement, cut or unscrew the pipes, take them off and clean them well after replacing them. We have to do this every now and then, usually the pipes clogg if we don't do it when it starts smelling bad.....It didn't happen after I switched to a better kind of dishwashing liquid, the natural kind without the residues and fillers.
Good luck!
Mariana

I had the same problem and bought some garbage disposal cleaning tablets at wal-mart. (Located by the other household cleaners) It's not enviromentally friendly, but it worked for us.
Good Luck!

You might try slicing a lemon and put it down the disposal and run it. I do this periodically to add a fresh smell to the kitchen!

Buy 2 or 3 lemons from the grocery store, cut them in half,
put them down your garbage disposal and leave them sit for a little while. Flip the switch to grind them up and send them down the drain. Maybe do that a couple times and it should smell better.

Cut a lemon in to small pieces and let the garbage disposal run it through, That should do the trick, usually does for me. Good luck, E.

After remodeling our kitchen and having 2 better than average garbage disposals installed, we had the same problem. When I called the plumber, he told me to completely fill the disposal with ice and let it run without the water turned on. It worked but the smell keeps returning. That's because the food being ground up is thrown up against the top of the disposal and stays there, and of course begins to stink over time. Never had this problem with cheap garbage disposals. Sometimes I just put Pine-Sol on a greenie-backed sponge and scrub the stuff out myself. Pain in the butt, but not so bad I want to have the disposals replaced.

Disposer Care. It's in the dishwasher soap aisle by the
Jet Dry and stuff like that. It works like a charm!

I usually pour pinesol down the sink and let it set for hours. It makes your house smell good and helps eliminate the sink smells. I figure I can't use the cleaner on my floors so putting some down the sink once in a while makes the house smell good for a few hours anyway until it gets washed down. A good time to do it is when you know you will be gone or when you won't be running the sink for a few hours or right after you do dishes. Not sure it will help if the odor is really bad.. You may have a backup and need a plumber to auger the drains to get rid of the smell.

Try grinding some lemon, lime, and/or orange peels in the disposal. Should help!

When my sink or garbage disposal starts to smell funky I cut a lemon in half and run it down the disposal. I guess the blades cutting thru the peel release the oils and gives it a nice citrus smell that stays there for quite a while, also run water down the drain for bout 5 mins 1 or 2 time a week to make sure the drain pipes are washed out good. Good luck!!

I poured vinegar down and flipped the switch for the disposal. Then did it again a few hours later. After the second time it was better.

Good Luck!

Hi C.,

You can try pouring some baking soda down the drain and just putting a little water in it and letting it soak, but first go get a lemon and cut it into four pieces and run them through the disposal. Lemon is the best thing to keep your drains smelling fresh.

Good Luck,

N.

I haven't read any other responses, so I'm sorry if I repeat any.
Try cutting up lemons or limes, putting them in the disposal with ice and running hot water while running the disposal. It should work!
If not, you can get disposal cleaners at the store, but I think the citrus fruit works better.

Lemons normally work. One other thing I've found that works is the sink fizz tablets from Pampered Chef. (You can get similar tablets at Bed Bath and Beyond). They are a slow release tablet- so it really dissolves odor! I put one in my disposal (without turning the disposal on) and turned the water on for a few minutes- then I left it for a while, went back and did the same thing... then when the tablet was small, I turned on the disposal. It worked great! Now I use them regularly just to 'freshen up' my kitchen.

I haven't tried this myself, but I read somewhere you can make ice cubes out of vinegar for just this purpose. I bet if you mix that with a little baking soda and lemon it should do the trick!

lemon cut up and run the disposal.

You might try Disposer Care. It is a garbage disposer cleaner and I picked it up at Wal Mart. You might also try just cutting a lemon into slices or wedges and putting it in the disposer. Then run the disposer like normal. It'll take a minute to chew it all up, but your sink will smell like lemons!

Believe it or not, it is that plastic trap thingy that keeps food from flying back out of the disposal. It is the filthiest thing in our houses. If you have one that removes, you are a lucky one. Take it out and scrub it or go buy a new one, if you are unlucky, like me, if you have to scrub it forever to make the mold and stentch go away and spray with lysol every day. Good luck, oh, and Vinegar and any citrus fruit works wonders as well. M. N.

