How to Remove Odor From Bathroom Sink
Like any other room in our homes, the bathroom is one of the places that gets dirty. It’s common for bathrooms to have unpleasant smells that we don’t want lingering around. One of the sources of these smells is the sink. If you have a sink that emits a foul order, it’s time that you start cleaning it. How? Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to clean it up and more information about taking care of your bathroom sink:
Why Do Sinks Smell?
Before we explain the steps to clean and how to remove odor from bathroom sink, it’s important to know why this occurs. In this way, you’re able to better understand how and what makes your bathroom sink smell. Here are the reasons why:
⦁ Bacteria
The first cause of sink odor is bacteria build-up. We all know how bathrooms get dirty when we don’t maintain regular clean-ups. The same thing happens with your sink. Bacteria cause the smell. Imagine the gunk that builds up in your pipe – from shaving cream to soapy water, you name it. The drain makes the perfect environment for the bacteria to thrive. Over time, a biofilm of black gunk would overcome your pipes, causing the unpleasant smell to waft in your bathroom. To know if your pipes need to be cleaned from the biofilm buildup, just pull out your sink stopper and see if the underside has started to develop a slimy gunk around it.
⦁ Ventilation
Another reason for the odor in your bathroom is ventilation. If you start to notice a sewage smell, it’s likely because of a problem in your piping line. You may have to check out your plumbing system and see if there’s a ventilation issue. The waste in the pipes produces sewer gas, which is a natural occurrence. That’s why vents are provided to redirect the foul smell. If your vents are broken, your ventilation will be affected.
⦁ Lack of Water in the P Trap
The last cause of why your sink starts to smell is because there’s a lack of water in the P Trap. The P Trap is the U-shaped part of your drain that’s located under your sink. This segment has to have water as it plays the role of a barrier for sewer gases. When the P Trap is dry, the gases would easily waft in your drain, thus causing your sink to smell. P Traps dry when a sink is not used often as the water would simply evaporate over time.
How to Remove the Odor from the Bathroom Sink
Now that you know the common causes of why your bathroom sink smells, here’s how you can clean it in these 3 simple steps:
⦁ Check Your Sink for Biofilm Buildup
Identify if the cause of the odor is from the biofilm buildup. If the cause of the smell is because your sink is dirty, then you simply just have to start cleaning it. The fastest way to know is to check the sink stopper. If it’s already filthy, start preparing your cleaning materials.
⦁ Prepare Your Cleaning Products
For cleaning products, any store-bought products will do, especially ones that are specifically made for sinks. However, if you prefer to use natural products with fewer chemicals, you can opt for distilled vinegar and baking soda. However, don’t mix vinegar with bleach as it produces a noxious fume that can be dangerous when inhaled.
⦁ Start the Cleaning Process
Simply pour in the cleaning product or the vinegar and baking soda mixture into your drain. Let it stay for some time and wash it away with hot water. The hot water will not only wash away the gunk but kills the bacteria as well. Repeat this process until the odor is gone.
What to do in Serious Cases?
In cases wherein your sink needs more than cleaning to take away the odor, it’s time that you seek the help of experts. If it’s a problem in your piping system or vent, you can do a DIY project and take apart the pieces of the pipe to see where the issue is. However, if you want a less hassle route, it’s best to just hire a plumber.
How to Maintain the Freshness of Your Bathroom
Our bathrooms should be a place where we can ease up and feel comfortable, and one of the best ways to make the area pleasant is to keep it clean. Here’s what you can do to maintain the freshness of your bathroom:
⦁ Use Scented Trash Bags
Instead of flushing down waste in your toilet and sink, make a habit to dispose of them in your trash bags, but to make it extra, invest in scented trash bags. It’s a plus if you invest in a trash bin with a lid too. In this way, you can retain the odors inside the bin without them overtaking the whole bathroom.
⦁ Wipe Your Sink Regularly
The sink is one of the spots in the bathroom that’s constantly used, so it’s not a surprise why it gets dirty easily. Apart from cleaning the actual drains, you have to wipe your sink regularly as well. The outer parts of the sink are where gunk also accumulates, which causes an unpleasant odor. So, clean the area with a paper towel and spray it with a disinfectant when you can.
⦁ Use Air Fresheners or Candles
One of the best ways to maintain the freshness of your bathroom is to get air fresheners or scented candles. They’re cheap and effective, so keeping your bathroom great-smelling is not so hard to maintain. Plus, candles are quite aesthetic, so you’re hitting two birds with one stone.
⦁ Wipe the Wet Areas of Your Bathroom
Lastly, don’t forget to wipe off the wet areas of your bathroom when you can, such as the toilet, floor, and sink. Water buildup lets the bacteria thrive, thus causing odor. So, as much as you can, keep the area dry.
We’ve now reached the end part of our guide. We hope that you got something out of this and that your bathroom sinks stay clean and fresh!
If you want to know more about how you can remove odor from your Bathroom then you can read this article: Best Bathroom Odor Eliminator Reviews and Guide
Richard Sid
Richard Sid is the founder and chief editor of bestbathroomodoreliminator.com, a one-stop blog for information about the best products to eliminate bathroom odors. With 5 years of experience in the field, Richard and his team of experts provide up-to-date information and the best recommendations to help you make an informed decision. They are committed to building the most comprehensive and reliable resource for the Best Bathroom Odor Eliminator products on the internet.
