To clean a smelly shower drain, first clear visible gunk, then use a baking soda and vinegar treatment: pour baking soda down the drain, followed by vinegar, let it fizz for 15-30 mins, and flush with hot water; for tougher smells, scrub the drain walls with a brush and consider a plumber's snake or enzyme cleaner, ensuring the P-trap (the curved pipe) has water in it to block sewer gases.
Sometimes you can clear a clog in metal pipes by simply emptying a kettle of boiling water down the drain, a little at a time. You can pour the water down the drain without removing the shower drain cover. Do not pour boiling water down PVC pipes, which can be damaged by the heat.
A smelly shower drain typically occurs due to one of several common issues: buildup of organic matter (hair, soap scum, and body oils), bacterial growth causing biofilm formation, a dry P-trap allowing sewer gases to escape, or more serious plumbing problems like a damaged sewer line.
To get rid of smelly bathroom drains, first, try the natural baking soda & vinegar method by pouring baking soda, then vinegar down the drain, letting it fizz, then flushing with hot water; if that fails or for deeper issues, use Bunnings products like enzyme cleaners (Drain Clean Bio Active) or gel cleaners (Easy Off) to break down buildup, or try plungers and drain snakes for blockages. Ensure the P-trap has water, especially for floor drains, to block sewer gas.
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Repeated use of the baking soda-vinegar combination can gradually degrade your pipes, leading to leaks or even burst pipes in severe cases. Additionally, the fizzing action caused by this mixture may be misleading.
Solution: Clean the Drain
A standard drain cleaner will do it, but one of the best home remedies is a combination of baking soda and vinegar. As the two react, they create a foam, with the baking soda particles helping to scour the biofilm from pipe.
On its own, bleach is corrosive when poured down the drain but that process is accelerated when mixed with other chemical cleaners, thanks to a chemical reaction that creates heat. Like many chemicals found in your home, bleach can be corrosive to your pipes.
Pour one cup of baking soda down the drain followed by one cup of white vinegar. Let the mixture sit for about 10 to 15 mins and flush with hot water. After this you should have an odorless clean drain!
Boiling water straight off the stove can reach 212°F, which is more than enough to soften or even warp PVC pipes and joints. If your plumbing system includes PVC, repeated exposure to boiling water can lead to pipe damage, leaks, or costly repairs down the line.
Baking soda and vinegar are worth exploring to clean a stinky drain. Run your hot faucet for several seconds before turning it off. Tip one cup of baking soda down your drain, followed by two cups of hot vinegar. Let it fizz, then flush the drain with hot tap water after one hour.
Drain smells often signal deeper problems that, if ignored, can pose risks to both your health and your property, some of which include: Health hazards: Sewer gases can lead to headaches and respiratory issues, whereas mold and mildew can cause worsening allergy and asthma symptoms.
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You can also deodorize drains and help smelly drains with a combination of baking soda and vinegar. These ingredients, when used together, can also sometimes help to clear drain clogs.
Plumbers advise against using chemical drain cleaners because they corrode pipes (especially older metal ones), pose serious health risks (burns, fumes), harm the environment, and are often ineffective on tough clogs, potentially making the problem worse by sitting in the pipe and creating hazardous situations for plumbers who then have to clear it.
Simply wrap a heat pad around the trap pipe under your sink and turn the heat pad on to generate heat. Then, run hot water with some grease-cutting dish soap through the drain to clear the blockage. Biological cleaners can treat drain clogs, buildup, and smelly shower drains effectively.
Hair is one of the biggest contributors to drain odor. As hair accumulates in your drain, it combines with soap scum and forms clumps that catch additional debris. This trapped material becomes a breeding ground for bacteria that produce hydrogen sulfide gas, which smells like rotten eggs.
Even in cases where the drain isn't obstructed, these odours frequently result from the following factors: Bacterial growth: Inside your drain, there are bacteria that feed on organic matter. Static water can build up in the P-trap, the U-shaped pipe beneath the drain, when the bathroom fixture doesn't run for a while.
But pouring things like Liquid-Plumr, Drano, or even boiling water down your drain might do more harm than good. This is especially true if your home has cast iron pipes, which are still common in many houses. Chemical cleaners can eat away at your pipes, and boiling water can melt important components.
If both glasses of water smell like rotten eggs, the water is likely to blame. In that case, call a service professional immediately. There may be an issue with your water main or the municipal water supply.
To summarize, while not as consistently effective as a plunger for all types of clogs, the baking soda and vinegar approach offers a gentle, chemical-free alternative that works well for certain types of blockages without risking damage to your plumbing system.
What happens if you put too much baking soda in a drain? If you put too much baking soda down a drain onto a clog, it can sit on the clog and become a solid mass, particularly when subjected to more and more water. This will worsen the blockage and make it even harder to remove.
Baking Soda + Vinegar