The Mad Professor And The Smelly Drain

I love a good smelly drain, don't you? Find out why, as we play "Mad Professor".

So you've been away from the house for a few days and you come back and there is this dank unpleasant smell generally pervading the place. Sure, you locked the windows before you left, but this aroma is worse than stale air.

The hunt is on: Where's that dreadful pong coming from?

You sniff your way through the house and track down the source of the pong. It's the kitchen sink. Or the laundry. Or one of the drains in the bathroom. Take your pick.

That's when I SMILE to myself because I love a good smelly drain.

Who doesn't, eh?

I love a smelly drain because I get to play Mad Professor again.

Here's how that goes:

You need two ingredients. Both are as cheap as chips, so you can play Mad Professor as often as you like.

Ingredient #1 is carb soda ie. baking soda (or to give its full name, sodium bicarbonate). You'll find it in the baking section of the supermarket. Well, that's where mine is anyhow. Buy the cheapest pack.

Ingredient #2 is white vinegar. Again, buy the cheapest white vinegar because you'll be pouring it all down the drain. That's when the FUN happens.

Let's play Mad Professor

For maximum fun, put on your white laboratory coat, along with eye-protecting goggles and rubber gloves. (More on that later.)

The first thing the Mad Professor does is sprinkle a generous shake or two of carb soda down the offending drain, which in this case is the kitchen sink. How much? To tell you the truth, I've never measured it because you can't go wrong with this "science experiment". But since you asked... It'd be 3 or 4 tablespoons.

Then pour a good slosh or two of white vinegar down the drain and watch what happens. The combined ingredients will froth and bubble and foam their way up the drain and into the kitchen sink. The reaction is immediate which is what makes it such FUN.

Listen and you'll hear the white brew fizzing as it cleans away the gunk that was making the awful smell. In a matter of seconds, the smell is gone. It only cost you a few cents. And it didn't involve using any nasty chemicals.

Kids love doing this

If you've got kids or grandchildren, they'll love this. Tell them what's going to happen and let them pour the ingredients in. Then watch them fall in love with chemistry! Seeing that all-natural cleansing foam burst up out of your drain pipe is such a hoot. I love it every time. Must be a big kid, eh?

My strange little confession

So for me, a smelly drain is another FUN opportunity to play the mad professor. Yep, I love me a good smelly drain!

By the way, you don't need rubber gloves and goggles because there's nothing dangerous about what we're doing here. But dressing up would make it more fun, now wouldn't it?