Guest Post - Easy Ways to Deal with Foul Plumbing Odors

You enter your kitchen or bathroom and smell something unpleasant. You empty the trash and clean the entire room, but the stink is still there. Then it hits you – it’s coming from the drain.

Luckily, there are methods of dealing with plumbing odors that are simple enough to do on your own. 

If you observe other issues aside from the smell (like leaking or water back-ups), though, it would be best to contact a reliable plumber in your area immediately for quality plumbing repair.

Common Causes Smelly Drains

Sinks and shower drains are notorious for developing foul odors that can make the entire house stink. There are plenty of things that can go wrong underneath, possibly caused by:

1. Trapped Food

One of the most common reasons why your kitchen sink stinks is trapped food. Scraps and other organic material can get flushed down your drain. When they get stuck, accumulate, and decompose inside the pipes, they can cause nasty odors.

2. Gunk and Bacteria

Aside from food, grease, hair, and other gunk are likely to get washed down and clog your drains. Over time, they will attract bacteria and may release foul odors.

3. Sewer Gases

Do you smell a sewage-like scent coming from your kitchen or bathroom drain? This may be due to an empty P-trap – the U-shaped pipe under your sinks. Empty or dry P-traps allow pungent sewer gases to rise.

This problem usually occurs in sinks that aren’t used very often.

4. Clogged Vents

Plumbing systems are equipped with vents, which serve as escapeways for trapped gases, so they don’t leave unpleasant odors in the room. When these vents get clogged, trapped gases have no way out and usually leak out through the drains.

5. Plumbing Issues

Issues in the plumbing system (such as leak, missing traps, and rotting tubes) can cause unpleasant odors to seep from the bathroom drain or kitchen sink and into your home.

How to Eliminate Foul Plumbing Odors

No matter how careful you are with what you flush into your drains; some food, grease, and other particles can still inevitably get washed down your pipes and cause unpleasant odors after some time.

What can you do if this happens?

Here are four simple but effective ways to eliminate the smell coming from your plumbing system:

1. Boiling Water

Sometimes, all that a smelly drain needs is a good hot flush.

All you have to do is pour boiling water down your drain and then follow up with cold water after five minutes to flush away any grease and gunk that might have been stuck in the pipes. Easy, right?

The heat from the boiled water can help melt hardened dirt and other particles that might be causing the smell coming out of your plumbing. Habitually pouring hot water on your drains will keep it from stinking and clogging.

2. Hot Vinegar

Do you know that vinegar can help you de-stink your drain?

Yes, white vinegar is a fantastic deodorizer and it has disinfecting properties as well. Pouring a cup or two or hot vinegar down your drain and then running cold water for 60 seconds afterwards to rinse can take care of that funky smell from your sink or shower.

For better results, repeat the process one more time or as necessary.

3. Baking Soda

Remember that volcano project you did in school using baking soda and vinegar? As it turns out, it works quite well for foul-smelling drains, too. In fact, it’s one of the most popular tricks for getting rid of kitchen and bathroom smells.

Here’s what you do:

Dump a cup of baking soda into the drain. Let it sit for 15 minutes, then pour two cups of boiling hot vinegar. Let it pop and fizz for another 15 minutes and then wash everything down with hot water.

You can also substitute the vinegar with half a cup of lemon juice, but you’ll have to wait for an hour before rinsing it.

4. Drain Snake

Clogs are often the culprit behind plumbing odors. But some clogs are tougher to clear than others.

If you’re dealing with hardcore clogging, you may want to bring out (or purchase) a drain snake. It’s a plumbing tool that unblocks drains by breaking up and removing clogs.

To use a drain snake, remove the drain plug then slowly feed the snake in and crank the handle. Once you feel a resistance, turn the snake slowly to break up the clogging. When there’s no resistance anymore, pull the drain out and run water for a few minutes to flush everything.

Can’t Get Rid of the Stink?

Have you already tried the tips and hacks we’ve listed below, but still no luck? That could mean the problem is a lot more complicated than you think.

If your plumbing gives off a rotten egg/sewer-like smell or the odor is accompanied by water back-up, quit the DIY and call in a plumbing professional. Let the experts handle the problem for a better and more permanent fix!

Author:

Rachel Watson is the Senior Content Editor of Precision Air & Plumbing, a full-service HVAC, plumbing and home performance contractor operating in Chandler, Arizona. Rachel enjoys yoga and writing articles about how to make home living more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly.

How to Design a Home Theater That Can Help Increase Your House's Value

A well-designed home theater can significantly increase your home's value. Not only that, your family and friends will enjoy coming over for an authentic movie theater experience. If you've wanted to build a home theater, there is no reason not to. The following tips can help you to get started.

Location

The optimum sized room for a home theater is 13 feet by 20 feet. A basement or a garage could make the perfect home theater. But, whatever room you choose must be well insulated; this will help keep the noise down and avoid complaints from the neighbors. You'll need to add insulation to the inside of the walls, as well as place acoustic foam tiles on the ceiling and walls. Also, black or another dark color will work best for the acoustic tiles.

