Cleaning A Garbage Disposal
Garbage Disposal Odors
Most odors that come out of the garbage disposal are coming from food slime buildup on the splash guard, That’s the removable black rubber panel that sits atop your sink’s drain hole. You can scrub it with soap and water using a scrub-brush or stoss it in the top rack of a dishwasher. While that’s a huge bid step there are a few other things you can do when cleaning the garbage disposal.
Garbage disposals don’t have sharp blades, instead, they have impellers that use centrifugal force to spin food up against a stationary grind ring. As time goes on, slime builds on the walls of the garbage disposal. A few common household ingredients can take care of this quickly and effortlessly:
Disposal Cleaning Items Needed
- Ice Cubes
- 1 TSP. Baking soda
- 1 TSP. Bleach
- 1/2 Lemon [quartered]
Ice cubes help break up any food and slime stuck to the disposal, while baking soda and bleach kill germs, and the lemon deodorizes it.
Cleaning a Garbage Disposal | Steps
- With the disposal and faucet turned off, put approximately six ice cubes in the disposal chamber. Add approximately 1 tablespoon of baking soda, and bleach. Add lemon and then approximately six more ice cubes.
- Turn the disposal on without running the water, until you hear the grinding stop.
- With the motor still running, flush with cold water for 30 seconds.
Using A Garbage Disposal | Tips
To keep gunk and odors to a minimum, run the disposal with water—before, during, and after grinding noise stops. This helps clear the plumbing P-trap, allowing food to thoroughly move through the pipes after it leaves the disposal.
Beyond proper usage and occasional cleaning, garbage disposals don’t require much else in terms of maintenance.
Items To Avoid Putting In Disposal
Items to avoid putting in a garbage disposal are grease, eggshells, coffee grounds, starchy foods, plastic, or large bones down the disposal. These items should be tossed in the trash barrel. Additionally, avoid putting fibrous vegetables through the disposal grinder. [i.e., celery stalks or corn husks] these items can clog the garbage disposal motor.
