Our sinks bear quite the brunt in the kitchen, with dirt and grease often thrown down them as we tackle piles of pots, pans and dishes after cooking. While they’re used to doing much of our household cleaning, it can be easy to forget that sinks actually need cleaning too, especially if bits of leftover food are constantly being thrown down the drain.
It might be tempting to simply wash dirt, grease and leftover food down the drain, but this can also lead to unpleasant odours, especially if you don’t give it a frequent clean. Scrubbing your sink with some washing-up liquid, or wiping it down with a cleaning spray, might work for a quick clean, but won’t effectively tackle odours from built-up dirt. While some methods advise using ingredients like cinnamon to tackle nasty odours, there’s another simple method that ensures drains get a deep clean and odours are banished for good.
Home and cleaning expert Laura de Barra has shared how to get a sparkling clean kitchen sink in three simple steps that effectively banish odours from built-up dirt, grease and food, in just a matter of minutes.
Instead of using “harsh chemicals or synthetic fragrances that just cover up bad smells”, Laura explained that she uses a cup of bicarbonate of soda and distilled white vinegar to properly remove any odours wafting up from the sink.
Starting with a cup of bicarbonate of soda, Laura firmly pats this into the plug to get as much of it down the drain as possible, before washing it down with a cup of white vinegar. But make sure you have a plug cover to hand, as once you pour the white vinegar down it will start fizzing immediately.
“That fizzing is what will start moving anything stuck to the inside of the pipe and any blockages further down,” explained the home expert.
For the next step, Laura goes in with some washing up liquid, which works as a natural degreaser and picks up any of the dirt, grease and food that’s been loosened. Squeeze this down the plug, wash it down with some warm water from a kettle that’s been left to cool for a few minutes.
Warm water works more effectively than boiling water, helping to expand the pipes connected to your kitchen sink and flushing out built-up grime.
The third and final step, which Laura says is “the most important part”, is making sure you’re frequently cleaning your dishwasher, as many of us don’t realise the pipes for this are connected to the kitchen sink, which can lead to smelly odours.
“If you’re not cleaning your dishwasher filter weekly, you’re probably going to have a bad smelling sink,” said Laura.
To prevent odours from food and blockages in dishwasher pipes wafting up through your kitchen sink, the home expert advises doing a hot wash once a month when the dishwasher is empty with a cup of distilled white vinegar.
White vinegar effectively breaks down grease and neutralises any nasty odours before they reach your kitchen sink, and can simply be placed in a bowl at the bottom of your dishwasher for a wash.