Hi,

I came across this site and hoped I might find an answer. I recently moved into a home (1985) in late October. The people that lived here didn't maintain a lot of basic things in the house. I have noticed odors in the sinks and cleaned out one. It improved the draining of the sink, but I know I have to clean further down to fully succeed.

But recently, out of nowhere, we noticed a smell (kind of similar to sewer smell but we can't totally describe it). Anyway, we took apart the stopper and unscrewed the trap area. There was a lot of disgusting build-up in it and it definitely smelled like what we were smelling. I submerged all of the parts in a lysol solution for 30 minutes after thoroughly scrubbing them. But I could still smell the odor coming from the sink. Using a toothbrush, I scrubbed everything I could while under the sink. I scrubbed as far up as I could to the overflow on the sink. It seemed impossible to get everything. After all of that, we settled on putting back together the sink. I returned the next morning to find that the smell had diminished but was still there. I am thinking of removing the sink and submerging it in a similar solution and trying to scrub it better. But I am also worried that it could be the drain vent, although this wasn't picked up on inspection. It seems that since what I took out of the sink has the same odor I am smelling, that it is more likely to be the sink.

Any thoughts on how to do this? Is removing the sink the only way to clean it? It is so weird that we never smelled it until 2 days ago when started to lay linoleum in the bathroom and kitchen area. But no smell from the toilet. There is a kitchen sink not far from there and it has no odor.

Please respond. I am hoping for some good advice. Not fond of this smell.

Thanks,
Cheryl:(

Hi Cherry, Try this. Pour 1/2 gallon of bleach down the sinks drain and let it set overnight. Next morning flush it out with two large pans of boiling water. Smell all better now?
Regards, Tom

Hi there,

I didn't have any bleach, but I tried something else. I could tell that the smell was coming from inside the sink where the overflow was. I took vinegar and mixed it with vinegar and poured it into the overflow two or three times. After 30 minutes, each time, I followed this with boiling hot water down the overflow. Then, I didn't smell anything. I scrubbed with a toothbrush to try to get anything I could from the outside as well.

To make sure, I used some Spic and Span left behind by the previous home owners and mixed it with boiled water. I poured it down the overflow. Again, waited half an hour and chased with boiling water.

I also filled the sink with hot water until it forced water to go down the overflow to get it as washed out as possible. No smell this morning. In fact, it smells good. I hope the problem is solved. I think I will use baking soda and vinegar from time to time as a preventative. I appreciate the feedback and will bring in the big guns if I have to, but I am chemically sensitive so I try to avoid it.

I thought others might want to know what worked for me.

Thanks,
Cheryl