The Most Common Bathroom Complaints

The bathroom can be a smelly place, but one surprising culprit of bathroom grime is the sink and its drain. When you first notice the problem, you may try pouring a lot of chemicals down the sink in the hopes of unclogging it. Unfortunately, this doesn’t always solve the problem.

No matter if you’re dealing with a smelly sink or a broken toilet, it’s helpful to know what causes some of these common bathroom complaints.

Why Does My Sink Smell?

If you notice your sink is getting overwhelmingly smelly, you might notice some of these signs:

A smelly overflow drain — Most sinks come with an extra drain that prevents your kids from flooding the bathroom. These drains can end up catching and holding a small amount of water, which can become stagnant and smelly. This is the likely culprit if the smell is worse as water flows down your drain. For a quick fix, try using a foaming pipe cleaner to get rid of stagnant water and any grime that has built up.
A smell when you turn on the faucet — If the smell hits you as soon as you turn on the water, you may have dirt or other smells built up in your faucet. Clean this out by removing and cleaning the aerator cap, taking out the drain stopper, and cleaning with a snake. You can also try spraying bleach down your drain.
A rotten egg smell — If you’re smelling rotten eggs and you don’t have a gas leak, you probably have sulfur in your water. You’ll need to work with a professional to get rid of it, so contact your local Mr. Rooter office and your municipal water company for testing.

As a safety tip, never pour bleach and any ammonia cleaner down your drain at the same time. When these products combine, they can create a poisonous gas — inhaling it can be deadly.

How Do I Fix My Toilet?

Toilets play a large role in our daily lives, and it’s difficult to go about your daily routine when it isn’t working right. Toilets have a few different moving parts, which unfortunately means that various things can go wrong. Here are some of the most common toilet problems with a few tips to help you learn how to fix a toilet:

It runs a lot after you flush — Make sure you have an effective seal by lifting up the tank cover and checking to see if your plug fits. It if doesn’t connect, see if it needs to be replaced. Double-check the refill tube to make sure the end of it is above your tank’s water level.
It won’t refill — The older ball-clock flush mechanisms may have problems running and filling. Thankfully, most toilets can fit a float cup, which has a better lifespan and is easy to install. It’s a solution that will fix your refilling problems.
It has a leaky bottom — If there’s liquid around the bottom of your toilet, check the wax ring and closet bolt at the base of your toilet and drain. These rings and bolts don’t last as long as your toilet does, so you’ll need to replace them eventually. Make sure you turn off your water before you replace the wax rings!