Topic: mold smells out of kitchen sink, how do i fix??
randibear
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 11290
posted
can the odor of mold coming out of my garbage disposer make me sick?
it sure smells bad..
i've tried everything to get rid of the mold odor but nothing works.
i've tried clorox, those packets, cleaners, etc., everything and nothing works.
i have to keep the lid on all the time or else it is really bad.
i don't think i should be breathing this either. it's no place else in the house, just the kitchen sink.
-------------------- do not look back when the only course is forward Posts: 12262 | From texas | Registered: Mar 2007
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sammy
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 13952
posted
I've never had the mold smell. Have you tried running several ice cube and a lemon through the garbage disposal? This usually helps clear up any stink.
Posts: 5237 | From here | Registered: Nov 2007
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kam
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 3410
posted
thanks sammy. I have a stinky sink drain too and had forgotten I used lemon in the past to help.
Posts: 15927 | From Became too sick to work or do household chores in 2001. | Registered: Dec 2002
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jackie51
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 14233
posted
Try vinegar. Around $3 for a gallon.
Posts: 1374 | From Crazy Town | Registered: Dec 2007
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map1131
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 2022
posted
I pull out the black rubber piece and scrub it with baking soda every couple weeks. I also scrub down and around the hole where the rubber piece fits. Nasty area.
Throw a cup of baking soda down the drain with very little water(just enough to dampen) once a week. It's a great air freshner.
Pam
-------------------- "Never, never, never, never, never give up" Winston Churchill Posts: 6478 | From Louisville, Ky | Registered: Jan 2002
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dmc
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 5102
posted
just remove the black rubber...it is not needed...just a harbor of bacteria and scum.
Posts: 2675 | From ct, usa | Registered: Jan 2004
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randibear
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 11290
posted
i've tried the vinegar and lemon, didn't touch it.
i'll try the baking soda.
anything to get rid of this. even my husband, with his nose, can smell it.
-------------------- do not look back when the only course is forward Posts: 12262 | From texas | Registered: Mar 2007
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just don
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 1129
posted
you could 'try' taking out the black rubber, and water stopper in,,,then filling whole sink with water and ice cubes combined.
fill another bucket or two with water.
turn on disposal, then pull plug in bottom of sink and pour buckets of water right in to add to volume,,,drown the gunk so to speak,,,lots of gunk stays inside,,not enough volume to get gone.
other idea is to take hose off bottom,,,plug drain,,,fill plum full of vinegar and let set overnight
only reason for black rubber is to keep your fingers out of it,,,take it out and soak in vinegar,,,,put it back in ONLY if you cant keep digits out while hitting the switch.
replacing that rubber hose underneath may help also,,,gunk and rubber produce stink,,,stainless steel doesnt.
Even somebody handicapped can change that hose,,maybe it is plugged. ( even that nerd that claims husband status there)
-------------------- just don Posts: 4548 | From Middle of midwest | Registered: May 2001
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momlyme
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 27775
posted
Be careful mixing bleach with anything that may contain ammonia this can make a gaseous poison that is much like mustard gas... and can kill you!!!! (many dish washing detergents contain ammonia)
Toxic mold was suppressing our immune systems, causing extreme pain, brain fog and magnifying symptoms. Four days after moving out, the healing began. Posts: 2007 | From NY/VT Border | Registered: Aug 2010
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posted
Have you ever tried Orange Guard, also known as TKO Orange in concentrate form? Orange Guard can be found at hardware stores and TKO Orange can be ordered - one site is www.organicorangetkocal.com - I have no financial connections -
It generally gets rid of smells and mold. Just put a little in a spray bottle and spray away. Takes about a half hour to air out of a room.
Posts: 13116 | From San Francisco | Registered: May 2006
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posted
randi, sometimes after bleach, the lemon etc..... to make it smell good I poor Mr. Clean or Lysol in there and just let it set.
