Our top pick, Drano Max Gel Clog Remover, is easy to find and use on common clogs, like hair, food, and grease. Baking soda, vinegar, and hot water are amazing home remedies when it comes to cleaning and destroying smells. Prevention is the best cure, so you should always make sure that excess fat from your cooking ends up in acontainer rather than down the drain. In addition, depending on whether it is the sewer or the drain that’s blocked, they can tell you whether it is your responsibility to have it cleared or whether your neighbours should also contribute.

In fact, many commercial drain cleaners use caustic soda (sodium hydroxide) as their main ingredient.

You’ll need to check some drains in your home more regularly than others - such as your bathroom sink, shower and bathtub. Although drain cleaners have the same constituents (either chemicals or enzymes) they have different effects and modes of action. So, if you have a drain blocked by fat, grease, and foul-smelling debris, you have an idea of how to fix the issue. Your drains are designed to flush away all manner of water and waste, but over time, debris such as soap and food particles can fix itself to the lining of a drain causing a build-up of residue that begins to petrify over time. You can save yourself the hassle of having to clear a grease clogged drain, and maybe even the expense of hiring a professional drain cleaner.

Most of the time, you can fix smelly indoor drains yourself using simple household items such as hot water mixed with baking soda. Before deciding what to do – whether to repair yourself or hire a professional – you’ll need to assess the damage. Another common problem that causes smelly drains inside the house is when they haven't been used for a long time. If you notice the smell in your shower drains or bathroom sinks, then the problem is often shampoo and soap scum or debris, as well as hair.When debris such as soap scum, hair, grease, and food scraps end up in the drain, however, they can start to build up and rot or petrify.

This product is best used to prevent and dissolve small clogs rather than to tackle big clogs that are preventing your sink from draining.This is more of a problem in towns and cities where large quantities of fat and grease accumulate in the drains and sewers, although it can happen almost anywhere. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. Hot water is usually a wonder fix for smelly drains since it releases stubborn gunk and particles to then flush easily into the sewer line. If it is your private section of the drain that has a blockage, you can check with your neighbours to see if they’ve been affected too. All the dishes are taken to be washed up, and small scraps of leftover food are washed away down the plug hole.

This gel formula is easy to apply and a good option if you only need a few applications and don’t want to spend a lot on a large quantity of drain cleaner. If you want to keep your drains clean and maintain a healthy drainage system, then prevention is the best cure. They will use specialist tools such as high powered water jetting to remove the blockage from the drain and get rid of the nasty smell, and any remaining grease or other debris.Once the vent is overrun with debris, a build-up of stagnant, dirty water likely begins to pool in the basin of the sink. Rubber gloves will help to protect your hands and make it easier to pick up clumps of hair and other nasty stuff. Clear the blockage with your rods – If clearing the drain by hand doesn’t work, then it’s time for the rods. We are all encouraged to use cold water that's 40 degrees or less to wash our clothes, both to save money and to be kinder to the environment.