4 Cleaning Techniques That Can Eliminate That Unpleasant Odor From Your Garbage Disposal

Garbage disposals are key instruments in making those kitchen chores you suffer through every night just a tiny bit easier. While the appliance provides you with a simple and fast way to eliminate food scraps, it also has the potential of causing unpleasant odors that can spread throughout your home. Luckily, when this occurs you should be able to fix the problem without calling your local appliance repair company. Below are 4 painless techniques that will clean your garbage disposal and rid it of any unusual smells.

1. If the odor coming from your garbage disposal is weak, but still noticeable, simply flushing your sink with hot water and dish soap may solve the problem. To do this, you will first need to place your stopper into your sink drain. Next squeeze a few drops of soap into the sink and fill it with 2 to 3 inches of hot water. Your last step is to pull the stopper out and run your disposal as the hot water flushes through its system. Using hot water is vital to this technique’s effectiveness. If the temperature of the water is not warm enough, it will not liquify the oil and grease that has accumulated in your drain and that smell you were trying to eliminate will still be present.

2. Using citrus peels to deodorize your garbage disposal is a wonderful way to make your kitchen smell good while also cleaning the disposal’s blades. You can choose between Oranges, limes, lemons, and grapefruit peels. Another method to consider is placing the peels in an ice tray and then filling the tray with water. Once the ice is ready, you can dump it into your disposal and turn the appliance on. The mixture of ice and citrus peels will give the blades a thorough cleaning.

3. A combination of baking soda and vinegar can remove that undesirable smell from your disposal. Pour a half of a cup of baking soda into your appliance, followed by one cup of white vinegar. The two components should begin to bubble once they are mixed together. For tough odors allow the vinegar and baking soda to sit for 10 minutes. While your waiting, boil a pot of water. Once your water is boiled, and the 10 minutes has passed, turn your garbage disposal on and pour the water down the drain. If the smell is not completely eliminated run through the process one more time.

4. Due to its ability to harden grease, bleach in large quantities should not be used to clean your garbage disposal. However, combining a tablespoon of bleach with a gallon of water will dilute the substance to the point where it will not run the risk of harden the grease left in your disposal or pipes. After you have created the mixture, slowly pour it down your drain and allow it to sit for a couple of minutes. Once the 2 to 3 minutes is up, turn on your sinks hot water and let it rinse out the substance. Bleach’s powerful germ killing capability will immediately cleanse your disposal and eradicate any unfavorable smells.

Employing 1 of these 4 cleaning methods a couple of times a month will stop your garbage disposal from emitting foul-odors. Unfortunately, a bad smell isn’t the only thing that can go wrong with this kitchen appliance. If you find your garbage disposal is malfunctioning, and you’re unsure why, please contact us and we’ll be happy to send one of our appliance repair technicians to your home to diagnose and fix the problem.