How to sort out those stinky sinks

Are there times when you open the tap to wash your hands and you are greeted with a bad smell from the sink’s draining hole? Well, there is something you can do about it, writes Eunice Rukundo.

Sometimes, it emanates from the kitchen or bathroom sink, and other times the bathtub.

The slightest hint of bad smell steaming out of the drainage hole, especially when you open the tap or pour water, except there is nothing slight about a foul smell. Is there?

In the kitchen sink, it could be that your pipes have accumulate grime. In the bathroom, sometimes evident when you flash the toilet, the smell is methane gas that comes out of your drain and is a venting issue that should have been addressed at the plumbing level. Luckily, there are things you can do to avoid or minimise this:

Use vinegar
When you catch the whiff of foul air coming up the sink hole, pour a little vinegar down the drain. This will work for kitchen and bathroom sinks, but only for mild problems.

For clogged kitchen sinks
When your kitchen sink begins to get clogged more often than necessary, it could be that it has accumulated greasy grim along the pipelines.
Boil and pour a lot of hot water in the sink then force it down with a vacuum pump. This usually does the trick. If it does not, you may need to call in a plumber.

Detergent and bleach
At least once a week, melt some detergent, preferably in hot water, and pour it down your sink. The soapy warm water will not only clean the drainage holes but also leave a good aroma.
In the bathroom, in case of the backflow of methane gas, pour some bleach down the toilet- about a cup every two weeks- and flash to kill the odour in the pipe.

Use toilet Disinfectant balls
Sold in supermarkets, the toilet balls are what you find in the gents’ urinals, especially in public places, to disguise the smell of urine. “What I do is place one on the drainage hole in the bathroom sink or bathtub, and pour hot water over it to melt it down the drain.

“The hot water clears the pipes of any greasy grim while the balls suppress any foul smells,” share Angela Nampewo.