Let’s go through some simple DIY methods to keep your drains nice and clean. Whether you’re in a rush before guests come over or you’re suffering from constant bad odours from around the kitchen or bathroom, we’ve got you covered.
If you’re handy with tools and confident with most DIY tasks, you should find these easy drain fixes quite easy. If you’re not sure about anything, take a break and take another look if necessary. In most cases, routine drainage maintenance tasks are easier than plumbing – you won’t have water gushing out at you under pressure – just make sure nobody uses the facilities you’re working on!
As long as you’re sensible and apply common sense, you shouldn’t make too much mess. We’ll keep it manageable!
Let’s Start with How to Keep your Sink Drain Clear and Fresh
The job of the U bend or trap under your sink (and the bottom of your toilet) is to prevent smells from escaping from the sewer into your property. And unwanted gases but the two go hand-in-hand.
On the flip side of this, the U bend can clog with various debris, depending on where the sink is and what purpose it serves.
Some examples of common unwanted contents are:
Kitchen Sinks
- Food waste
- Fats, oils and grease
- Soap residue (when appliances join U bend)
- Straws
- Mineral deposits, forming hard scale
- Coffee Granules
Bathroom Sinks
- Hair
- Ear buds
- Soap and hair product residues
- Mineral deposits, forming hard scale
- Jewellery
- Children’s toys/objects
Clean and Maintain Your Drain Pipes
By routinely cleaning the U bends beneath your sinks, you will not only reduce the likelihood of unwanted fats, hair, scale, etc. from building up, but also the water that stays in the bottom of the “U” will be relatively clean and less prone to smelling.
You will also be able to keep an eye on the outgoing waste pipe itself as you can see inside it when the U bend is removed.
If there is very little inside it, and the walls on the inside of the pipe are clean and unrestricted, you stand a good chance of staying blockage-free.
Every so often, especially after a big family meal or takeaway, it’s worth just filling the kitchen sink with hot, soapy water and letting it all go.
This may seem like it’s wasting water, but by filling the sink and letting it go in one, the U bend and waste pipe will fill with the hot, soapy water as it flows through.
In doing so, any bits of fat, oil or food waste will be encouraged to go with the flow and the soap, or washing up liquid, will coat the inside of the pipe fully, making it clean and less prone to catching food, oils or other debris.
If there are any solidified masses of fat in the waste pipe system, the hot water will soften the fat and grease, and the soap should help remove it from the pipe wall as well as break it up, just like it does on the plates and cutlery when washing up.
It will also make sure that anything downstream such as a kitchen gully and then on to the nearest inspection chamber are flowing freely.
How to Make Drains Smell Good
As much as you’ve done everything reasonable to keep that drain smell away, sometimes you need some piece of mind. Especially when you plan on having guests over.
Luckily, there is a specific product for combating that dreaded drain smell. Not only is it fragrant, but it actively dissolves the causes of bad smells in U bends: Organic matter.
All this without any unwanted by-products or mess…
Sani Sticks
Sani Sticks are small enough to fit through your sink plughole and they sit there at the bottom of the U bend, working their magic.
Breaking down organic material, Sani Sticks remove the cause of bad smells whilst masking them with their own fragrance.
Pros
- Extremely simple to use
- Non toxic
- Packs can last up to a year
- Discreet
- Great price
- Packs are marked as monthly, reminding you to use them at regular intervals
- Extremely gentle compared to other, active drainage chemical products
Cons
- Can be brittle, check packs when delivered
- Not an immediate fix
- Only a last resort, after already cleaning U bends
- Not an obvious solution at first, until sticks get to work on cleaning the pipe and start dissolving
- Great for kitchen and bathroom sinks, not so much for shower traps.
It’s worth bearing in mind that although drains can be the cause of bad smells, especially when blocked or neglected, sometimes it’s something else entirely.
I’ve been sent to investigate many bad smell issues over the years, as usually drainage is the first thing to get blamed, until it’s proven and solved, or eliminated.
One that stands out in particular was a garage that reported a bad smell coming from the drains. There were no drains anywhere near the affected area the customer reported to be smelling, but there was definitely a very bad smell.
It turned out after a bit of head scratching a member of staff had put his shopping away in a locker before going away on holiday, only they had forgotten it, and it was none other than fresh fruit and veg that was left to rot and stink the place out. Always keep an open mind and treat it as a process of elimination!
