Pee ew! What is that bad smell in the kitchen? If you’ve eliminated obvious smelly suspects, the hidden stink may come from your sink. Here are some ways to eliminate odors and restore freshness in your kitchen, especially when you’re planning on entertaining.

What’s Causing a Smelly Kitchen Sink?

One of the number one things you may be wondering is, “Why does my sink stink in the first place?” Well, think about it. You do a lot of things at your kitchen sink. For one, you wash dishes that may have small particles of old food on them. Or, you may wash your hair in the sink. Or you could even get rid of food in your garbage disposal. And you may even clean stuff in the sink that isn’t related to the kitchen. The odor you’re smelling may even be the pipes themselves, especially if they are old pipes.

Over time, these smelly odors will combine in the pipes and start to give off an unpleasant smell. No matter how clean your kitchen is, this stink could prevent guests from eating in your home. So, what can you do about a stinky sink?

Preventative Measures

One of the best ways to avoid sink stink is to prevent it. Here are some preventative measures you can use.

• Stop using your garbage disposal to discard really smelly items, such as onions.
• Clean your sink drains regularly.
• Don’t let small food particles get into the drains.
• Keep oil from going down your sink.
• Try not to leave food on dishes before putting them in the sink to wash.

Getting Rid of the Kitchen Sink Stink

Preventative measures will keep your sink from getting stinky. However, what can you do if the stink is already there? Here are some techniques for eliminating those smelly sink drains from your kitchen sink.

Try Plain Ol’ Soap and Hot Water

If your drain gives off an odor, but it isn’t atrocious, you may get away with a simple dish soap and very hot water solution. Simply boil water in a tea kettle. While heating up, pour about a tablespoon of mild dish detergent, such as Dawn, down the drain. Once the water is hot, slowly pour the water down the drain.

Give It a Citrus Blast

Another way to eliminate offensive odors is with lemon, orange, or lime peels. This method is useful if you have a garbage disposal. Take a few lemon peels or peels of these other fruits and grind them in the garbage disposal.

If you don’t have a garbage disposal, it may be ideal to use the juice of these items. Remove the seeds and pour the juice down the drain. After half an hour, follow this up by pouring hot water down the drain, particularly water boiled on the stove or in a tea kettle.

Ice It Down

If you have a garbage disposal, you may want to also try the ice method. With this method, you’ll want to dump some ice cubes down the drain. While the cold water is running, turn on the garbage disposal. If you want, you can add a little kosher salt to the mix for added cleaning power.

Snake or Auger It

If you suspect the stink in your drain may be due to a clog buildup from grease and hair, you may be able to snake it out. Using an auger tool like the one in the image below, you can get the nasty clog out and eliminate the sink stink. (Click the image to purchase from my affiliate partner, Amazon Associates, and don’t forget to accept cookies)

Clear the Blockage With Drain Cleaners

Another way to clear foul odors and eliminate blockages is to use drain cleaners with special enzymes that eliminate grease, food, hair, and other blockages from your drain, like the two options I’ve included below. (Click the images to purchase from my affiliate partner, Amazon Associates, and don’t forget to accept cookies)

Start Budgeting For New Pipes

If you’ve done all these things to try to remove the funk from your kitchen sink drains, it may be time for you to consider new pipes. Perhaps you’re kitchen has pipes that are as old as the house, and the house is 50 years old. Those pipes have seen their fair share of oil, dirt, old food, and other gross things pass through. That’s why it may be time to upgrade to new pipes.

When to Call Professionals

Don’t assume that you need new pipes, however. You may need to call in the professionals to assess what’s going on. Professional plumbers may find something dead in the piping, such as small mice or critters. Clearing their carcass from the drain will not only eliminate the odor but also allow for water to pass through more freely.

There could also be issues with the p-trap. You can clear any blockages here yourself. However, if you don’t know plumbing, it may be best to leave this to professionals.

Image of kitchen sink courtesy of ID 4447353 © Baronoskie | Dreamstime.com

Product images courtesy of Amazon.

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Mel Childs is the author of this article and the owner of Move Me To Atlanta. She also owns her own writing company in the suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia. Additionally, she has written freelance for various publications, including Angi, Bob Vila, This Old House, Lawnstarter, WikiLawn, Homelight, Fixr, LeadsForward, Upscale Magazine, Black EOE Journal, Ancient Origins, and many more.