You’ve scrubbed, flushed, even played the boiling-water card, and still the whiff returns by morning. Here’s the tiny, almost cheeky move people are trying: a single spoonful of salt at night.
It was late, plates drying in their rack, the flat quiet except for the soft tick of the radiator. By morning, the sour whiff had vanished. I hadn’t dismantled pipes or wrestled with chemicals; I’d tipped a spoon of table salt into the plughole, turned off the light, and let time do the rest. Then I reached for the salt.
Why your sink smells—and how a spoon of salt turns the tide
Kitchen drains are tiny ecosystems. Bits of food slip past the strainer, grease cools and sticks, and a slimy biofilm grows where you can’t see it. That’s the smell: volatile gases wafting from a warm, wet, low-oxygen tunnel just below the plughole.
In a terraced house in Leeds, a reader told me she’d tried lemon wedges, coffee grounds, fancy gels. Nothing held. One night she tipped in a spoon of salt and walked away. In the morning the odour had dulled to almost nothing, and by day two it was gone. **One spoonful is enough.**
There’s simple logic behind it. Salt crystals are gritty, so they scour as they settle and dissolve, helping to lift the greasy film that traps smells. Salt also draws moisture by osmosis and creates an environment many odour-causing microbes dislike, so they slow down. Add gentle heat and you get a tiny, targeted clean of the immediate pipework where stink begins.
The one-spoon method: simple, quick, done
Do it at night so the salt can sit undisturbed. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of ordinary table salt straight down the plughole, then follow with about 200 ml of hot (not boiling) water to help it drift through the first bend. Leave it overnight, rinse with warm water in the morning, and breathe. **Do it at night, let it sit, wake up to fresh air.**
Fine salt dissolves and spreads quickly; coarse salt adds extra scrub if your sink can handle a little grit. If your kitchen has a disposal, a handful of ice plus a spoon of salt cleans the grinding chamber nicely—run it for 10 seconds, then rest it overnight. Let’s be honest: nobody really does that every day. Aim for once or twice a week, or whenever the air starts to turn.
We’ve all had that moment when you walk in with coffee and instead meet the faint smell of old dishwater. The salt trick is a low-lift reset, not a miracle cure. It won’t fix a blocked trap, a venting issue, or standing water that screams “call a plumber.” It will freshen the place where odours form first—right near the plughole—while you sleep.
“Salt is cheap, gentle on most sinks, and surprisingly effective for surface odours,” says Tom Barker, a North London plumber. “If the smell returns fast, that’s a sign something deeper needs attention.”
- Use at night so the salt rests in the trap.
- Hot, not boiling, water if you’ve got PVC pipes.
- Skip mixing vinegar and bleach—ever.
- Great for stainless and composite sinks; take care with worn enamel.
- Persistent smells can signal a clog, dry trap, or faulty seal.
From small ritual to easy reset
This isn’t about turning you into a cleaning robot. It’s about a tiny ritual that keeps your kitchen from smelling like a train station bin. Salt gives you breathing space, and a better morning, while bigger jobs wait their turn.
Try it after a heavy cooking night, or when the sink has swallowed a weekend’s worth of pasta water and plate scrapes. If you want a deeper refresh, pair the salt with a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda once a week, then a cup of hot water. **Small rituals change how a home feels.**
Some homes will need more than a spoon of salt. If odours come roaring back within hours, you may have a partial clog, a dry U-bend, or a venting issue pulling sewer air into the room. Salt is the first step—the quiet nudge. What happens next is the real story you’ll tell.
| Key points | Detail | Reader Interest |
|---|---|---|
| Why salt works | Abrasive crystals lift greasy biofilm; hyper-salty water slows odour-causing microbes | Science-backed simplicity you can try tonight |
| How to do it | 1 tbsp salt + 200 ml hot water at night; rinse in the morning | Clear, quick steps with zero faff |
| Limits and next steps | Won’t solve clogs or faulty traps; track smell patterns and escalate if needed | Know when DIY ends and a pro begins |
FAQ :
- Will salt damage my pipes or sink?In small amounts, no. Table salt is gentle for stainless steel, composite, and modern PVC when followed with hot—not boiling—water. If your enamel is chipped or your pipes are very old, start with a teaspoon to test.
- Does this work with a garbage disposal?Yes. Add a handful of ice and a spoon of salt, run the unit for 10 seconds, switch off, then leave it overnight. The ice scours the chamber, the salt freshens the residue.
- Rock salt or table salt—does it matter?Table salt spreads faster and reaches more surfaces. Rock salt has more grit, which can help in a metal sink, but it may sit in lumps in narrow pipes. A simple tablespoon of fine salt is the easy win.
- Can I combine salt with bicarbonate or vinegar?Salt plus bicarbonate is a solid weekly reset. If you use vinegar, use it separately and never with bleach. Keep it simple: one product, water, and time.
- What if the smell returns quickly?That points to a deeper issue: a partial blockage, dry U-bend, or a loose seal. Try a thorough clean of the trap or seek a plumber’s eye if the odour resurfaces within a day.
