Kitchen sinks see a lot of cleaning action over their lifetimes, but while they’re a major help for keeping crockery and cutlery sparkling, sometimes they need a bit of TLC too. The more we clean our dishes, the more likely sink drains are to be affected by a build-up of dirt, grease and washed-away food.

These can all contribute to unwanted and often unpleasant smells emanating from the drains. To help tackle bad smells, cleaning guru Chantel Mila shared just two ingredients that can help get rid of bad odours and keep them at bay. In a recent TikTok video, she said five tricks which can help make your home smell better, including how you can effectively deodorise your kitchen sink and drains.

All you need is some baking soda and lemons.

How to remove bad sink odours

Place a liberal amount of baking soda on a lemon that is cut in half. Rub the lemon all over the sink, making sure the baking soda and lemon juice are mixing.

Leave the mixture to soak for as long as you think it needs. Then rinse away any remaining residue with water.

Baking soda is a common ingredient used for removing smells from various areas of the home. It works by neutralising any odour-causing chemicals that are found in sink drains.

This is a more effective method rather than covering up the smells with fragrance.

Audrey Pariés of Aspen Clean told Martha Stewart: “Many unwanted smells are the result of acidic compounds. Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) is an alkaline substance, and when it comes into contact with acidic odors, it reacts to neutralize them.

“This chemical reaction between the baking soda and the acid neutralizes or produces a less odorous compound. The change in pH helps eliminate the smell.”

To properly see an effective result, it can take up to 24 hours for an odour to be properly neutralised, so don’t worry if it takes a little bit of time. However, for stubborn smells it could take several days to soak up the odour.

Baking soda, being an alkaline substance, neutralises acidic smells, while lemon juice, with its citric acid, also helps break down and neutralise both acidic and basic odour components.

Baking soda and lemon juice are also effective at removing grease and dirt, helping to get rid of the sources of any unwanted odours.