If it's a garbage disposal - try putting some ice cubes in there and run the disposal - this will sharpen the blades. Then cut up some lemons and run down there also, it will help with the smell. Just make sure that you run the disposal until you don't hear the lemons any longer -that should help.

Baking soda and vinegar should work.

Cutting up a fresh lemon and running it through the disposal works very well. I actually do this one a week now to keep the lemon fresh smell, but I have done it when the sink has smelled really bad and it works every time.

I have used baking soda and Vinegar to clean mine when it gets smelly. I was told once to use ICE. I put a lot of ice through the garbage disposal to clean it, sounds terrible while running, but it sure did clean it up. I have often used the soda and Vinegar than the ice, be sure to run water while chopping up the ice.

You might try baking soda, it works for smells in the fridge. Also Bed Bath and Beyond sells these lemon flavored balls that you put in the sink and use the garbage disposal with that leaves it smelling like lemons.-----Good Luck

J. C

I use lemons when I have a smelly drain. If it is really bad you might need to use a few. Quarter them and run your disposal,and it should do the trick.
Good Luck.

Have you tried baking soda and/or slices of lemon? Whenever I am using a lemon only for its juice, I slice it up after I have drained the juice and put it down the garbage disposal to freshen it up.

Hi, C.. Have you tried cutting up a lemon and putting it in the disposal? I have heard of doing this, but have not tried it. Good Luck!

vinegar or baking soda

They actually sell garbage disposal cleaners, its by the detergent for the dishwasher. Some are a liquid and we have also bought a large tablet that gets dropped in and run the disposal. It has worked for us in the past.

J.

Good Morning C., I have done the same ;)
I buy and garbage disposal cleaner at Wally World (Wal-Mart) it bubbles up and cleans out odors well. Then I have also put citrus fruit peelings in the disposer to remove odors. Orange, Lemon, Limes.
Good Luck to you
K.

Try pouring about 1/2 cup of baking soda down it. Let that sit about 5 minutes and then pour 1/2 cup of vinegar down. Run hot water down the disposal a good minute or two. Hopefully that does the trick.

This just happened to us when we moved into our new (16 year old) home. You can get garbage disposal sanitizer tablets at either Dierbergs or Schnucks (can't remember which). You run the water first, then drop a tablet in, turn on the disposal for a few minutes, shut off the disposal and then keep the water running for about 4 minutes. We repeated this for 5 days and eventually the smell completely disappeared. Sometimes garbage disposals just need to be sanitized. Good luck.

you could try to sprinkle some baking soda down there, and then pour vinegar. it makes a foam that is supposed to clean out clogs and should remove the odor too.

Put ice cubes and a wedges of citrus down the disposal and run it. Limes work best. They are smaller than lemons and have a 'cleaner' scent than oranges. The whole wedge, including the peel.

We love cherry limeades and everytime we have them we put the lime wedges down the disposal after we're finished with our drinks. Keeps the disposal clean and fresh. The ice cubes keep the blades sharp.

Hello! I good trick might be to cut up some lemons and put them in there grind them up with the disposle. it should smell lemony fresh! also Sea Salt and Vinegar! that takes out the smell too!

Good Luck!

You could get either lemons or oranges and peel them. If you get oranges, you'll have a treat for cleaning. ;) Then send the rinds down the disposal like normal. this will get rid of the smell. Then put a few ice cubes and salt down the disposal like normal. this will clean the blades.

Try cutting a lemon into slices and then grind it up in the garbage disposal. This usually works for me.

I would try just getting the stuff to unclog drains, drano or something like that it always works for me

I heard of leaving Lemon and orange rinds in the Garbage disposer for a clean fresh smell.Just dont Grind them.

Try a couple slices of lemon and a few pieces of ice. The lemon helps with the odor and the ice helps clean anything that may be stuck on the blades. This has worked well for me.

