How to get rid of that sewage smell?

[Jessika]

I live on the bottom floor of a condo complex and in our laundry room we have a floor drain. At first when we'd smell that "sewage-y" smell, we'd dump a gallon or two of water down the drain and in a few hours it would be gone. But now it seems like no matter how much water we pour down it, the smell is back within a day or two. Any suggestions? We've tried soapy HOT water, vinegar/water, etc. Or should we contact our landlord about it since we've tried and it may be something beyond what we can do?

[Karen]

It is something you should contact your landlord about, as anything you put down the drain is just going to be a temporary fix at best, and they need to find the source of the problem. They may even need to contact the city, as maybe some pipe is draining where it should not, etc.

[Freedom]

Sounds like the condo assn needs to work on this -- a job for a Roto Rooter sort of company. Either the pipes have gunk along them, or tree roots are blocking paths and holding the smell, or . . . ??? Must be other things, I'm not aware of, lol.

A temporary fix: put down a box of baking soda and then add white vinegar. This will foam up, and help clear pipes of gunk.

[Catty1]

Ditto on the soda and vinegar. Hold something over the top of the drain right after you do - even a huge towel - and press on it. This keeps the stuff from foaming onto the floor and directs the pressure more where it should go.

[Freedom]

Came back as I realized I am a bit confused if the laundry room is in your condo or if it is a community laundry room on your floor, lol. If it is IN the condo, the Karen is correct, you need to advise the landlord, not the condo assn.

[Taz_Zoee]

We had our tub and toilets back up a few weeks ago. The plumber came out and said the pipe was being blocked by the tree roots. He snaked it out as best he could, but said we'd need to have a camera take a look at the damage. In the meantime the roots can grow back and cause problems again.
Last night I couldn't even stand by the kitchen sink because the garbage disposal smelled so bad. Bruce thinks it's the plumbing again. Yesterday I was doing laundry and cleaning the bathroom. Plus he was working out in the garage. We just had a lot of water going all at the same time.
So I'm thinking maybe it is the sewer line is becoming blocked. You'll want that looked at before it's too late, like it was for us. That was a horrible night for me (I get up several times during the night to go potty).
You should definitely figure out who would be responsible for that and get it checked SOON.