Celiaanne

Do any Italian experts/natives out there know what I should ask for in an Italian store to get "Draino"? Would a supermarket be the place to find this?

Thank you!

Dukey

You mean "Drano" right?

Celiaanne

Hmmmmm. I guess I do! I use Liquid Plumber myself.

Neopolitan

ooops. I know why you're asking, Celiaanee. Let me go back on my statement. The stuff I poured into the shower drain to get rid of the smell was not really like a liquid plumber. It was a bottle I found under the sink in the bathroom, and from the picture seemed to be a cleaner of some sort that showed a sink drain. But trying to unplug the drain would mean nothing. If anything the problem was that the shower drain didn't have a trap and that's why the "gas" smell would come up through the shower drain. There would be nothing to unclog. But whatever I poured down it seemed to "disinfect" or at least get rid of the smell temporarily.

rex

Because "Drano" (highly concentrated sodium hydroxide aqueous solution) is so dangerous (not environmentally toxic, but extremely caustic in direct contact with any skin or tissue)...

...I have to ask why you want this.

If you are a homeowner, then of course, it's your right to use it in/on your own property (I would think.. not knowing specifics of Italian wastewater regulations), and sure, you could buy it in a large grocery store or home improvement-type store.

In Italian... &quot;<i>Soda caustica</i>&quot; or more technically <i>Idrossido di sodio</i> refers to sodium hydroxide, the key ingredient in &quot;drain cleaner&quot;. If you need to explain yourself further, you could try indicating that is for &quot;disgorgare gli scarichi dei lavelli&quot;.

But if the sole purpose is to reduce odors from a (sink or) shower drain, then (one or more boxes of) ordinary baking soda (<i>bicarbonato di sodio</i>, or simply <i>bicarbonatio</i, with plenty of running water, would be much safer and waaayyy more appropriate.

In fact, I would say if this is for use in a hotel or self-catering accommodation (which you do not own),m then use of a sodium hydroxide product is unwise, potentially dangerous, and highly <i><u>in</u></i>appropriate.

Best wishes,

Rex

Celiaanne

Neopolitan, Thanks. I thought you meant you bought drain cleaner/unplugger.

Rex, Thanks for the cautionary words. I misunderstood Neopolitcan about a problem/solution in an apartment he rented in June and I am renting in October. Rest assured, I don't want to damage/pollute/destroy any plumbing or the Roman water supply! I'll just hope the &quot;bottle under the sink&quot; is still there.

Thanks again to both of you.

julia_t

Thanks celiaanne, and everyone else because I'm renting this apartment later in October and I too had read about the smelly shower!

I thought a basic bleach product would help, poured in on a regular basis...

(...what's the Italian for bleach?)

And rex, thanks for the tip for sodium bicarb - I think I will pack a small tub, after all it's also good for whitening one's teeth, and reputedly a cure for hangovers/upset tummies!

rex

Bleach = candeggina

See, for example, a popular brand here: &quot;ACE&quot; - - http://shopping.yahoo.it/ctl/do/sear...ery=candeggina

The word &quot;sbiancante&quot; also could be translated as &quot;bleach&quot; (perhaps better &quot;whitener&quot, but it seens to refer, in gernal use only to dental whitening agents.