How do I get rid of a smelly kitchen drain?

Cathy Todd
by Cathy Todd

Its a double sink and only 1 side smells. I've tried a variety of things. We took off the trap and it's clear. I've used baking soda and vinegar. Drain stix. Bleach. We have a screen so no food goes down and we put any grease in a jar.

  4 answers
  • Within the Grove Within the Grove on Dec 12, 2018

    Have you tried citrus rinds? We usually go for lemons and it helps.

  • Jan Clark Jan Clark on Dec 12, 2018

    Do you have a dishwasher and does the smell come from that side? You might be cleaning where the smell doesn't originate. Check the pipes underneath to see where else the water may pool (aside from the trap). There might be something stuck in the pipe that your cleaning techniques aren't reaching. Then, you'll have to figure out a way to flush that side. In the mean time, baking soda - just sitting in the drain will help with the smell.

  • Jody Jody on Dec 12, 2018

    I just spent 2 days unclogging my shower drain. Nothing like showering in 3” standing water. Eyuck!!!!!! I have one of those big steamers you use to clean. I stuck it down the drain to the trap, set the steam on max and turned on the hot water. I’ve seen the plumbers use 1/2 a bottle of Dawn after cleaning my 70 year old cast iron waste pipes and running hot water 10 minutes to heat the waste pipes all the way outside. So that’s basically what I did. I used steam and ran hot water for 10 minutes. My drains SUCK!!! 🤗.


    Check your drains for a trap. The trap is necessary to prevent nasty odors from coming back up. There should always be water in there. When we had some work done under the sink we had shallow traps. Not good? Never a good water seal. They came back and one sink has no trap only an elbow but the other sink had s good deep trap.


    To explain. The left sink had the rlbow, the right had the trap. The dirty water goes out either sink but the left sink water had to go through the right trap. If the trap was on the left side I’d have smelly drain on the right. Hope this makes sense. But I do use the steamer occasionally to keep things clean and flowing. Usually the sinks.

    • See 1 previous
    • Jody Jody on Dec 14, 2018

      if you have someone who’s reasonably adept at simple plumbing, moving the trap is messy but not rocket science. Lowe’s has. Book on household repairs. About $20. And thanks for YouTube. The dishwasher suggestion is a really good one. I bought a top-of-line Bosch last summer and it took me 3 months to figure out its eccentricities. I have to check the filter at least once during EVERY wash cycle. It doesn’t always leave clean water in the drain lines. I’ve learned to remove and rinse well all parts of the filter. Then add a TBS oxyclean and rinse once with the oxyclean then once or twice more with plain water. My kitchen aid and whirlpool both left clean water in their drain traps. Just a thought. And I thankfully bought the extended warranties and have had the pump checked twice. But a good suggestion to check.


      Im learning so much from this group. Let us know what works.

  • Tou50327272 Tou50327272 on Dec 17, 2020

    Could be your garbage disposal if you have one or your drains have alot of grease or slude,build up that might require options from a professional plumber