Hey there C.. Have you tried looking inside and underneath the black safety rubber gasket to see if there might be some dried old food or liquid residedue? If there is it will feel real slimmy. I will take an old tooth brush dipped in bleach or amonia and scrub the underneath. You wouldn't believe that that little thing can cause such a stink. Anyway, good luck and I hope that that is the only problem that is the cause.
K. P.

Try running lemons through your garbage disposal. I run a lemon through mine every once in a while and it seems to do the trick.

Cut up a lemon, lime or orange and run the disposal. This will help with the smell and the acid will help remove any food that has been left behind.

Have you tried a lemon. Cut it into pieces and drop them in the disposal peel and all, then run it. I hope it helps.

Try halfing a lemon and have the disposal chew it up. Do both halfs. Bleach also. Stick you hand in or take a stick type object to see if a wash cloth is in there that will sooooo make it smell.

Freeze an ice cube tray full of white vinegar. (freezer will smell strong, but not for long, and will probably smell fresher afterwards) Then run those ice cubes through the disposal. Then let baking soda stand overnight. Then run a lemon through the disposal.

Try baking soda. Another idea is some charcoal brikettes(sp?), they absorb odors, just remember to take them out before using the sink. Good luck!

If the odor causing item was removed and cleaned it may be that the smell settled in the carpet, curtains, furniture, etc. I would febreeze everything and open up some windows and doors and let the place air out. My sister had terrible cat pee smell in her house and she couldnt find out where it was coming from. The cat used the litter box but we think he sprayed somewhere. She used that foam/powder you put on your carpet before vacuuming and it cleared the smell right up. Hope this helps!

When my garbage disposal gets nasty, I cut a couple of lemons into small pieces and run them down the sink. I think that the lemons getting ground up scrubs the disposal and disinfects it. It always seems to work for me.

try pouring some baking soda in the drain and letting it sit for a while, preferably over night. Should do the trick.

Been there too! One thing you might want to try (but just be sure all the bleach is cleared out first so you don't start any toxic fumes!)...baking soda and white vinegar (remember those old "volcanos" in school? Same idea!). Let it set for a bit, then run hot water for at least 1-2 minutes. THEN, put the cold water on, and add a lemon to the disposal (cut it up first and add piece by piece). Should be smelling fresh!
If not, you might want to check to see if there's a clog somewhere.
Good luck!

I would try running ice through it first, and then some white vinegar. Thats has worked for me in the past! Good luck.
M. C

I have used the cleaners that you can buy at Walmart if it is a smell that I can get rid of by using Lemon rinds. I put the lemon in the diposal run the water and the disposal. If it is really bad (we left for a weekend like you did) I bought the disposal cleaner from walmart and it took care of it.

You could try putting some lemon peels down the disposal.

There are cleaning tablets you can buy at Lowe's or Home Depot(or some grocery stores, ace hardware)called Disposa-care. It's a disposal cleaner which is probably the smell source. It comes in a packet and you put the whole package in your sink with a trickle of hot H20 and flip on the disposal for a bit. It works great. Quick temporary fix- throw some lemon and/or lime slices in with cold running water and turn on disposal. It most likely will not be able to handle the rinds so you'll have to pick them out when your done. Results- much better odor than you have now!! Hope this helps! But get the Disposa-care, it really should help!!!

Sometimes baking soda in the drain over night can help with smells. It's worth a try! :)

I had the very same problem. It took a week to find it and the whole time we were out of our minds from the smell. Now under my sink sits my garbage can and there lies the problem-something had fallen out of it and did not get removed from the house or rather under the sink. When the smell came up I immediately thought of my garbage disposal as that is the usual place for funny smells. Well we took the whole under sink area apart and sure enough found the culprit! After a good cleaning to the underside things were much better. Check it out-you never know where things were left behind. :)

I used the disposal cleaner at Wal-Mart like others have suggested ajong with citrus peel. Has always worked well for me!

There is a rubber thingamajig in the hole going to your garbage disposal. You can take it out and scrub it. It really gets gross. Also check under your sink. Can you tell I've had lots of experience with yuck?

These things never happen on House and Garden T.V.

put a lemon rind down the sink and run the garbage disposal

Try baking soda and fruit. Orange peels and bananas do the trick for our stinky sink.