Nasty, isn't it HHH
-------------------- I'm glad to know I'm not alone Some peace of mind I somehow find Through folks like you with Lyme! Posts: 240 | From An infected state | Registered: Jan 2011
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Tricky Tickey
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 26546
posted
Dump a load of baking soda down the drain and pour in a half a jug of vinegar. That'll make it a volcano and clean it out. It'll foam up good, too.
-------------------- Early Disseminated LD- 2010. Currently doing acupuncture and yoga. Negative Igenex (IND & Pos Bands) ISSUES AFTER: Tendonitis, letter reversal, Low immune system. PREVENTION:SaltC,Iodine,Humaworm, Chiropractic. Posts: 1013 | From In a van down by the river. | Registered: Jun 2010
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posted
if all else fails pull the p-trap on drain and clean it out
-------------------- misdiagnosed for 19yrs until 2007 and trying to be positive for the future Posts: 21 | From mt.juliet tn | Registered: Feb 2011
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posted
I think this is a very good excuse to purchase a whole new sink!!!!!
-------------------- I'm glad to know I'm not alone Some peace of mind I somehow find Through folks like you with Lyme! Posts: 240 | From An infected state | Registered: Jan 2011
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posted
I HATE cleaning that rubber guard!! It's so nasty! I thought it was not only for safety but for keeping the "spray" from the disposal from going everywhere.
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96222 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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When I pull that NASTY guard out, I immediately spray with bleach and get the toothbrush (my husbands, ha ha!) and scrub.
Wow, when it's clean, it smells pretty darn good!
-------------------- I'm glad to know I'm not alone Some peace of mind I somehow find Through folks like you with Lyme! Posts: 240 | From An infected state | Registered: Jan 2011
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posted
One more thought, in addition to all the other great ideas of scrubbing the black flaps and inside the disposal unit, using citrus peels, ice cubes, etc.....
A plumber told us to fill the sink with hot water once a month. Then pull the plug and turn on the disposal until the water runs out.
If you have a double sink, fill both. Doing this monthly helps keep the drainpipe flushed out.
One other thing he told us was to not use the garbage disposal for much of anything. He said it's really just for the debris from rinsing or scraping the plates, not really for disposal of a lot of food waste, peelings, banana skins, eggshells and stuff like that.
We had called the plumber that day because the drainpipe broke where it goes into the wall under the sink.
When he pulled the piece out, we could see that the inside of the pipe was caked with sludge that hadn't gotten rinsed away over the years.
Granted, it was old, but I had no idea there would be so much residue in it.
Good luck! Nutmeg
Posts: 386 | From WA state | Registered: May 2005
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posted
Nutmeg you are correct, You can dump anything you want down the drain, it will just cover it up. Bleach will kill the mold so you dont have to worry about that. but any drain pipe before the ptrap can and will harbor food gunk, that is more than likely what you are smelling. Other than taking the pipes apart, you could try liquid plumber foaming, it may help. but first clean your disposal then check the pipes. I have seen pipes clog from the residue build up. And it smells like hell.
-------------------- Help I am being forced against my will to learn medicine!!! Posts: 164 | From WASHINGTON | Registered: Jun 2011
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posted
Lysol disinfectant spray is the best thing I have found for killing mold AND getting rid of the smell. We had some horrible humidity issues in our house several years back and ended up with mold growing everywhere - on the walls, floors.. it was really bad.
Bleach will get rid of the smell and lighten the mold, but it doesn't always kill it the first time so you end up bleaching over and over and over and that's a pain in the butt.
Lysol disinfectant spray. Best stuff in the world!
Posts: 156 | From Virginia | Registered: May 2011
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posted
I get this. I use baking soda and vinegar (makes a little volcano, lol.
Put lemon peels down the disposal and grind them up for a fresh smell after you let the baking soda and vinegar sit a while. Bleach is the only thing, that I know of, that will actually kill the mold.
-------------------- Best Wishes,
Hope
"Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies."
~~The Shawshank Redemption~~ Posts: 234 | From Minnesota | Registered: Dec 2010
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