Do you Smell That? 4 Ways to Clean a Garbage Disposal

Is there a bad smell coming from the kitchen? Use these 4 easy tips to clear up a smelly garbage disposal.

A garbage disposal helps a lot when it comes to cleaning dishes and clearing food leftover from meals. It’s a breeze to turn on and it keeps the pipes clear. With all the food that goes down, the garbage disposal has a variety of smells. Whenever you start to smell your garbage disposal, use one of these 4 easy ways to clean your garbage disposal.

1. A Cup of Ice

When food particles build up on the blades, they have a hard time grinding up food and it causes a bad smell from leftover food. Ice is an easy solution to help your garbage disposal grind up food effectively. Simply pour a cup of ice down the disposal with some cold running water. Keep the disposal and water running until you no longer hear a grinding sound. This will clear out food and can even sharpen the blades in your disposal.

Keep in mind that this method only works with a garbage disposal with blades.

2. Refresh with Lemons

When it comes to smells in your kitchen, a lemon is your best friend. To clean your disposal, grab a whole lemon and slice it into 8 pieces (4 pieces from each half). Remove any seeds you find. Turn on some cold water, turn on the disposal, and place a slice of lemon one at a time into the disposal. You may only need a few lemons or all 8 of them, just re-evaluate the smell after each one.

3. Clean the Garbage Disposal Flap

There is a rubber flap on the drain to keep food from splattering when it’s ground up by the disposal. The flap is usually the main culprit for smelly garbage disposals since food will get stuck and bacteria easily grows on it.

So how do you clean it? Some flaps are removable and can be soaked in some soapy water or even placed in a dishwasher. Other flaps require more creativity to get them clean. Whatever you do, don’t stick your hand down the disposal. Grab a toothbrush and some dish soap to gently lift each flap and scrub it.

4. Deodorize with Baking Soda

For a tougher cleaning solution, use some baking soda and vinegar to clean your garbage disposal. This method should only be used after the other options have been used without success.

Pour one half cup of baking soda into your drain and then pour ½ cup of vinegar. Then allow the solution to sit for one hour. Then turn on the disposal and run cold water for a minute. Please note that this method should only be used sparingly so the baking soda does not damage rubber elements in your disposal.

Prevent Future Smells

These 4 methods are sure to help with smelly build up in the disposal. To avoid future smells, avoid certain food in the disposal such as potatoes. Run your disposal daily at the end of the day, or after every meal. Run your disposal with water for 5 seconds longer than you think is necessary to make sure all the food is taken away.

Hope these tips help your garbage disposal smell fresh again. If you’re looking for more help to get your whole kitchen smelling and looking great, give us a call today and schedule a cleaning!