With temperatures rising and summer approaching, home owners have been advised to do one household task this week to avoid foul smells in hotter weather. Our household drains can get clogged over time due to build-up of food or hair, soap scum, and product build-up. And if there’s one thing that only gets worse in the heat – it’s a bad scent.
It is worth giving your drains a refresh as the sun comes out, Andy Ellis, a shower and bathroom expert at Vidalux.co.uk, said. “Unknown blockages can start to smell when the weather warms up and the longer you leave them, the more damage they’re doing to pipework – which could leave you with an even bigger and more expensive problem,” he added.
But how should you go about giving your drains a proper clean? Ann Russell, who shares cleaning videos with her 2.8 million TikTok followers, said you should start by checking there is no hair clogging the drain.
Russell, who has been a cleaner for more than 20 years, advised pouring half a mug of soda crystals down the drain, before following up with a full kettle of boiling water. You should do that every night, or every other night, for a week, she explained.
Cleaner Brogan, who goes by @nottheworstcleaner on social media, said that when it comes to the kitchen sink, you should start by loosening and softening any debris or build-up trapped in your sink’s U-bend by pouring boiling water down. She then goes in with a steamer to further dislodge any residue.
Brogan then explained that while baking soda and white vinegar essentially becomes useless as a cleaning solution when mixed together, they are helpful here as the “cleaning chemical properties are not what we’re looking for”. Instead, the foaming reaction it creates will physically agitate and dislodge debris.
After placing half a cup of baking soda down the drain, you should follow this up with half a cup of white vinegar. Make sure to immediately cover it with a wet cloth to ensure “the force goes downward”, Brogan advised.
One important thing you can do to keep your kitchen clean is to wash your sink regularly with soap and hot water, High Five Plumbing explained. This will help prevent the spread of germs and bacteria, and will also keep your sink looking shiny.
It also recommended pouring boiling water down the drain if you notice water draining slowly or an unpleasant smell. The plumbing experts said: “You may need to repeat this process before the water starts flowing freely. In addition, you can use a plumber’s snake to try to clear the blockage.”
