The Christmas tree is up. The decorating is done. So, the house is ready for the holidays, right? Not so fast. Our imaginary homeowner Jessie says, “Honey would you take out the garbage? The kitchen smells.” Followed quickly by this reply from Greg, “But dear, I just took the garbage out this afternoon.” Now the hunt is on for what’s causing the kitchen to stink. Since the big holiday party in your Auburn, Opelika, or Montgomery, AL home is just two days away, the hunt is an urgent one. Your nose finally leads you to discover there’s a drain odor coming from the kitchen sink and possibly garbage disposal.
Drain Odor Causes
The drain odor is likely caused by a buildup of gunk in the disposal or drainpipe. Many times, it’s because you put the wrong things down the garbage disposal. Remember, no grease or oil and only small amounts of food and stringy vegetables.
Fixing Drain Odor
Let’s start with what not to do to eliminate drain odors. Dixie Electric, Plumbing & Air is not a big believer in harsh chemical drain cleaners. They are powerful enough to damage the plumbing. There are many other ways to tackle the problem.
Bio cleaners:
Biological drain cleaners use natural enzymes to eat away at the food products in the garbage disposal or drain. Dixie is proud to feature the BioOne product. It is safe for the plumbing, septic tanks, and drain fields.
Vinegar & baking soda:
This should bring back memories of a chemistry class or making a homemade rocket. Put a half-cup of baking soda into the drain then pour in a cup of white vinegar. Let the foaming reaction do its work to clean the garbage disposal and drain. A few minutes after the bubbling stops pour hot (not boiling) water down the drain.
Ice cubes:
Running ice cubes through the garbage disposal can also help. The ground-up ice is coarse enough to clean food particles off the blades of the disposal. Adding some coarse rock salt can also help in the cleaning/polishing process.
Citrus:
Once you are pretty sure you’ve removed whatever is causing the drain odor, run some lemon or orange slices through the garbage disposal. This should give you a nice clean smell in your kitchen.
Turkey day hangover
Problems with drains are pretty common this time of year. Did you realize the day after Thanksgiving is one of the busiest days of the year for plumbers? Not terribly surprising when you consider the disposal of table scraps and leftovers following the big dinner.
Call Dixie, and it’s done
While the scenario we gave you above is made up, chances are many or you are making plans right now for big holiday gatherings. If you haven’t had any plumbing maintenance performed recently, now is a great time to call Dixie Electric, Plumbing & Air. We can make sure there won’t be any foul drain odors to ruin the party in your Montgomery, Opelika, or Auburn, AL home. Be sure to like and follow us on Facebook and Twitter for more great information.
