The Secret To Cleaning Smelly Sinks Is Already In Your Pantry

Does your sink stink? While this may sound like the lead-in to an hour-long infomercial about a miracle gizmo called the DeStinkerator 3K, we're not actually here to sell you any snake oil. Smelly sinks can happen to the best of us, and they may be caused by problems ranging from trapped sewer gas to leaky pipes to bacteria growing in the drains. 

While more severe issues might require the intervention of a plumber, simple sink stinks can be dealt with by the application of a product you probably already have on hand: vinegar. All you need to do is boil a few cups of the stuff, then pour about half of it down the drain. Run some cold water to wash away any trapped gunk that may be causing the odor problem, then finish up with the rest of the hot vinegar.

As to what type of to use, your most economical option for cleaning vinegar as opposed to cooking vinegar is likely to be the distilled white kind (which also works wonders for making homemade pickles, incidentally). Still, there are some folks who swear by using apple cider vinegar for baking, drinking, and treating whatever ails them as well as for cleaning, too. While it tends to cost quite a bit more than distilled white vinegar, if you prefer its slightly apple-y smell, you can certainly use it if you wish. You could even use wine or balsamic vinegar if you're feeling extravagant, since pretty much all vinegars can deodorize due to the acetic acid they contain.

If you want to double up on drain deodorizing, your best bet is to add another ingredient to your vinegar of choice. This one's even simpler, and is also pretty cheap: good old baking soda. And it might actually have some legit claims to being a miracle product: Baking soda can tenderize meat when added to a marinade, and it's a pantry staple that makes your beans less gassy. You can even use baking soda to remove pesticides from produce. As to its deodorizing properties, these come courtesy of the alkalinity which allows it to neutralize acid-based odors.

When baking soda and vinegar team up, you have a dynamic duo of stink-busters, since the baking soda can take care of any acid odors, while vinegar goes after alkaline ones. If you mix the two in your sink drain, you also get a fizzy mini-volcano that might help get rid of any clogs. For best results, pour equal parts of each product down the drain (about half a cup should do for a standard kitchen sink), starting with the baking soda. Plug the drain and let everything sit for at least half an hour, then boil a kettle of water and pour it down the sink to wash out any remaining residue. 

Your sink should smell nice and fresh by now, but if the drains are still slow, you might want to repeat the process and add some coarse salt to the baking soda since its crystals can help "scrub" the drains from the inside. An overnight soak, too, should allow your natural cleaning products to do a more effective job.