C.,
just wanted you to know that if it's hyrdogen sulfide (rotten eggs/sewage smell) let your local sewer company know asap. That is a potent neurotoxin, in addition to a bad smell, and could betoken problems beyond your drain.
If you are on a septic system, you might call a professional. Review how long it's been since the system was pumped out, etc.
Good luck.
K

You might try ice or orange peel (from a real orange, not the spice). Good Luck!

Try putting a whole lemon in the sink and running the garbage disposal and some water. Lemons work really good. Just don't peel it or cut it. Just put the whole thing in there.

Cut a lemon into 4 - 6 pieces and grind up in the garbage disposal. If it's in there, that will take care of it.

Hi Chrisine,

Try slicing a whole lemon and then using it in the garbage disposal. Freshens, disinfects, and smells great!

Best Wishes,

J. H.

Have you tried baking soda & vinegar?
Sprinkle backing soda in and around the drain. Then pour vinegar in. I don't measure, I just sprinkle and pour some. The mixture will fizz up. Wait awhile (1/2 hour) before running water thru the drain.
If this doesn't work repeat the procedure.
Good luck!

Try putting several lemon wedges in your drain and run your disposal. I've found that it works really well.

Good Luck.
K. S.

I like to run fresh oranges and lemon slices through my disposal to make my kitchen smell better. maybe that would help.

I have had the same problem. Does your sink have a rotten egg smell? If it is it is sulfur gases. These are harmless, but stinky. They are caused by bacteria that release sulfur gases. The best way to get rid of this would be to disinfect the area with hot hot water adn chlorine. You may even try boiling a pot of water on the stove and then pouring it down the sink with some bleach.

If it is just regular old stinky sink and bleach didnt work, try baking soda and white vinegar. Pour some baking soda down the sink and then slowly add a few tablespoons full of vinegar. Contiue adding the vinegar until you have added a couple liters.

One problem may be that some of the smell is coming from the overflow drain. If your sink has one, you may consider filling the sink with a solution of bleach water up to the overflow valve, so that water will spill over into the overflow drain and clean it out.

Try running a bit of citrus fruit and a little of the peeling down there, orange, lime, lemon, whatever smell you prefer of them... that will normally freshen up most sinks. If not you can try some comet cleaner on the top side or scrubbing bubbles and also put some down the drain. Let it sit for a while and rinse well.

I would cut a lemon in 4ths and put that down the garbage disposal for about 3 days (3 lemons) and grind it up. As well as some vinegar.

When my sink smells we use Plink which is a little ball shaped drop you drop in there and run the sink disposal for like 15 seconds and it works.

I managed apartments in Springfield for about 10 years.

Two things to try....run a few trays of ice cubes down the drain with a small amount of cold water running. This will scrape the blades, and the cold will solidfy many liquids and make them easier to get on down the drain.

Then put a whole box of baking soda in the drain, don't turn on the water or the disposal...then drizzle about a half cup of white vinegar into the baking soda...it will fizz and bubble.

Let this "paste" set for a while, even overnight if you want and then run the disposal with hot water.

If that doesn't help, then something is stuck in there like a bone or other organic particle that is decaying and you might end up having to have the disposal cleaned out by a professional.

We've used lemon,lime or oranges to get our garbage disposal to smell "pretty". It's been pretty effective. The leftover skins work too.

good luck!

Try putting an orange peeling in your garbage disposal. My brother did that at my mom's and it worked.

C.:

I would do a mixture of Baking soda and water, let that sit in the sink, scrub it, and in the garbage disposal slice up some lemon rinds, and lemon juice, and you could also do some limes (anything Citrus), grind those up. Repeat a couple of times and see if that will take care of the smell. C. F.

Try running orange or lemon peels through the garbage disposal. I do that when mine starts to smell and it makes it smell great.

Not for certain here, but how about baking soda and lemon?

The smell might be coming from the other drain if there's an ajoining sink. Just try running some water with baking soda down that other drain. Hope that helps!

Cut a lemon in small pieces and run it through the garbage disposal. That's always worked for me.