Why Is A Bad Smell Coming From Your Clean Kitchen Sink?

You come into the kitchen and stop short when something unpleasant assails your nose. Did you forget to take out the trash? No, the smell is coming from the kitchen sink drain.

In some cases, a smelly drain could mean you need plumbing help. In other cases, it could just mean you need to clean your disposal. Here are three possible reasons for the unwanted odor.

1. Dishwasher Drain

Most of the time, food debris will rinse down the dishwasher drain before it starts to get too smelly. But occasionally, the drain could collect debris rather than draining it away.

Your dishwasher drain connects to the kitchen sink drain, which is why a clog in this drainage system can cause your sink to back up when the dishwasher drains. A sink that drains into the dishwasher or vice versa could indicate a drain clog somewhere along the line.

But this connectivity also means you could potentially smell any stinky dishwasher drain clogs if you take a good sniff in the kitchen sink. If you notice a kitchen sink smell and you’ve also recently noticed signs of dishwasher drain problems (like standing water in the dishwasher, for example), this could be the problem.

2. Disposal Debris

The garbage disposal in your sink is another area that handles a lot of food scraps. Although it grinds them up and flushes them down the drain, the disposal sometimes gets food residue stuck inside. If not cleaned out soon, these residues start to smell.

If you don’t use enough water during and after running the disposal, you could have debris stuck in the drain below as well. (Insufficient water use can also cause the entire drain to clog.)

The first thing to try if you suspect the disposal could be the source of the smell is to clean this appliance well. You can try something simple such as baking soda and ice so that you don’t need to buy a specialized cleaner. By using these household ingredients, you don’t waste any money if the disposal doesn’t turn out to be the cause of your smell.

3. Sewer Smells

Old, smelly food is bad enough. But a sewer smell is probably the last thing you want to smell in the room where you prepare and eat food. Sadly, sewer smells can come up your kitchen drain under some circumstances. For example, if the trap under your sink doesn’t work right or the plumbing vents are clogged, sewer gases could enter your home.

You should never ignore a sewer smell in your kitchen; sewer gases can be not only vile-smelling but also dangerous to your health. Although you might be able to diagnose this problem with basic plumbing knowledge in some cases, you don’t want to mess around with something this dangerous.

In some cases, what you might think is just a smelly situation could be the precursor to sewage backing up into your home. So anytime you smell a sewer-like odor, your best bet is to call a plumber to handle the situation rather than trying to fix it yourself.

These are a few of the common reasons why you might notice a bad smell coming from even a clean kitchen sink. Your professional plumber can help you diagnose and get rid of your drain smells, whether they’re caused by one of these issues or not.

For more information or to schedule a visit, get in touch with Mitchell Plumbing, Heating & Cooling  today. We offer solutions for all your plumbing needs whether that includes sewer issues, pipe repairs, plumbing fixture problems, or anything else plumbing-related.

If you are looking for a professional Drain Cleaning contractor in the Greater Pittsburgh area, then please call us at the numbers listed below or complete our online request form.