Why You Should Always Leave an Upturned Glass and a Paper Towel in the Sink Before Going on Vacation
When prepping your home before a well-earned vacation, you probably already go through a standard checklist: lock the doors, shut off the water, empty the fridge, and adjust the thermostat. But there’s one often-overlooked spot that can cause a surprising amount of trouble while you’re away — the kitchen sink.
What seems like an unlikely culprit can, in fact, welcome you home with a musty odor, pest invasion, or even drain-related damage. Thankfully, there’s a clever, no-cost hack that experienced homeowners and professional cleaners swear by: place a paper towel over the sink drain and cover it with an upturned glass.
This simple trick takes less than a minute and can protect your home from unpleasant surprises while you’re away.
🔧 Why the Sink Can Become a Problem During Vacation
Most modern kitchen sinks include a P-trap — a curved section of pipe that holds a small amount of water. This water acts as a seal to prevent sewer gases and bad odors from rising up through your drains. But when your home sits empty for days or weeks with no water usage, the water in the trap can evaporate, breaking that seal.
Here’s what can happen when that seal is broken:
- Foul odors: Without the water barrier, sewer gases (including methane and hydrogen sulfide) can leak into your home, leaving behind an awful smell.
- Insect entry: Drain pipes can serve as an entry point for bugs like gnats, ants, drain flies, and even cockroaches, especially in hot, humid climates.
- Moisture buildup: Traps that dry out may also allow humidity and condensation to form, contributing to mold and mildew issues in cabinets under the sink.
These conditions make your return from vacation far less relaxing.
💡 The Simple Trick: Glass and Paper Towel
The method is as easy as it is effective.
✅ How to Do It:
- Fold a paper towel or sheet of paper and place it directly over the drain opening.
- Take a clean drinking glass and place it upside-down over the paper towel, fully covering the drain.
- Gently press down to make sure it’s secure.
That’s it.
This trick creates a temporary seal that does several important things:
- Prevents air exchange between your home and the sewer line
- Helps retain moisture in the trap by slowing evaporation
- Blocks insects from crawling up into your kitchen
- Keeps odors contained even if the trap dries out
Best of all, it costs nothing and takes just seconds to set up.*
🌡️ Extra Tip: Do This Especially in Warm Weather
If you’re heading out during summer months or live in a hot climate, this hack is even more important. Higher temperatures speed up the evaporation of water in drain traps, making it more likely that the seal will break while you’re gone.
Warm, dry pipes are also more likely to become breeding grounds for bugs that live in drain systems.
🚫 What Happens If You Skip This Step?
Homeowners who neglect their sink before traveling may come back to find:
- A foul, musty smell lingering in the kitchen or bathroom
- Small insects like fruit flies swarming near the sink
- Drain flies, which are tough to eliminate once they settle
- Mold growth in cabinets or under-sink storage
- Standing water in low areas due to minor backflow or pipe condensation
All of these problems can be avoided with just a paper towel and a glass.
🛡️ Additional Drain-Prep Tips Before You Travel
To fully protect your home from plumbing-related surprises, consider these bonus tips:
1. Run hot water down each drain before leaving
This clears out debris and ensures water is sitting fresh in the trap.
2. Pour a tablespoon of vegetable oil into the drain
The oil floats on top of the water in the trap and slows evaporation.
3. Close sink and tub stoppers
If your fixtures allow, close the drain plugs completely.
4. Add a few drops of essential oil to the trap water
If any scent escapes, it will be a pleasant one instead of a foul odor.
🌍 Small Habits, Big Peace of Mind
Sometimes the simplest household habits are the ones that make the biggest difference. Just as you wouldn’t leave your doors unlocked or the stove on, you shouldn’t leave your sink unprotected before heading out of town.
Adding this upturned glass trick to your travel prep routine is an easy way to:
- Prevent odors
- Stop insect intrusions
- Preserve your home’s plumbing
- Return to a fresher, cleaner home
And the best part? It’s free, fast, and requires no special tools or products.
🧳 Final Thoughts: Make It Part of Your Pre-Vacation Routine
Before locking up and heading out on your next getaway, take one final stroll through the kitchen. Place a paper towel over the sink drain, top it with a glass, and rest easy knowing you’ve just taken one extra step toward protecting your home while you’re away.
This tiny act can save you hours of cleaning, hundreds in pest control or plumbing fixes, and loads of stress when you return.