Cleaning plugholes

enchilada

Hello everyone,

I'm having a lot of trouble keeping my plugholes and drains clean. They're not blocked, but they smell, and when I shine a light into them I can see brown gunk coating the inside of the pipe.

I've tried a foaming cleanser which did work a bit, and also shoved a cable tie down to scrape the sides, but I can still see gunk in places I couldn't reach, and to be honest it's not an experience I wish to repeat that often.

How can I keep them clean on a regular basis so they don't start to smell?

EssexExile

If you have a bottle trap or a u-bend with water in then you shouldn't smell anything. For cleaning the best way is to take them apart as much as possible & give all the bits a good clean in the sink. A bottle brush is good for any bits that won't come apart.

What are you putting down there that blocks them? If it's the kitchen sink then stop pouring fat etc down the sink.

enchilada

Thanks EssexExile- it's all of the plugholes. I notice it most in our bathroom sink.

We are very strict about no fat down the plugholes. I think the smell is from the gunk coating the sides of the pipe, which I can't seem to remove completely.

Ganga

Try spraying down the plughole with a bathroom cleaner or spray bleach cleaner ,leave on for 30 mins then rinse with boiling water from your kettle.

grumbler

enchilada said:

I notice it most in our bathroom sink.

Can it be the overflow pipe/duct?

chrisw

Caustic soda should remove it but be careful handling it.

omendata

Pour some petrol down and set it on fire - burns everything off mind you it could set the house on fire!
>;o)
Seriously i am expert at it now some baking soda, mixed with white vinegar and asda dilute bleach give it a good shoogle first then pour it down cleans everything even the black gunge off the sides!

fenwick458

red label hypochlorite 

MaryEllen

Sounds like my bathroom sink, with the  main gubbins culprit being teeth-cleaning spitty-outy stuff. I use a small bottle brush (for cleaning metal straws) and an old toothbrush. Do it often.

Paulash

The best solution to unblock / slow running plug hole is to use a plunger, available from Wickes or other hardware stores at £3.15.
Fill the sink 1/2 full, block overflow with cloth and pump the plunger up and down. this releases lots of muck and clears the pipework etc

FreeBear

fenwick458 said: red label hypochlorite 

Which is nothing more than industrial strength bleach. Good for killing germs that produce the nasty smells. Won't do much for clearing blockages or removing the gunk coating the inside of the pipes. And you most certainly do not want to be mixing it with acid (such as vinegar) as it will release chlorine gas (nasty stuff that will kill if inhaled).