Is there always a foul smell in your bathroom? It can come from the sink, toilet, or floor drain, and either way, it is unpleasant. Also, it’s no use opening the window or the exhaust fan for ventilation. Every time you turn on the water, the stench comes out to linger in the bathroom for a long time. Why does the bathroom sink smell like rotten eggs? Are there any solutions to get rid of such foul smells? Here is more information about how to do the stench produce and some useful solutions to deal with such a situation.
Why Does It Smell Like Rotten Eggs?
Most people think the odor in the bathroom sink smells like rotten eggs, while others think it smells like sewage or sulfur. And yes, the real face of the sewer stench is a gas called hydrogen sulfide. We all know that the drains are full of bacteria and one of these bacteria is called anaerobic bacteria. With the anaerobic bacteria in the wastewater, sulfides cannot be oxidized. Instead of being oxidized, the sulfide combines with hydrogen to form hydrogen sulfide gas, creating the rotten egg smell and permeating your bathroom.
The Cause Of The Rotten egg Smell In Bathroom Sink
To solve the problem that your bathroom sink smells like rotten eggs, you should know what causes this at first. There are several likely causes of your bathroom stench.
Hair And Dirt Clog The Drain
A common cause of a disgusting smell is simply bacteria build-up. Why do the bacteria build up in the drain and sink? That’s because your hair, the dirt, and other products were flushed into the drain but clogged in it. These clogs didn’t get cleaned well and are in the wet sewer, therefore, the bacteria multiplied.
Trapped Food
It is less possible that your bathroom sink stinks due to the trapped food. But it could be that an accident happened and you had to wash the dishes in the bathroom. Then the food blockage in your bathroom drain. As a result, bacteria breed in the sink to cause the stench.
Collapsed Drain
The collapsed drain is caused by the cracks in your pipes. If you can still smell the bad smell after unclogging the drain, you will have to ask a plumber or drainage expert to see if it is a collapsed drain. If so, it can be tricky to deal with. You need to call a professor for help rather than fix it by yourself.
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How To Detect The Origin Of The Smell?
Before taking action to figure out the odor problem, you should find out where does the bad smell comes from. You can detect the source of your bathroom stench easily by the following steps:
- Fill a glass of water from the cold tap of your sink and take it outside to smell.
- Then fill a glass of water form the hot tap of your sink and do the same thing as above.
- If the bad smell only the hot water, the problem may come from your water heater.
- When the both glasses of water smell bad, there is a high probability that the water supply is not good.
- If there is no odor in both glasses, maybe the smell present in your drain.
After finding the source of the foul smell, you still have to check if the smell is only from that source. There is a more serious situation in which both the water supply and drains are polluted. If the drains are the source of the stench, you may find that the smell gets worse after flushing into the drains. If the water is responsible for the odor, you would have to check if this only exists in your bathroom sink. Therefore, other faucets should also be detected. If the water from other faucets also smells bad, then it could be some contamination in the water supply.
What To Do When Bathroom Sink Smells Like Rotten Egg?
Odor Exist In Water Heater
If you detect that the odor is from the water heater, your water heater may be contaminated. The most likely cause is that the magnesium in the anode rod in the heating device reacts with bacteria and produces an odor. If that’s the case, you can disinfect the water in the tank with hydrogen peroxide to eliminate odors and replace the anode rod with the aluminum one. Aluminum is an inactive metal that does not react easily with bacteria.
Foul Smell Comes From The Drains
If the foul smell comes from the drains, it produces due to hair and dirt clogs or food blocking commonly. Luckily, there are several methods for such a situation.
Using Baking Soda And White Vinegar
You can do the simple sink deodorizing by using a cup of baking soda and a cup of white vinegar. Firstly, you need to sprinkle a cup of baking soda into the sink drain. Next, add a cup of white vinegar to the drain and wait until they begin to foam. Finally, flush a whole pot of boiling water down the drain. The effect is immediate.
Using A Plunger
Another simple way for you to eliminate peculiar smells in the bathroom sink is to use the plunger. Since your sink drain might be blocked by some dirt or hair, you can use the plunger to unclog the pipe and flush it. Make sure you flush enough water to take away the source of the odor.
Check The U-Bend
If your bathroom sink smells like rotten eggs, the odor could occur in the U-bend. You can find a U-Bend waste pipe beneath your sink. To check if there are some clogs in it to cause the odor, you should remove the U-bend. Then have a warm flush of water rinsed through the U-bend to clean it.
Odor In Water Supply
If odor occurs in all water faucets, the problem is probably in the main water supply. You can go to ask your neighbors whether they confront with the same issue. If so, you have to contract with the water provider.
There’s another case that you have a well and all the water supply comes from it. In this case, it is your pressure tank that has been contaminated. You can use household bleach to disinfect it.
FAQ
Can you put bleach down the sink?
Every house owner should know that there is something you can’t pour down in your sink since it could ruin your house drains, such as the cooking oil and bleach. If you want to use bleach to unclog your drains, you just throw this thought away. Not only the bleach won’t work but it can burst your drain pipes.
Can I pour vinegar down the drain?
Yes, you can use vinegar for the maintenance of your drain pipes. The vinegar can work well with baking soda to unclog your house drains. Pouring very hot water or pouring a cup of vinegar and leaving it for half an hour can be good for preventing drain clog. You can do this once a week.
