How do we eliminate a strong smell from bathroom drain?

mich1972

Hi everyone. The last couple of days we have noticed a really awful strong smell in our bathroom. My hubby thinks it’s coming from either the floor drain, bathtub drain ( never use the bath ) or the shower. We are not exactly sure but geez it’s awful. Please can you advise us what to do, what product I can buy from Bunnings. Thank You 😊 

EricL

Hello @mich1972 

Thanks for sharing your question about your smelly bathroom drain. A water trap has been positioned somewhere in your plumbing layout to keep the sewer gas from entering your home. If you've not been using your bath for a certain amount of time the water inside the trap might have evaporated to a lower level. If it goes past the trap point the sewer gas will be able to pass through the air gap in the trap and enter your room. Please have a look at the diagram below.

I suggest tipping in a bucket full of water into the bath waste to restore the water level in the trap. To clean out the smell in the pipework, I propose tipping in a cup of baking soda into the bath waste, please use a paper funnel to make sure it all goes into the waste and not on your tub. Then tip in a cup of cleaning vinegar, there will be an immediate fizzing reaction, cover your bath waste with the bath plug. Wait for 10 minutes and then run hot water into the drain.

I also suggest tipping in a bucket of water in your floor drain as a secondary trap might be positioned further along. Open your doors and windows to promote air circulation. Unfortunately, sewer gas smell has a tendency to stick to objects, I suggest having a look at Peerless JAL 750ml Attack Odour Neutraliser to help get rid of the smell.

Please make sure to wear proper safety equipment such as disposable gloves and safety goggles when mixing the baking soda and cleaning vinegar.

If you need further assistance, please let me know.

Eric