Kitchen sink plays an important role in our kitchens. But a smelly kitchen sink is not something desirable we may want to have in our houses. So what exactly causes this condition that leads kitchen to smell such badly!
As we see more and more houses are facing odorous sink issues, we are looking at problems more frequently than before. If you think that it only happens because of the new manufacturers, you might be wrong.
So, the more we explore, we learn how people themselves contribute to the majority of the reasons to causing musty smells. Musty smells is very acute and can deter any people from a kitchen space.
As the phenomenon is becoming more and more common, here let’s explore why sinks smell musty and how to get rid of it!
Musty smell in kitchen sink
Anything other than water clogs up the kitchen hose over time and can cause many bacterial incidences inside. After a while, food and other stuff inside the pipe will eventually start getting rotten and will generate musty smells. A musty kitchen sink is obvious without an adequate filtration system.
Kitchens are no place to have uncomfortable smells around. It is particularly very unpleasing experience, especially for smaller and congested kitchen spaces.
Kitchens are usually have smaller sinks, and usually you can smell bad odors when the sink has broken or clogged up.
If your kitchen sink is emitting odorous smells and you are unable to stop the smell from filling your rooms you have to prevent the smells from being produced. However, it is not an easy task and there are many reasons a kitchen can smell musky.
Clogged pipes:
When we drain something through our sinks, particles of food and other object are likely to get attached to the pipe wall.
In the long run these small amount of objects pile up to a large volume and cause clogged pipes. When the flow of water gets reduced it allows bacteria to grow and work in that pipe.
These bacteria are the primary contributor to those musky smells. They produce chemical reaction that emit musky smells from rotten food leftovers.
U shaped joints:
As much as this joint is required for the sink, it is true that, u shaped joints are also very responsible for producing musky smells.
Basically, al tot of food grains get stored in these loop and over time they allow bacteria to grow and produce odorous gases.
When the gases are produced in bulk amount, the very nature of gases allow them spread all over the kitchen to drown it under very bad smell.
P trap:
P-trap is a U-shaped pipe that is used underneath the toilet and kitchen sink. It connects the sink with the main drain and helps prevent odors from spreading around the kitchen. It also traps debris such as food residue and other garbage.
Though P-traps are used so that the drain does not get clogged, often they get clogged due to overexposure of food residue in the kitchen. As a result, they start decomposing there and spreads musty smell.
As nobody desire any odorous smell in their home, it would be quite important to be able to find the reason why a kitchen sink is producing bad smells.
Among many reasons, one would be applicable, and needful steps should be taken immediately for preventing further discomfort.
What is the musty smell under the kitchen sink?
If you smell musty under the kitchen sink, you need to inspect your sink well. First of all, check if there is any water leakage. There might grow molds and mildews in the leaked water as a moist environment is favorable for them to reproduce.
So, check thoroughly if there is any water spot or traces of molds. Another reason might be the blockage in the P-trap. A P-trap is a U-shaped pipe used in the kitchen sink to connect it with the drain. In the sink, we wash vegetables and plates with food traces.
So the sink may collect some leftover meal traces and decompose them resulting in a musty smell.
Besides, if you have a garbage disposal, it is very usual to smell musty under your sink. In the garbage disposal pipe, molds grow very quickly and decompose the garbage left.
What can I pour down to eliminate the musty smell in the kitchen sink?
You can easily get rid of musty smell from your sink by using some disinfectant product. You can use either the mixture of baking powder and hydrogen peroxide or baking powder and distilled white vinegar. Make the mixture with the help of following steps-
Pour baking powder and hydrogen peroxide:
The easiest step to get rid of that musty smell is to use baking powder. Pour half a cup of baking powder into your sink. Keep your sink unused for 20 minutes and let baking powder to be active.
After 20 minutes, pour hydrogen peroxide twice of the baking powder. The mixture will disinfect the drain and remove the odor.
Pour baking powder and distilled white vinegar:
The other solution can be pouring half a cup of baking powder with 1 cup of distilled white vinegar and letting them settle for 15 minutes. Run hot and cold water respectively to clean the sink.
How to get rid of musty smell in the kitchen sink?
Musty smell under kitchen sink is very common and discomforting. If you do not take any step to remove them, they will grow quickly and spread all over the kitchen. They may also cause health risk. So, it is mandatory to get rid of them.
However, getting rid of molds under your sink is not so hard. Even you will not need to use any harsh chemicals such as bleach for this purpose. Rather you can use some disinfectant products which are easily available at home.
However, you can follow the steps given below to remove such odors.
Clean your area under sink:
To apply any solutions under your sink, you need to remove everything from that area. If you find things that are affected by molds, keep them aside to prevent spread.
Prepare the solution:
The next step is to prepare the disinfectant solution. Fill a spray bottle with distilled white vinegar and another bottle with hydrogen peroxide. Do not ,mix them
Spray the area with vinegar:
Spray vinegar in the affected area and let it settle for 10 to 15 minutes.
Make sure that the area remains damp. Vinegar is a non-toxic material so don’t fear about the smell. It will disappear after a while. Wipe the area with damp clothes.
Spray hydrogen peroxide:
Immediately spray hydrogen peroxide in the same area. Wait for some times and wipe it dry. You may require second application if the area is not clean enough.
Use baking soda:
The last step is to clean the area with baking soda. Dissolve a quarter cup of baking soda in a gallon of water and spray the mixture in that area. Use a damp sponge to wipe the area.
Air dry the whole area well. You can use a fan to shorten the drying period.
How to prevent a musty smell from the kitchen sink?
You can smell musty from your kitchen sink if there is growth of molds under the sink. They grow due to leakage of water and decomposition of food residue. So, to prevent musty smell from your kitchen, you need to remove the molds first.
However, you need to follow these simple steps to smell your sink fresh.
Pour baking soda:
First of all, pour half a cup of baking soda into the pipe of your sink. You can use a funnel, but if you do not have any, dont worry at well. Just be extra careful.
Make sure you did not use any harsh chemical like bleach. It may cause reactions and spread poisonous gas.
Pour white vinegar:
Immediately after baking soda, pour 1 cup of white vinegar on it. You will see an immediate reaction happening.
Let it settle for a while:
Wait for a while, about 10 to 15 minutes after mixing baking soda and vinegar and let it settle to work against molds.
Run hot water:
Run hot water into the skin for a minute. This will rinse of the molds leaving your sink smell free and fresh.
Final Thoughts
Having a good filtration system is a must to avoid musty smells in the kitchen sink. You can always try to clean the hose to get rid of the smell but changing is a greater option. Most important thing is, getting a musty smell is common, and you should keep the sink free of clogging up with waste.