Smelly drains... yuk

[[M]umma[M]ia]

Bi carb seems to work, for a little while. But is there anything else i can poor down smelly drains to clean them out and get rid of the smell?

[Trillian]

Do you know if your drains have pee traps? If they don't it would be the cause of the constant smell as there is nothing to stop the stale, stagnant water coming back up the pipe and causing the smell. If you do have pee traps, then the water can still smell a little if there is some sitting in the bottom of the s-bend. I always use a mix of boiling water and eucalyptus oil and pour down our bathroom floor drain when it's a bit smelly and it lasts for a while. You could also try vinegar. If the smell is caused by a buildup or blockage of scum, fat/food etc (in kitchen drains) then you may need to hit it with some caustic soda to erode it away.

[[M]umma[M]ia]

the smell usually comes from the shower. :S

It was coming from the toilets too but them blue tablets fixed that.

[LaDeeDa]

Try Bicarb, Salt and vingegar - put it down the drain leave for 15 mins and then flush with boiling water....

[Erin_25]

yeah I use vinegar or Ajax....seems to work no worries. Vinegar is a geat toilet cleaner.

[Astrid]

Couple of questions: Are you on bore water? Do you have a septic tank? Is your plumbing properly installed?

Just asking, as at our last house we owned the drain from the bathroom basin did not connect to the main drain by 1 inch. So all the water was just pooling under the house and smelling. Where we are at now we have both bore water and septic tank. The bore water has gotten a bacteria in it and is smells rank, so when we use that water we get a yuckky bad drain smell. If you have a septic, then it may need to be emptied.

[[M]umma[M]ia]

astrid - yes we are on bore water and have a septic. Didnt even think of that... im renting.. so do i just ring the realo's?

[Astrid]

Give them a call. Just say that you have smelly drains and have tried the normal solutions. They might be able to send out a plumber.

[AnyDream]

There is an environmentally friendly product called Actizyme that you can get at the supermarket. They are pellets that contain natural enzymes that break down any material that might be sitting in your drainlines. Totally suitable for use in septics as they can help the septic system process waste quicker.

[~Jayne~]

My sister has just poured peppermint down her drains as she had smelly drains as well, & now it smells gorgeous. I'll have to check with her exactly what she used. When I asked her what the smell was she said "well, der it's Peppermint' I just assumed it was one of those domestic things I should have already knowns so I just dumbly nodded my head.