Fusty Smell From Overflow

[atalanta]

My bathroom basin has a very narrow overflow ( too narrow to get a brush in ) and it smells terribly fusty/mouldy. I have only had that basin for a year. I have tried bathroom-cleaner-aerosol and also loo-cleaner, to no avail.
Should I squirt neat bleach down it, or is there anything better ?

[Zacs-Master]

Yep, neat bleach and take off the u bend fitting under the sink and clean it out. Wearing a face mask, preferrably.

[Peaspeculiars]

Cillit Bang bathroom spray foam is awesome - It will knock the socks off anything nasty in the overflow - just make sure you ventilate your bathroom well for a bit and keep any pets you have away as it's strong stuff and you will need to leave it for a few minutes before rinsing off (used it on my bathroom tiles and it worked a treat)

[Clanad]

…and if you have a drain stopper that lifts via a push-pull rod at the back of the sink, don't forget to remove it and clean out the gunk on the stopper shaft and flush the drain from there down with a good cleaner as suggested by Peaspeculiars...

[atalanta]

How on earth do I take off a u-bend ? I'm not a plumber, and the only plumber I know takes 8 months to get round to visiting when I notify him that I need his help.

[Clanad]

It's really simple, especially if it's made from PVC rather than chrome covered brass because you can often unscrew the fittings by hand without the need for tools. You can see it here:

[Clanad]

Maybe this will work better…

http://www.instructables.com/id/Unclog-bathroom-sink-without-chemicals/

[Zacs-Master]

You just unscrew it with a bucket underneath. It's v easy.

[askyourgran]

I agree with Zacs, we have a narrow overflow, fortunately a plumber was here so he took the u-bend off and we had to clean it out-really smelly job. Solved the problem for a while but it needs doing occasionally. I pour bleach down the sink overnight to keep it clear.

[Motherrr]

How often do you use the overflow... allowing the sink to fill, thus water draining out through overflow?
Cleaning the trap/u-bend won't make any difference.

[Zacs-Master]

Yes it will the smell will be coming from the gunk in the u bend.

[Motherrr]

The smell is coming from the 'overflow'. Water in the trap/u-bend stops smells coming up. If the smell is coming from both the plug hole and overflow, then yes, clean trap.

[atalanta]

The basin is right up against the wall. The space behind will not take anything near the size of a bucket. There is no S-bend - more a sort of pipe junction like a letter T on its side. The whole lot is almost completely encased in the ceramic stand of the washbasin, which encloses it on 3 sides. I can't even see round it, let alone reach round with tools - there simply isn't room.
Oddly enough, the old basin was there for 30 years and never ponged at all.
And no, I never let the basin overflow throug that space.

[The Builder]

It sounds as though you have a slimline trap under the basin. Pedestal are are right pain when trying to get at the trap. It is possible to have someone hold the basin up while you pull out the pedestal but it really isn't necessary here.

Go with chemicals/bleach as the others have suggested.

[gingejbee]

I have to agree with Motherrr....because my father had a similar problem in two sinks and it was caused by slimy black mould growths inside both the overflows...nothing to do with the U-bend. The kitchen overflow was easy to dismantle and clean out....smell gone. The bathroom sink overflow is part of the sink....so a thin, flexible test-tube brush and thick chlorine bleach were used - result, no smell. Absolutely nothing wrong down at the U-bend end of things!