Cleaning floor grates

Often, customers will complain of a foul smell emanating from their drains. Although it is likely this is caused by a blockage in the sewerage line, often there can be other factors which may be causing the smell.

Hair, soap scum and dead skin accumulate in the floor waste trap and begin to smell over time. Cleaning floor waste grates and traps is an important habit to get into if you want to keep your drains smelling fresh. If dirty work isn’t your forte, call a plumber with a high-pressure jet rodder. They will be able to clean the drains and traps with high pressure water. Request they clean the walls of the trap while they are giving the drain pipes a sparkle.

The chrome plates can also get a buildup of bacteria that tends to turn black. This happens more to fixtures that don’t get used as often. When water is washing over the grates daily, the grates stay cleaner than one’s which are not used very often. Chrome grates can be cleaning using a gentle metal cleaner and a soft fabric cloth. Avoid using harsh chemicals and scrubbers.

Drains also become smelly if they are not used for some time. For instance, in households with two bathrooms, often the second bathroom is treated as a guest bathroom and therefore does not get frequent use. Sometimes the drains can become smelly as the bathroom is not being used enough. This occurs because the water seal is not maintained.

When there is little or no water sitting in the trap (U or S shaped bend), the sewerage smells can escape through the drain, giving off a foul odour. This can be rectified by running water through the fixtures such as the shower, bath, basin and pouring some hot water down the floor waste.