Matt M

Thank you very much for this suggestion. I’ve been known to cover drains and tape them off, but this will be handy for shower drains when needing to run water down them.

Thanks for the Google keywords. I was having trouble finding any results before that. Looks like there could be an issue with gases leaking around the base of the toilet. Some people reported siliconing or taping could solve the problem quickly for a short term stay type of situation like mine.

Thanks Jeff. This is the setup I'm dealing with under the sink in the kitchen. Around 3pm almost everyday, I get an odor of garlic which is stifling. I wonder if I could use some type of tape to create a makeshift seal of some sort. I'll be here for 3 more weeks so it might be worth my time depending on the effort needed. There's a different issue in the bathroom though. As you mentioned, it might be poor ventilation. There is a plumbing trap under the bathroom sink, though the problem could be coming from the toilet or the drain. I once taped over a drain (not the shower one) and that worked.

Yeah I've noticed those traps. The place I'm at now doesn't have one, but thanks for that tip. That could be the issue at the next place I stay at. I'll look for something like draino at the supermarket. Thanks for the tips fellas!

Apologies if this is in the wrong forum. I've been coming to PH for several years now and as many of you know, most of the times the kitchens and bathrooms can smell like a sewer. Does anyone know what causes this and how to fix it? Obviously in the kitchen the problem has to do with the drain and in particular, the area under the sink (this area always smells bad no matter how nice the place is that I'm staying in). In the bathroom it's harder to know if the smell is coming from the sink, the toilet, or the shower drain (possibly all three!). The hosts of the places I stay with don't seem to mind the smell, but it drives me crazy and if it was an easy fix, I would do it myself or even hire someone. Thanks for the info expats :)