How To Deal With Smelly Drains At The Beijing Language and Culture University In 2 Easy Steps

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Anyone who has stayed at the Beijing Language and Culture University or anywhere else in China will be able to tell you that toilet drains can seep sewage air. It's quite disgusting and sometimes so bad that you have to hold your nose to even enter the bathroom. My experience has been that extractor fans don't always remedy the situation, so I'm going to share with you a tried and tested method that works as a great solution to the stinky drain problem.

In case your wondering, the reason there is such a problem with smelly drains in China (and at BLCU) is to due to many buildings constructed before 2002 not being fitted with an air back-flow trap which stops air from far below rising back up and inevitably invading your bathroom. It can be particularly unpleasant to be hit with a sudden rush of putrid hot air immediately after finishing your shower (which is common due to the running water acting to partly block the back-flowing air, until you turn the shower off and and so too stop the counter effect).

1. Step one

Find a plastic or zip-lock bag that doesn't have any holes in it and fill it roughly a third full with water. Be careful not to overfill the bag though as you don't want it breaking or leaking water either. Let all the air out as best you can and tie a simple but durable knot with the two plastic bag handles, or in the case of using a zip-lock bag simply fasten the zip. I think you can see where this is going.

2. Step two

Place the bag filled with water directly on top of the offending drain(s) and ensure that it is covering the entire area so that no air can escape from below. This should mean that whereas before 100% of the sewage air was escaping, now only be 1% or even 0% will be. It really works incredibly well and it's no surprise since I was shown the trick by room service at the Conference Centre on BLCU campus. They know all the little tricks and I'm sure they're used to getting this particular complaint a lot.

So rest easy, you no longer need to put up with that horrible smell that's invading your bathroom at BLCU or anywhere else in China. How have you dealt with smelly drains in China? What do you think of this method?

An example of a water-filled zip-lock bag placed over a smelly drain in China

An example of a water-filled plastic bag placed over a smelly drain in China

One last thing...

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