My sink is gross
October 6, 2018 10:20 PM Subscribe
My sink smells bad. I'm not sure how I'm supposed to describe the problem to get my landlord to fix it.
There's a really bad smell in my sink drain. I have tried draino and the baking soda/white vinegar trick as well as Dawn, all of these things multiple times. Nothing gets rid of the smell. My landlord is coming to fix my dishwasher anyway, what do I ask him to do to fix the smell? Do I just say "there's a bad smell" and he'll know what to do? Can I do it myself and if so, how?
There's a really bad smell in my sink drain. I have tried draino and the baking soda/white vinegar trick as well as Dawn, all of these things multiple times. Nothing gets rid of the smell. My landlord is coming to fix my dishwasher anyway, what do I ask him to do to fix the smell? Do I just say "there's a bad smell" and he'll know what to do? Can I do it myself and if so, how?
It’s possible the dishwasher is contributing/causing the smell. As part of the repair, tell him about the odor and ask him to check the filter or grinder (depending on the model), along with the connection from the machine to the drain.
Most decent landlords should be able to handle this...
posted by jenquat at 10:27 PM on October 6, 2018 [2 favorites]
Most decent landlords should be able to handle this...
posted by jenquat at 10:27 PM on October 6, 2018 [2 favorites]
Yeah, I once had this exact same problem, and nothing I tried worked. It turned out to be something that the landlord had to fix, like the deer gas venting described above.
posted by ejs at 5:37 AM on October 7, 2018
posted by ejs at 5:37 AM on October 7, 2018
If you look down into the drain, can you see water sitting there? If so, that's good: your trap is holding water, and should be blocking waste gas from below. I've had soap scum and algae backed up into a sink overflow get really foul, and it needed a rinse through with hot water and bleach. Chlorine bleach is your friend for clearing all this nastiness (unless you're on a septic system). I'm less of a fan of Drano, having rotted a sink pipe out with it. I later found that the sink trap had an entire broken light bulb and a couple of dollars in small change in it.
A blocked toilet vent stack can also produce distressing smells. If the smells are particularly bad when it's windy outside or immediately after a flush, it's likely the stack. Usually needs a plumber to snake it out.
posted by scruss at 6:35 AM on October 7, 2018
A blocked toilet vent stack can also produce distressing smells. If the smells are particularly bad when it's windy outside or immediately after a flush, it's likely the stack. Usually needs a plumber to snake it out.
posted by scruss at 6:35 AM on October 7, 2018
If your landlord is unhelpful, I cleared up a smelly sink trap with nigthly applications of an enzymatic drain cleaner (I used InVade Bio Drain Gel but there are a number of brands). Poured it in there a 1/2 cup at a time or so every night until the gallon was used up and it definitely got rid of the smell.
posted by dis_integration at 7:14 AM on October 7, 2018
posted by dis_integration at 7:14 AM on October 7, 2018
For me, a small sink plunger has been helpful in clearing out foul smelling debris. Just never use them when products containing strong acids or bases have been poured down the drain. Baking soda can help, too. That said, this might be an issue for your landlord.
posted by metasunday at 7:25 AM on October 7, 2018
posted by metasunday at 7:25 AM on October 7, 2018
For disgusting sinks, I use straight bleach and a brush. Don't wear your best shirt when doing this.
posted by sydnius at 7:45 AM on October 7, 2018
posted by sydnius at 7:45 AM on October 7, 2018
A few possibilities:
1. Your dishwasher filter is full of smelly gunk. Here's a video explaining how to clean it; I expect that's more of a regular maintenance task for you to do, and not so much a landlord issue.
2. Your sink trap is full of smelly gunk. Here's a how to for sink trap cleaning -- if what you've done already hasn't worked, it'll need to be disassembled, cleaned, and then reassembled. You'll probably want to ask your landlord to do this, although you can do it yourself if you have the tools & a little bit of plumbing experience. After this is done, you'll want to make sure you get some kind of mesh drain strainer to prevent food bits from going down the drain in future.
3. You have a sewer gas venting issue. That's something that your landlord & a plumber will need to figure out.
You'll probably want to check them in the order listed above. Try cleaning the dishwasher filter yourself first, then have your landlord check out the sink trap, and only then go looking for a venting problem. You can tell your landlord, "The sink smells really bad even after multiple attempts to clean it with baking soda & vinegar, etc. I've already checked and cleaned out the dishwasher filter and that hasn't helped. Can you check out the sink trap next and see if that fixes it?"
posted by ourobouros at 8:24 AM on October 7, 2018
1. Your dishwasher filter is full of smelly gunk. Here's a video explaining how to clean it; I expect that's more of a regular maintenance task for you to do, and not so much a landlord issue.
2. Your sink trap is full of smelly gunk. Here's a how to for sink trap cleaning -- if what you've done already hasn't worked, it'll need to be disassembled, cleaned, and then reassembled. You'll probably want to ask your landlord to do this, although you can do it yourself if you have the tools & a little bit of plumbing experience. After this is done, you'll want to make sure you get some kind of mesh drain strainer to prevent food bits from going down the drain in future.
