A plumbing expert says most people are tackling smelly, blocked sinks all wrong – but two cupboard staples could help fix it for good
Most of us use our kitchen sinks numerous times throughout the day, scrubbing greasy pans and rinsing away food scraps without giving it much thought. But all that grime, grease and food waste doesn’t just disappear.
It clings to the interior of your pipes, builds up gradually, and eventually starts to produce unpleasant odours or cause blockages. While a quick wipe with washing-up liquid might hide the issue temporarily, a plumbing expert claims there’s a more lasting solution — and it’ll cost you practically nothing. Jason Croxford, Director at Gas & Water Pipelines, said: “Most people reach for a cleaning spray when their sink starts to smell, but that only tackles the surface.
“The real issue is what’s lurking further down the drain and that needs a different approach entirely.”
To resolve it, you’ll need just two ingredients: a cup of bicarbonate of soda and a cup of distilled white vinegar — both of which you’ve likely already got in the cupboard.
Begin by tipping the bicarbonate of soda straight into the plughole, ensuring as much as possible goes down the drain. Next, pour the white vinegar on top and cover the plug with a stopper.
Jason explained: “That fizzing is exactly what you want to see. It’s working to break down anything stuck inside the pipe, grease, food residue, blockages, and shifting it along.”
He went on to say: “Letting it fizz away under the plug cover gives the reaction time to do its job properly rather than just bubbling up and out of the sink.”
Once the fizzing has stopped, follow up by pouring some washing-up liquid down the drain along with some warm water from the kettle — though don’t pour it straight from the boil.
“Let the kettle sit for a few minutes before you pour,” Jason added. “You’re looking for warm water, not boiling. Warm water helps to expand the pipes gently and flush everything through without causing any damage.”
Another thing many people tend to forget is their dishwasher, which is in fact connected directly to the kitchen sink drain.
Jason went on: “Your dishwasher and your kitchen sink share the same drainage system, so if one is harbouring a build-up of grease and grime, it’s going to affect the other.
“We’d recommend cleaning your dishwasher filter regularly and running a hot empty wash once a month using a cup of distilled white vinegar placed in a bowl at the bottom of the machine.
“The vinegar breaks down grease and removes odours and because it’s going through the full wash cycle, it cleans parts of the system that you simply can’t reach by hand.”
