Recommend a strong-but-good-smelling liquid

January 29, 2020 2:28 PM

What can I pour down my sink to test my theory about the source of a bad smell?

I have an intermittent smell problem in my ground-floor apartment. Maybe there is a hole in the waste water pipe that leads from the kitchen sink that is leaking into the void underneath the floorboards. One piece of evidence is that, a while back, I poured some fishy liquid down the sink and there was a smell of fish for a couple of days after that. I'd like to confirm my suspicion before taking action because it's going to be really difficult to get access to the pipes. So I'd like to pour something down the sink and see if I can smell it. Can you think of something I could try that would be likely to be strong enough to smell through the floorboards--yet more pleasant than fish?

posted by rouleur to Home & Garden (19 answers total)

Cheap citrus juice, maybe? Like, a gallon of orange juice?
posted by bluedaisy at 2:30 PM on January 29, 2020 [1 favorite]

Mr. Clean or Fabuloso?
posted by XtineHutch at 2:35 PM on January 29, 2020 [4 favorites]

coffee?

peppermint oil?
posted by at at 2:37 PM on January 29, 2020 [2 favorites]

Coffee
Laundry detergent in water
Cheap lemonade
Peppermint or other strong essential oil in water
posted by Everydayville at 2:38 PM on January 29, 2020

What about just water plus some kind of essential oil? I also find Dr Bronners almond soap to be really distinctive, but YMMV.
posted by stillnocturnal at 2:39 PM on January 29, 2020 [2 favorites]

YMMV but I think bleach smells good/clean and also would be easy to detect.
posted by AppleTurnover at 2:54 PM on January 29, 2020 [4 favorites]

white vinegar - you can buy gallons for not much money, and the leftovers will be useful :)
posted by amtho at 2:57 PM on January 29, 2020 [13 favorites]

Yeah, I would second white vinegar. YMMV on whether that smell is "good", though.
posted by darchildre at 3:04 PM on January 29, 2020

You might be able to source an unused bottle of Avon perfume. People get them as gifts and don't use them because, well, Avon perfume. I hesitate to suggest it because it doesn't exactly smell good, but the thing is the smell is really distinctive.

Have you investigated what happens if you keep a stopper in your sink to prevent the smell from coming up? Even if you are smelling it slightly over from the sink it could be being carried to where you smell it by a draught. Drains can cause smelly kitchens without having any leak at all.
posted by Jane the Brown at 3:12 PM on January 29, 2020

U-bends in plumbing should prevent noxious doors from coming up through sinks and toilets. If your sink was installed without one, that’s the problem. If it’s leaking somewhere else, you should see water damage before noticing a smell. What’s under your ground floor apartment?
posted by mhoye at 3:22 PM on January 29, 2020 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: The sink has a U-bend. Underneath the ground floor is partly a basement (seemingly no water damage there) and partly a subfloor void with joists over earth. If it was leaking into the earth part would I see water damage from a very small leak?
posted by rouleur at 3:48 PM on January 29, 2020

I used fake vanilla extract to trace a leak in my roof. no regrets.
posted by Infernarl at 3:54 PM on January 29, 2020 [8 favorites]

Pine-Sol / Pine-O-Kleen / whatever it's called where you are.
posted by nicolas léonard sadi carnot at 4:11 PM on January 29, 2020

Are there any more drains in the floor? Like perhaps in the floor near the entrance? Or an unused sink, like a laundry sink? If there are, pour a bucket of plain water into each drain.

The P traps in drains can dry out and then sewer stink comes up. The cure is just adding enough water to refill the bend.
posted by nouvelle-personne at 4:31 PM on January 29, 2020 [5 favorites]

What nouvelle-personne said. If there's a floor drain in your basement and its trap has gone dry, that could be the source of your miasmas. I have to do this in my own basement from time to time. Don't just pour a full bucket of water into it all at once though! If that floor drain's clogged—say, with dryer lint—you've just compounded your problem. Take it slow, says this rueful voice of experience.
posted by mumkin at 4:57 PM on January 29, 2020 [2 favorites]

I regularly put lemon or orange rinds down the disposable. The smell is great. But, ditto to white vinegar. Cheap and often effective.
posted by tmdonahue at 5:08 PM on January 29, 2020

peppermint extract.
posted by schwinggg! at 5:19 PM on January 29, 2020

I agree with white vinegar. The smell is sharp, distinct, not unpleasant, will fade from the drain, and if there is a kind of leak, it may hit the old smells and clear them up a little. It’s a win-win.

Don’t do perfume/cologne. You’ll be surprised by how pervasive the smell is — for days! — if you pour even a small amount down the drain. I disposed of half of a sample of men’s cologne this way several years ago (Cool Water, if you’re curious, in an ensuite bathroom) and deeply regretted it because my entire bedroom smelled like Cool Water for about a week. Running water down the drain to try to flush the scent seems to just diffuse it more.
posted by verbminx at 9:20 PM on January 29, 2020 [1 favorite]

Also, consider that it might be an issue with the vent piping rather than the drain. A compromised vent pipe could allow sewer gases into your apartment, but result in no water damage. Also, you may be able to have the piping inspected with a push camera before needing to expose them.
posted by rube goldberg at 8:19 AM on January 30, 2020 [2 favorites]