3. You have a sewer gas venting issue. That's something that your landlord & a plumber will need to figure out.
You'll probably want to check them in the order listed above. Try cleaning the dishwasher filter yourself first, then have your landlord check out the sink trap, and only then go looking for a venting problem. You can tell your landlord, "The sink smells really bad even after multiple attempts to clean it with baking soda & vinegar, etc. I've already checked and cleaned out the dishwasher filter and that hasn't helped. Can you check out the sink trap next and see if that fixes it?"
posted by ourobouros at 8:24 AM on October 7, 2018
Adding to that list:
4. You don't have a trap under the sink, or it's somehow unable to create a water barrier to gas from the sewer.
It's possible that some ignorant amateur just connected the downpipe from the sink to the waste pipe, without a trap. Look under the sink; if you don't see that up-then-down S-bend in the drain pipe, get the landlord to bring in a plumber.
posted by Kirth Gerson at 10:08 AM on October 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
4. You don't have a trap under the sink, or it's somehow unable to create a water barrier to gas from the sewer.
It's possible that some ignorant amateur just connected the downpipe from the sink to the waste pipe, without a trap. Look under the sink; if you don't see that up-then-down S-bend in the drain pipe, get the landlord to bring in a plumber.
posted by Kirth Gerson at 10:08 AM on October 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
Here's what you say: "There's a really bad smell in my sink drain. I have tried draino and the baking soda/white vinegar trick as well as Dawn, all of these things multiple times. Nothing gets rid of the smell."
posted by The Almighty Mommy Goddess at 10:19 AM on October 7, 2018
posted by The Almighty Mommy Goddess at 10:19 AM on October 7, 2018
One other sink trap possibility that occurred to me: it could be installed backwards, which makes it way more likely to fill up with gunk.
posted by ourobouros at 12:12 PM on October 7, 2018
posted by ourobouros at 12:12 PM on October 7, 2018
The vinegar/baking soda trick actually neutralizes the deodorizing effect you're going for--the acid cancels out the base. Try dissolving baking soda in water and rinsing that down the drain. Washing soda or Borax (usually available where you find laundry detergents) would be even more effective. A bleach-and-water solution may also help.
posted by carrioncomfort at 8:13 AM on October 8, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by carrioncomfort at 8:13 AM on October 8, 2018 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: My landlord came by today and told me he couldn't do anything to fix it, so they're calling the dishwasher manufacturer to come look at it. I tried to explain the sink smelled but he said that was because of whatever was wrong with the dishwasher, and none of this should be happening because it's "brand new", and he couldn't fix the sink specifically.
posted by colorblock sock at 6:48 PM on October 8, 2018
posted by colorblock sock at 6:48 PM on October 8, 2018
Did he bring a plumber, or is it just him deciding the sink can't be fixed, based on his own assessment?
As a kind of stopgap, you can use a rubber disc made for the purpose to cover the drain when it's not being used. It might make the smell stronger when you remove the disc, or it might not.
posted by Kirth Gerson at 3:51 AM on October 9, 2018
As a kind of stopgap, you can use a rubber disc made for the purpose to cover the drain when it's not being used. It might make the smell stronger when you remove the disc, or it might not.
posted by Kirth Gerson at 3:51 AM on October 9, 2018
Response by poster: This took a while, but the solution ended up being:
1. Draino Max, at least two times, slowly poured down the drain, sitting for 15-30 minutes and flushed with hot water.
2. multiple washes of baking soda (1-2 cups), white vinegar (1-2 cups)
3. the dishwasher repairman fixing something that was loose
4. most importantly the dishwasher itself. I had to take apart the dishwasher and put it back together to clean out a huge amount of very very nasty gunk the previous tenant hadn't when I moved in, but the connection between them was causing an issue. I cleaned it AGAIN, did a hot wash with a cup of vinegar, then one with a cup of baking soda all over the bottom more than once, THEN used Lemishine dishwasher cleaner which finally got it where I wanted it. After that, the sink improved too.
The main issue was in retrospect the dishwasher. When you move into a new apartment, please check your sink and dishwasher! Don't just assume it's clean because it looks clean on first glance! Free yourselves from my nightmare. Also, in a tiny apartment, a bad smelling dishwasher can stink up THE WHOLE THING.
posted by colorblock sock at 11:17 AM on November 16, 2018 [1 favorite]
1. Draino Max, at least two times, slowly poured down the drain, sitting for 15-30 minutes and flushed with hot water.
2. multiple washes of baking soda (1-2 cups), white vinegar (1-2 cups)
3. the dishwasher repairman fixing something that was loose
4. most importantly the dishwasher itself. I had to take apart the dishwasher and put it back together to clean out a huge amount of very very nasty gunk the previous tenant hadn't when I moved in, but the connection between them was causing an issue. I cleaned it AGAIN, did a hot wash with a cup of vinegar, then one with a cup of baking soda all over the bottom more than once, THEN used Lemishine dishwasher cleaner which finally got it where I wanted it. After that, the sink improved too.
The main issue was in retrospect the dishwasher. When you move into a new apartment, please check your sink and dishwasher! Don't just assume it's clean because it looks clean on first glance! Free yourselves from my nightmare. Also, in a tiny apartment, a bad smelling dishwasher can stink up THE WHOLE THING.
posted by colorblock sock at 11:17 AM on November 16, 2018 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Temeraria at 10:26 PM on October 6, 2018 [3 favorites]