Have you ever prepared your home for a vacation, only to discover that there are a few unusual tricks you have never heard of before? One such trick is covering a kitchen sink drain with a piece of paper and placing an upside-down glass over it before leaving the house.
At first glance, the idea might seem strange. Why would anyone put paper inside a sink and cover it with a drinking glass? Could it really make a difference while you are away for several days or weeks?
The surprising answer is that this simple household trick may help reduce certain problems associated with an unused drain, including unpleasant odors and insects. However, the method has limitations, and understanding what actually happens inside your plumbing is important before relying on it.
In this article, we will explore why people use this technique, how sink drains work, what happens when you leave your home empty, and which precautions are most effective before going on vacation.
1. The Main Reason: Preventing Unpleasant Smells From the Drain
One of the most common concerns when returning home after a long vacation is discovering an unpleasant smell coming from the kitchen or bathroom.
You may have cleaned the kitchen, emptied the rubbish bins, washed the dishes, and left everything looking spotless. Yet, when you open the door several days later, there may be a musty or sewer-like odor.
One possible explanation is your plumbing system.
Most household sinks have a curved section of pipe beneath the drain, commonly called a P-trap or, in some configurations, a bottle trap. This section is designed to retain water, creating a barrier that helps prevent sewer gases from entering the home.
Under normal conditions, this water barrier does an important job without requiring any attention from you.
However, when a property remains unused for an extended period, water inside plumbing traps can gradually evaporate. The rate depends on factors such as temperature, humidity, airflow, and the design of the trap.
If the water barrier becomes too low or disappears, unpleasant gases and odors may be able to enter the room through the drain.
This is one reason why a bathroom, kitchen, or guest room can sometimes smell unpleasant after being unused for weeks.
Covering the sink drain may help limit what comes out of the opening, but it is not a substitute for maintaining the water seal inside the plumbing.
2. Could the Upside-Down Glass Keep Cockroaches and Other Insects Away?
Another possible reason for this unusual trick is to discourage insects from appearing around the sink while the house is empty.
Kitchens provide several things that insects need: moisture, food residues, warmth, and sheltered places to hide. The area beneath a kitchen sink can be especially attractive if there are small leaks, damp cleaning cloths, or food particles nearby.
Some insects, including certain cockroach species, can use plumbing areas or gaps around pipes as routes through a building. However, it is important not to assume that every insect found near a sink has come through the drain. In many cases, insects enter through cracks, gaps around pipes, doors, or windows.
The glass in the photograph may serve as a simple physical cover. Placed upside down over the paper, it can help keep the paper in position and make it harder for insects to reach the drain opening directly.
However, this method has limitations.
- A drinking glass does not create a reliable airtight seal against a sink.
- Insects may enter through other openings around the kitchen.
- Paper may shift, become damp, or lose its shape.
- The technique does not solve an underlying pest infestation or a plumbing defect.
If you want to keep insects away, a properly fitted drain stopper or purpose-designed drain cover is generally more practical than paper and a glass.
3. Why Use Paper Instead of Placing the Glass Directly Over the Drain?
This is perhaps the most interesting part of the trick.
The paper creates an additional layer between the drain opening and the upside-down glass. It may help the glass sit more steadily on the sink surface, depending on the shape of the basin and the position of the drain.
Some people may also believe that paper helps absorb moisture or makes it harder for insects to move through the opening. Nevertheless, ordinary paper is porous, so it should not be considered a dependable barrier against sewer gases.
There is no strong evidence that placing a piece of paper under a glass provides a special plumbing benefit compared with using a suitable drain cover.
In other words, the combination may function as a makeshift cover, but its effectiveness depends on what you are trying to prevent.
If the goal is to block odors, a piece of paper and an upside-down glass are not a dependable solution. If the goal is simply to cover the drain opening temporarily, a properly fitting stopper is the better choice.
4. What Happens to Your Sink When You Leave Home for Several Weeks?
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