Should I Cover My Rarely Used Shower Drain to Prevent Smells?
Asked by XyZ83!PqR
Hey folks, I'm looking for some advice here. There's a shower and bathroom in my house that doesn't get much use, but I've noticed that when the water in the U trap dries out, unpleasant smells start to come up. To tackle this, I started covering the drain with a simple plastic lid, and I flush it with some water every couple of weeks to keep the trap wet. However, I'm now worried that keeping water stuck in there might lead to rust or degradation of the metal trap and pipes. But then again, if the shower were used regularly, the water would go through it anyway. Should I just let it dry out on its own instead of keeping it covered? I really don't want to end up having to deal with a bad leak or clogging from a shower drain pipe. I think it's metal and around 1.5 inches in diameter. Any thoughts? Thanks!
Answers
As someone in the salon business, we have a similar issue. We use a mix of a quarter cup of bleach and a quarter cup of mineral oil in our shower drains. The bleach can help get rid of any sewer flies and their eggs, while the mineral oil helps slow evaporation. Just make sure not to mix bleach with ammonia if you’re cleaning other surfaces!
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I had no idea drying out could be an issue! I'm following this thread to learn more, as I have a shower that’s not used much either.
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It's actually better to keep some water in the trap to stop any unwanted gases from coming back up into your bathroom. You might want to try adding a few tablespoons of mineral oil to the water in the trap; it helps slow down evaporation, too.
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