What Is Causing Terrible Odors In My Restaurant’s Kitchen?

It doesn’t take the trained nose of a drain and sewer expert to notice a sewage odor when you walk into a restaurant. A slight funk in the air could ruin your customer’s meal but while it’s easy to blame the bathroom for that odor, the culprit is often actually coming from the kitchen area.

The odors released from the kitchen come in a couple of different forms: the first could be an unpleasant grease smell and the other could be more like sewage – the smell of rotten eggs. Keeping your entire facility clean is vital to a kitchen or restaurant’s success. It’s what customers expect and, if it starts to get bad, the entire business could actually come to a screeching halt!

What Could Be Causing Foul Odors In My Restaurant’s Kitchen?

Embarrassing odors in your kitchen, such as sewer gasses or grease, are most likely the direct result of your restaurant’s drains, whether it’s floor drains, dishwasher drains or the grease trap.

When dealing with funky kitchen smells, chances are it’s most likely coming from the floor.

An essential part of any kitchen, if floor drains don’t have water flowing through them consistently, the water in the p-trap will evaporate, allowing smells – like sewer gas and other odors – to escape into the air. Drying out is more likely to occur during the winter and summer, because of heating and air conditioning. Also, as the kitchen’s floors are cleaned, a lot of debris finds its way into the drain, collecting at the entrance or building up in the line. All of that food and gunk could lead to a clog, restricting the flow of wastewater and leading to an unpleasant smell. You’ll be able to tell, if the water is constantly draining at a much slower than usual pace.

Another cause could be related to the dishwasher. With a steady streamline of dishware being used regularly, that means a lot of food scraps and debris need to be rinsed off before plates, utensils and cups go through and sometimes those food particles find their way into the dishwasher and can wreak havoc on the dishwasher’s drain. The more that finds its way into the drain, the more buildup and eventually you’re left with a clog – and clogs cause terrible odors.

And then there’s that greasy, stale, oily smell. You know the one, that overwhelming punch in the face of stinky grease that gives the impression it’s been used for far too long. It’s probably the direct result of the grease trap, which is designed to intercept most grease and other solids before they make their way into your drainage system. Over time, a grease trap will build up with everything it’s caught, leaving all of the sludge sitting in a container in your kitchen. The more that builds up and the longer it just sits, the higher chance for a pungent odor – especially if it begins to overflow, then you’re left with a smelly, greasy mess. With kitchens getting so hot, especially during the peak summer months, it can make that awful smell 10 times worse.

How Can I Keep Odors Out Of My Restaurant’s Kitchen?

When it comes to keeping odors out of your kitchen, there’s a lot of quick fixes but it’s best to leave it to the professionals to get everything cleaned out and flowing – and smelling – its best.

When it comes to keeping embarrassing odors out of your kitchen, there’s a number of things you can do. A quick online search might tell you to put vegetable oil down your floor drains or to use commercial grade drain cleaner to get your dishwasher’s drainage system working again. Sure, these methods could work but could cause worse problems! You’re best off leaving it to the professionals. With all of the tools and equipment to properly assess and clean your drains, you’ll get a long lasting solution rather than pouring a temporary fix down the drain – and, with planned maintenance, you can let the pros worry about smells, so you can worry about food!

If you want routinely scheduled service from professionals, based on your usage, give Zoom Drain a call or schedule an appointment online today! We’ll monitor your floor drains, inspect your dishwasher and clean out your grease trap – so no odors come from your kitchen again.