Taking a shower is supposed to be a refreshing experience, but at times, we have to bear the obnoxious smell coming from the drains. Numerous factors are responsible for this, such as odour-causing bacteria that thrive on the debris present in the pipe or anaerobic bacteria which live in the P-trap fetid water.
Additionally, bad odours can also emanate from soap and hair scum buildup in the drain. Fungus can grow on such buildup only to make things worse. Only a thorough cleaning of the drain and the P-trap vent can get rid of the odd smell.
That is why people hire
professional bond cleaners in Townsville as they have modern cleaning tools and latest techniques to deal with such problems. However, you can also make some efforts to get rid of the shower drain smell. Let’s see what you can do.
1. Remove Your Drain Strainer
If you want a deep clean, you need to remove the drain filter. It won’t be a challenging task as most of the shower filters are fixed with a single screw. Once you have removed the screw with the help of a screwdriver, you need to move the filter up – it is advisable to use a
flat-head screwdriver. In case you don’t see a screw, you can move the filter directly.
2. Clean The Strainer And Drain
Once you have removed the filter, the first thing you will notice is a layer of hair and scum at the bottom of the filter. Pull off the hair and scum with the help of a sponge and a blend of water and disinfectant, or warm soapy water. But make sure that you are wearing rubber gloves.
As you look into the drain, the same scum coating will be visible on the drainpipe. You need to pull out as much hair as possible with the help of zippered teeth, drain cleaning tool, an old toothbrush or your fingers. You can even use a foam paint roller to clean the pipe, but ensure the roller is not attached.
3. Disinfect And Refresh The Drain
If you want to disinfect the drain, all you need to do is to pour a 50-50 solution of water and household bleach into it. However, the bleach is most likely to settle down at the bottom of drainpipe and may not destroy all the
micro-organisms causing the bad odour.
So, as an alternative, you can use baking soda. Pour around one cup of baking soda in the drain, and then a cup of white vinegar. After that cover the drain and allow the soda and vinegar to settle down and produce a fizz inside the pipe. Then wash it with hot water and if required, repeat the procedure to get rid of any bad smells.
4. Stopping The Drain Odours
Our bathing soap is one of the main culprits for the drain odour and makes bathroom one of the
dirtiest places in house. Let’s agree that it is not possible to take a shower without using soap. However, you can make efforts to stop the buildup.
People often contact professional bond cleaners in Townsville for deep cleaning of the bathrooms as they have state-of-the-art equipment and cleaning solutions to solve such problems. However, you can also do it on your own. You can pour boiling water into the drain once in a while. This will not allow any type of soap layer to buildup in the drain.
5. Clean Plumbing Vents To Remove Sewer Odours
If you notice a sewer smell coming from the drain, particularly after you flush the toilet or use the washing machine, chances are high that your plumbing vents are blocked. In such a scenario, suction in the pipes from water can clear the P-trap.
Cleaning the debris from the roof vent generally resolves this issue. If the blockage occurs during winters, the roof vent could be blocked due to frozen water. In this situation, use a hairdryer at the vent to melt the ice. You can solve the problem by clearing the blockage.
Endnote
The shower drain can become quite smelly because of the accumulation of bacteria inside the pipes. And this problem can only increase if it isn’t properly cleaned from time to time. With the help of the methods mentioned above, one can get rid of the shower drain smell effectively and conveniently.
