The Unexpected Reason You Should Leave Paper & A Glass In Your Sink While You're Away

Do you ever come home from a long trip and you're instantly hit with a foul odor? Your fridge was cleared out, the house was clean before you left, and trash was properly disposed of, so what is that stench? If your nose leads you to your sinks and more specifically your drains, then you're getting warm. Hot, even. The trap, formally called the siphon, inside your drain is likely dried up, whereas it usually has a tiny amount of moisture to keep the smell of sewage from creeping up and out of your sink. While usually there to create a seal between your home and the pipe attached to your drain, when it evaporates after too long without running sink water, the bad odors can begin to seep out. However, by placing a piece of paper and a cup of water over your drains before a long trip, you can ensure this barrier remains in place.

The essential sink precaution you should take before leaving for a long time is also one of the simplest things to do. The reason this hack works is twofold. The paper will absorb the moisture as it evaporates, keeping it over the drain so that the gases that emit sewage smells don't leak into your home. The glass is a suction plug to keep the paper over your sink's openings, helping it stay in place.

People use this trick differently. Some say to place a piece of paper down, then fill a glass with water before tipping it upside down over the paper, covering the drain. It seems this is adding more moisture to the barrier before you leave, ensuring there is enough to help quell the odors. Others just add the paper and cup without water, but suggest using a sheet of paper that is extra absorbent. It might be worth trying one of each of these tactics to see what works best for your sink. 

Regardless, make sure to add a little water to the siphon (which is what protects the pipe that curves down and away with all the waste and liquids) to lubricate and promote the seal that occurs while you're gone. There is another perk to using this hack before leaving your home for long stretches. Many people find that everything from flies to cockroaches has crawled up and out of their sinks while they were away, but by blocking it off, the bugs will die either in the drain or the cup. While not ideal to come home to little bug corpses inside your basin, this is preferable to finding them around your house. It may not keep bugs out of your drain, but it will keep them contained. It also helps to know how to clean your kitchen sink drain so you can regularly empty the trap to avoid odors!