Odours coming from your drains can be annoying. They can also make your bathroom feel dirty or your kitchen seem unappetising. Luckily, there are lots of ways to get rid of odours. Check out these ideas.

1. Use a Commercial Drain Unclogger

In a lot of cases, the odour may be coming from something stuck in your drain. To get rid of that clog, try pouring a commercial drain cleaner down the offending drain. That substance breaks down the clot and hopefully eliminates the odours.

2. Try Bleach or Vinegar

In other cases, odours may come from buildup along the sides of the pipes. If commercial unclogger doesn't work, try running some bleach or vinegar down the drain. Both of those substances help to kill stubborn bacteria that may be creating odours. A few shakes of soda bicarbonate in this mixture can also help to absorb odours.

3. Use Hot Water and Dish Soap

If the odour smells greasy like old fry oil, it may actually be caused by grease or even body oils in the drain. To address grease, pour very hot water down the drain along with a bit of dish soap. The dish soap helps to break up the grease while the hot water helps to melt any clogs.

4. Run Water Down All Unused Drains

When the odour is coming from a drain that you don't use a lot, the issue may be a dry trap. Many residential drains have a water trap in them, but if the drain doesn't get used for a long time, the water in the water trap evaporates.

When that happens, the space can get filled with sewer gasses, and those odours will emanate out of the drain. Simply try running water down those drains or flushing the toilet if the odour is coming from a toilet.

5. Put Lemon Peels in Your Garbage Disposal

This tip only works for drains attached to garbage disposals. Simply, section up a few lemons and put them down the garbage disposal. Ideally, the ice citrus smell should replace the unwanted odours.

6. Clean Drain Covers

If the drain covers are harbouring debris such as hair in the bathroom or food particles in the kitchen, that may be causing your odours. In addition to trying the above ideas, also consider cleaning your drain covers. Remove them, and soak them in cleaning solution.

7. Contact a Professional

Finally, if the odour persists, contact a drain professional. Many odours can be caused by backed up pipes or other issues that can be impossible to deal with on your own.