Effectively cleaning blocked drains will not only remove major obstructions that prevent free flowing water, but it will also remove all kinds of odours that contribute to odd stenches in your kitchen or bathroom. Blocked drains occur more often than you think thanks to tissues, baby wipes, hair, food and sanitary napkins. If you are facing an odour problem because of blocked drains, here are some steps to remove the bad stink.

Clear The Drain Of Debris

Your first step for addressing bad drain odours is to clear the drain of all debris. If your drains have stoppers, remove them to clear any blocked obstructions inside. You can use a wire coat hanger, a drain snake or a plunger to clear out the blocked drain debris. You may need to inspect the trap beneath the drain to look for signs of debris. If any of these methods work for clearing blocked drains, then you can move on to the next step. If not, you may have to hire a plumber with drain cleaning experience to clear out any stubborn obstructions and debris from your drains. Make sure you clean any drain stoppers before putting them back to prevent lingering odours.

Deodorise The Drain By Flushing It With Natural Ingredients 

Even if you've hired an expert to clean your drain, you may need to tackle lingering drain odours on your own. You can flush a natural solution of vinegar and baking soda down your drain to remove any odour. Start by pouring ¼ cup baking soda and follow it by pouring ¼ cup white vinegar in the drain. Once you pour this mixture into the drain, cover it with a drain stopper. These natural ingredients will mix together and bubble over the next few minutes. Any grimy sludge that wasn't tackled previously will loosen and your pipes will be deodorised. Vinegar and baking soda are both natural deodorisers and effective cleaners, so the mixture will flow down your drain to get rid of any residual odour. 

Pour Hot Water Down The Drain

A few hours after pouring the vinegar and baking soda solution down your drain, pour hot water to flush everything out properly. Keep in mind that while you want the water to be hot, you don't want it to be boiling. Boiling water will distort drain tubes and seals because of the heat, causing undue damage to drains. The water simply needs to be slightly warmer than room temperature to flush down suitably without damaging your drain. This action will properly clean the pipes to ensure that your drains remain odour-free and blockage-free.

Blocked drains are a nightmare for most homeowners –– follow these clever steps to unclog them and to keep the bad odours at bay.