Your kitchen is a place of decomposable stuff. Plenty of things can get stuck in the kitchen trap. Pretty soon those things start to decompose and your kitchen sink smells like rotten eggs.
The stinky smell is enough to put your family members off the food. And the terrible thing is you feel hopeless because you can’t see what’s causing the problem.
If you can’t see what’s causing it, how can you fix it? Well, in this article, I will only concentrate on the stinky rotten egg smell and you will learn how to get rid of egg smell in sink.
Why Is There Smells Like Rotten Eggs In Kitchen Sink?
Before I mention some effective ways to get rid of this horrible smell, I need t talk about why you have this problem and exactly from where it’s coming from.
This will help you to take steps to prevent this scenario from happening again. Finding the root cause is a must if the nasty smell keeps lingering in the kitchen after a thorough cleaning.
So, first let’s check the most obvious three reasons why you might be having this foul smell.
Rotting egg smell happens mainly due to the escape of sewer gases into your home. That’s the obvious reason why you may experience smell is that there is no water in the U-bend and the smell may be coming up from the sewer pipes.
There are three possible reasons why the U-bend has run out of water. The first possibility is there is a leak in the U-bend. Another possibility is water has evaporated simply because of the hot weather.
Even if you don’t use your kitchen sink for a while, the water in the U-bend may evaporate and allow the nasty egg-smelling gas into your home.
Nothing should go down the kitchen sink other than water. But most of us can’t ensure that. So, whatever you put down the kitchen sink other than water can get stuck to the U-bend of the pipes.
This prevents the roof plumbing vent from clearing out the smell as well!
That’s how there be a build-up of food and debris in the pipe and over time they begin to decay and cause this horrible smell. This smell arises through the pipe.
Even if there is nothing wrong with the U-bend, you may still get the foul smell. If there is a build-up of mold, your kitchen sink may smell terrible.
How To Get Rid Of Egg Smell In Kitchen Sink?
Now that you know what are the possible reasons behind this stinky kitchen smell, it’s time to act. And you need to act fast because the smell is not going away on its own.
I will mention a number of solutions because of a different situation you may have. You will learn the DIY method, how to fix the U-bend issue, and the chemical cleaning method.
Homemade Solution To Remove Kitchen Smell
There are several DIY methods you can apply and most of the items required are already available in your cupboard. Apply the one that suits you best!
- Run Water To Fill U-Bend Pipe
The U-shaped trap is there to block the sewer gas. To reduce the possibility of an empty trap, you need to run water to refill the trap and let it block the smell.
Sometimes, this is all it takes to get rid of that foul smell!
- Pour Boiling Water
If refilling the U-Bend pipe does not solve the problem, the next step is to pour boiling water down your drain. This will remove all the blockages caused by oils and fats build-ups.
This is as easy as it sounds. But you need to be careful while dealing with hot water. Do not let splash yourself!
Use your kettle or a pan to boil water and when hot, slowly pour the hot water down the plughole. Then wait for 5 to 6 minutes. Lastly, run the cold water so that build-up oils and fats can get flushed away.
- Clean With White Vinegar
Vinegar is a natural foul smell killer and it’s readily available. You can take advantage of this wonderful cleaning product to remove the smell of rotten eggs from your kitchen.
You will need hot water too to used vinegar. First, pour ½ cup of white vinegar down the plughole and let it sit there for at least 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, run the hot water tap or pour hot water down to flush the pipes.
- Baking Soda + Vinegar: The Ultimate Odor Killer!
You can make the white vinegar super powerful by mixing baking soda with it. Both of them are readily available and when mixed together, the solution becomes the ultimate odor killer.
You need the mix when the blockage needs more power to shift. And it’s not difficult to apply either. Follow the exact process I apply:
First, pour half a cup of white vinegar down the plughole slowly. You need to slowly pour it because otherwise it may just sit in the sink instead of going down the drain.
Now pour half a cup of baking soda down the plughole again. There should be a fizzing sound and you may see it foaming. Let the solution sit there for at least 1 hour and don’t use the sink during this time.
Meanwhile, you can prepare the hot water using your kettle. After not less than one hour, pour this hot water down the plughole to flush away any remaining debris.
Why Vinegar & Baking Soda Mix Work?
To motivate you to apply this highly effective solution, let’s see why both of the stuff works like charm.
Baking soda can bring the odor and acidic molecules into a neutral state. And the reason is it’s just sodium bicarbonate that can deodorize such stuff!
On the other hand, there is around 5% acetic acid in white vinegar. Because of this acidic element, white vinegar is highly reactive in water.
When mixed with water, they release photons. And they are highly effective to destroy any organic molecules like the odor molecule.
Lastly, when both the baking soda and white vinegar mixed together, the creation of foam is completely normal and safe.
So, don’t worry. You will see almost the immediate effect of neutralizing the rotten egg-like smell!
- Apply Chemical Drain Cleaner
I strongly believe you don’t have to come to this point. The above cleaning tips should resolve the issue. But you may need those chemical drain cleaners when things get beyond control.
Go to any supermarket and get any drain cleaner. You can get ready-made drain cleaner or bio-enzyme cleaners.
Read the instructions carefully and apply cleaner accordingly.
There you have it! You now know all the effective measures to deal with this horrible smell. But the best way to prevent it from happening again is to make sure nothing is blocking the vent pipe.
As soon as you notice any symptoms of an obstructed vent pipe, you should hire a plumber or clear yourself ASAP!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Most probably there is no water in the U-bend pipe. Also the kitchen sink pipe may be clogged due to food particles and debris. Such food particles decay and cause the problem.
Also, if the well water has high amount of sulfur, you may get the smell when such water is mixed with corroding steel parts.
Rotten egg smell is nothing but hydrogen sulfide. And exposure to such stuff for a long time may cause headaches, appetite loss, and dizziness
No, you should not pour bleach down the sink. Bleach is a powerful toxic substance. It can react with other substance in the pipe and release fumes which in turn will clog up the pipe more.
Your best bet to eliminate the smell from the kitchen sink is by pouring baking soda and white vinegar down the plughole. Later, you should pour hot water down the plughole to flush everything.
Closing Remarks
You apply the tips and there won’t be any kitchen sink smells like rotten eggs. But that’s not where your task should end, you need to prevent it from happening again,
That’s why regular kitchen maintenance is important. You are now aware of why your kitchen may have such a foul smell. Keep those reasons in mind and that will help you prevent this embarrassing situation from happening again.
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