Kitchen Sink Smells Bad When Water Runs

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Have you ever experienced any bad smells in the kitchen? If so, then you know the struggle of preparing food while something reeks in the background.

Well, there are lots of reasons why your kitchen might smell bad, and one of those reasons surely comes from a kitchen sink.

Now, like any other sink in the house, the kitchen sink is frequently used every single day. Therefore, you should definitely keep it cleaned and take good care of it.

But, what happens when your kitchen sink starts smelling bad? Why does the sink smell? How can you get rid of it? Well, the most common reason why kitchen sink smells is that it got clogged.

Anyhow, let’s see how did this happen and how to get rid of it. Let’s start.

Kitchen Sink Smells Bad When Water Runs

3 Reasons Why Your Kitchen Sink Smells Bad When the Water Runs 

As we already said, the main reason why your kitchens sink smells is that it got clogged somehow. However, the clog doesn’t have to that strong and overwhelming, you can also experience some really bad smells even if the clog is not that big.

So, how exactly does this happen? How did your kitchen sink gets clogged?

1. Food build-ups

It is totally normal to dispose some of the leftover food in the sink, but, that can lead to clogs. Also, when you are washing dishes or just rinsing them with water, every piece of food off of your plate will end up in the sink.

This way, there’s a risk of your kitchen sink getting clogged and that is what smells so bad. The food stuck inside the sink will start to rot and you can experience some really bad smells, something like rotten eggs.

On the other side, you must know that some food particles like bread crumbs or egg shells are not suitable to be disposed down the drain. This type of food is, in most cases, the number one reason why your kitchen drain got clogged in the first place.

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2. Dirt and Dust

Dust and dirt build-ups inside your kitchen sink drain are not that harmful. 

However, they “help” a lot when it comes to building clogs. If your drain is totally cleaned then food particles will have less chance of getting stuck inside the drain.

Also, dust and dirt are easily cleaned, so it’s not that hard to deal with them.

3. Minerals from Water

Water is full of minerals and sometimes these minerals start to build-up inside our kitchen drains. Even though this process of building up takes a lot of time, it is always a possibility that your kitchen drain got clogged because of this.

Also, these build-ups are an ideal place for food to get stuck and to start rotting away filling your kitchen with bad smell.

Getting Rid of the Bad Smell from the Kitchen Sink

There are some really efficient ways to clean your kitchen sink. So, now, we are going to discuss them.

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1. Use Boiling Water

Now, definitely the first thing to do if your kitchen sink smells bad is to pour a full pot of boiling water down the drain. This will not only unclog minor clogs, but it will also clean and rinse every problematic particle of food that leaves a bad smell.

Hot water is a good way of cleaning your drain pipes out of dust and dirt as well. And, possibly the most important thing of all, hot water is basically the best against mineral build-ups inside your drain.

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2. Baking Soda and Vinegar

If the stink is really bad and almost unbearable, you might need to use something way stronger than just hot water. Namely, you should put a ½ cup of baking soda down the drain and follow it up with a ½ cup of vinegar.

Leave it there for a brief period of time and then top it with boiling water. Baking soda and vinegar will dissolve any possible clogs and food build-ups which will free your drain of bad smells.

3. Lemon Juice and Boiling Water

For those who want a bit more subtle approach, we suggest you to use lemon juice and hot water. Now, lemon juice is a really efficient dissolver when it comes to food build-ups. Also, lemon juice will leave a nice smell after everything is done.

So, take approximately ½ cup of lemon juice and pour it down the drain. Next, pour a pot of boiling water down the drain as well and let it sit there for a while.

After that, use your tap water to rinse the sink a bit and everything will be perfectly cleaned with a fresh lemon smell.

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4. Baking Soda and Salt 

Baking soda in a combination with salt is a really great way of getting your kitchen sink free of bad smells. Simply put, you need to pour ½ cup of baking soda down your kitchen drain and then take a bit of salt to pour down as well.

You don’t need to take a lot of salt, use the same amount as you did with baking soda and everything will be fine.

Every build-up inside that drain will be cleared and you will get rid of the bad smell in your kitchen sink.

Conclusion: kitchen sink drain smells bad

There you go, that is why your kitchen sink gets clogged and how it starts smelling like rotten eggs. In most cases, food build-ups inside your drain are the main reason of that nasty smell.

However, we showed you how to get rid of it as well, so, you don’t have anything to worry about.

Marco
Marco
Meet Marco, a lifelong tinkerer and DIY enthusiast, developed a passion for plumbing after fixing a leaky faucet in his own home. Years later, he turned that passion into a thriving business, Amarco Plumbing, where he shares his knowledge and expertise with the community.