Hi there,

There is a mildew smell coming from my bathroom sink. I live on the ground/basement level of a newly renovated building. I've been here for two years, we had a flood the first year I was here (I cleaned my entire apartment with bleach afterwards and professionals came in and cleaned the apartment next to mine and all of the common areas), and the smell only shows up during the warm months. My sink is housed in a wooden cabinet, but I see no signs of mildew growth either in or around it. I noticed some other answers to similar questions on this site, so I checked to see if the smell is coming from the drain, but it really seems strongest when I open the cabinet and smell inside. The puzzler is that I don't see any mildew growth inside the cabinet. Could the smell be coming from the pipes in the cabinet? Should I try the bleach-down-the-drain-and-then-boiling-water-flush I saw suggested to some other folks? Thanks for any help!!

If you want to freshen the drain try this. Mix ½ cup of table salt with ½ cup baking soda, dump down the drain followed by a cup of vinegar. Allow to soak overnight and flush the next day with a big bucket of very hot water. In your case I might also suggest you remove the kick plate from the front bottom of the cabinet. The mildew may be inside the base.

What is the kick plate? I have the saame problem

I am having the same issue. I have a very powerful nose. I went through everything you are going through. I finally realized it's the overflow that is causing this horrible, potent mildew smell. It actually has a separate water flow down the drain than the rest of the sink. I stuck a long, thin brush down there and was horrified to pull out thick, black gunk. My husband never fills this basin with water (it's his sink in the bathroom), so I suspect underuse caused the problem. I am in the process of trying to kill the mildew and bacteria with (alternate) use of bleach, toilet bowl cleaner with bleach (gel), baking soda and vinegar, and a product called "Drain Care." It's still not going away! But at least I know what the problem is. I'm hoping that several days of cleaning will finally cure this nasty problem.