Work With a Reputable A/V Company

Not only can an A/V company help you to design your home theater, but they can also provide recommendations for the audio/visual equipment you’ll need. At a minimum, this includes a screen, home theater projector, a speaker system with subwoofers, a blu-ray player, and an AV receiver. Staying within your budget, while building your dream home theater is not an easy task. However, a reputable A/V dealer can help you stay within your budget while building the perfect home theater.

Wiring Your Home Theater

You'll need to wire not only the speakers and the projector, but also the room lighting. The theater lighting needs to be thoughtfully planned, for an authentic movie theater environment. Unless you're very familiar with home wiring, you will probably need to hire an electrician to do the lighting. The typical home theater includes seven to nine speakers, and these must be placed for optimum sound. Your A/V company can advise you on the proper placement of the speakers.

Furnishings and Carpeting

A plush, thick, well-padded carpet will improve the sound and provide additional insulation. For furnishings, you can go with a comfortable sofa or loveseats, as well as with real theater seating. Comfortable reclining chairs are another option. Carefully arrange the furnishings so that everyone will have a great view of the screen. You can also add a refrigerator for beverages and a popcorn machine as a finishing touch.

Once your home theater is complete, invite your friends over to enjoy the show. You can also rest assured that your home theater has increased the value of your home.

How a Successful Bathroom Renovation Can Enhance Your Home

When it's time to give your home a facelift with a few renovations, the bathrooms in your home are a great place to start. If you're looking to sell your home or are planning to sell within the next few years, updating your bathrooms will make selling your home easier.

Nothing stops potential buyers faster than an outdated bathroom. But whether you're selling or not, a bathroom renovation can do wonders for enhancing your home's look, feel, and appeal. Here are a few other ways a successful bathroom renovation can enhance your home.

Save Money

Older toilets, sinks, and fixtures not only look bad, but they're also not very efficient. To add a modern look and style to your bathroom, add a water-efficient toilet and a water-efficient showerhead to save money on utility bills. If you have a large bathroom, consider adding a separate tub and add modern fixtures to sinks.

It's also a good idea to upgrade your sinks and vanity. Dual sink vanities are trendy and make life easier for couples by adding more counter space, storage space, and an extra sink.

Add Value to Your Home

Few things add more value to a home than a freshly renovated bathroom. A minor bathroom renovation can give you an increased return at resale, and it should include a new tub and surrounding tile, new floor tiles, sinks, vanity, toilet, fixtures, and a fresh coat of paint.

Bathroom renovations don't have to cost a fortune to add value to your home. By doing the painting, decorating, and installing fixtures DIY, you can save money on your bathroom renovation. However, keep in mind that some work should be left up to professionals. Skilled labor, such as installing wall and floor tiles and complex plumbing installations should be done by a professional.

Create a More Functional Bathroom

A successful bathroom renovation should create a space that's both functional and aesthetically pleasing. Don't overcrowd the bathroom with too many shelves or other items that take up space, and sure storage is functional and attractive.

Renovating your bathroom is an excellent way to add value to your home while creating a functional and relaxing oasis for the entire family. Careful planning and budgeting are crucial for a successful bathroom renovation, so it's essential to know what you expect from your renovation and what you can afford.

4 Upgrades You'll Likely Need to Make to an Older Home

Depending on your point of view, upgrading an older home can be an exciting venture or a bad dream. If you have the right tools to maximize the positive, upgrades become much friendlier. All homes have one thing in common; functionality. A home worthy of inhabiting should have the bare basics of a safe structure, decent air quality, and clean running water. If a home's structure and overall integrity lacks attention, health risks increase, and home values decrease.

Foundation, Structural, and Air Quality Attention

Foundation problems will encourage further stresses on walls, windows, and doors. It can allow expensive insulation problems to occur as air escapes due to constitutional shifting. Where cracks are viewed inside or outside, the home should be considered under significant stress. A professional estimate for damage is needed to assure the integrity of the home's structural components.

If mold and mildew are an issue, an HVAC company should be contacted immediately to correct the battle between cold and hot air intruding within the home's bones. Heating and cooling a home are more than just about comfort. It is a significant support system for assisting in a home's building materials and interior possessions from degrading. Air-conditioning vents also should be clean, free of condensation and algae to protect against water damage and poor air-quality.

Kitchen Duty

The kitchen is one of the most popular hot spots of the home. It is also a very specific area where safety is a high priority. That means keeping appliances, plumbing and moisture in check. If leaks are an issue, check behind walls where faucet and refrigerator connections are. Often, refrigerators require filter changes. When left unchecked, minor flooding capable of destroying flooring can happen.

Bathroom Duty

Refreshing a bathroom doesn't have to be expensive. Replacing an old toilet, sink bowl, faucet, and flooring can instantly spruce up an older home's atmosphere without breaking the bank. Need a little bathtub TLC? DIY bathtub refinishing won't cost an arm and a leg., while giving a cleaner, more updated look.

Curb Appeal

If you're wondering whether your home needs an outdoor facelift, it probably does. Focus on one thing at a time. Check the latest trends in easy gardening or paint colors. Will that sidewalk put others at risk from uneven stepping? What about addressing old mailboxes, bare grass patches, and dead tree limbs?

Smart home upgrades matter. Spend a little or a lot. Either way, that valued older home will thank you!