Although smelly drains certainly aren’t the worst office plumbing problems you could experience, they can still be quite a pain. Identifying the cause of nasty drain odours can be difficult, and getting rid of them can be even harder again.
Many business owners will call out a professional plumber, when they can’t figure out why their drains stink – and that’s quite common. However, there are numerous things that you can do on your own to get rid of unpleasant smells, and we’ve outlined a few of them in this article. But first, let’s look at some common sources of bad drain smells.
Why Do Our Office Drains Stink?
There are numerous reasons for office drains to stink. In general, they are just like normal residential drains, but a lack of water flowing down the drain can make smells more of a problem. If the clean water in a drain’s water trap isn’t replenished regularly, nasty smells are more likely to come up.
Other sources of nasty drain smells include:
- Bad seals, especially around toilets. These might still be in good enough condition to prevent water from escaping, but smells have a nasty way of escaping.
- Semi-blocked drains. At the same time, small drain blockages can result in all sorts of smells, especially if they are located above the water trap.
- Toilets that don’t flush properly. If this is the case, waste matter can end up sitting in the toilet bowl for hours at a time, which can result in horrible odours.
There are numerous reasons why your drains might smell, but the good news is that it’s usually quite easy to get rid of the problem.
How Do We Remove Office Drain Smells?
Removing office drain smells is usually quite straightforward – especially if you can identify the source of the problem. There are a few different things that you can do, and we’ve outlined a few of our favourite DIY solutions below:
- Ensure plenty of water runs down the drain. You don’t have to go overboard, but making sure the tap runs a couple of times per day will keep your water trap in working condition.
- Getting rid of blockages using some sort of drain cleaner. Commercial drain cleaners can be great when it comes to removing blockages, but a mixture of baking soda and vinegar is a great eco-friendly solution as well.
- Cleaning regularly. Often, problems aren’t even caused by your drains. They are caused by poorly cleaned toilets, sinks and other wet areas.
As you can see, there are plenty of DIY solutions to smelly drains.o
Final Word
There are numerous reasons why your drains could stink, and there are numerous things you can do to ensure your office starts to smell good again. Although DIY fixes usually work, keep in mind that you might have to employ the services of an experienced plumbing contractor at some stage – especially if you can’t find the source of the problem and just can’t seem to fix it.