A garbage disposal is an excellent tool for kitchen cleanups. Frequent use of the garbage disposal may, however, lead to an unpleasant odor. To get rid of these rotten odors, here are the best home hacks you can try out without hesitation.
Contents
Hacks To Clean Garbage Disposal
Here is a list of things you should never put down your garbage disposal to avoid it getting smelly.
- Onion skins, celery stalks, and corn husk fibers. These can jam and tangle the garbage disposal and block the drain.
- Oil, fat, or grease clogs pipes and catches all sorts of unwanted food, making it stinky.
- Try not to grind cigarette butts, plastic, or metal.
Always Clean The Visible Part Of The Disposal
Scrub the visible part of the garbage disposal by slathering a good amount of dishwashing liquid detergent on it. As most debris and small food particles tend to get trapped in the sink basin, scrub it properly. Always act before your garbage disposal starts stinking with preventive and active care.
Soak The Sink Basin
Give your housing a thorough soak to get rid of the bad smell. Firstly fill the basin halfway up with water. Next, put a few drops of vinegar or dish soap. Wait for a few minutes before draining so that the mixture gets activated to rinse off hidden particles through nooks and crannies.
Dislodging Slimy Residue
To dislodge slimy residues, pour ice cubes into the garbage disposal, then add half a cup of kosher salt. Ice and salt is an effective abrasive cleaner, helpful in grinding away odor-causing residue.
Citrus
Citrus acts as a soothing deodorizer and helps to keep your kitchen basin clean. In addition, citrus fruits like lemon, oranges, and limes are greatly beneficial to clean the drain due to their natural acidic properties.
Baking Soda And Vinegar
For a tougher clean, baking soda and vinegar are great solutions to prevent smelly garbage disposals. Put a cup of baking soda into the drain, and next, pour up to half a cup of vinegar. Let the solution sit for an hour. Lastly, turn on the disposal and let cold water rinse off the dirt. Vinegar is helpful to kill bacteria and acts as a deodorizer.
Deep Cleaning
Sometimes the smell persists even after cleaning the drain due to improperly rinsed food that has hardened onto the pipes. For this, you need to clean the garbage disposal thoroughly. First, turn on the hot water for a minute, then with the help of a wrench, disconnect the pipe leading from the garbage disposal beneath the sink. With the help of rubber test caps, block water from coming from the disposal. Now fill the basin with hot water and add half a cup of bleach powder. Wait for an hour before runoff by removing the test cap and reconnecting the pipe.
Remove Manually
Sometimes large items clog the disposal. For example, suppose you find a spoon or fork in it, creating a food trap. Safely take out the folk by turning off the fuse that leads to the garbage disposal.
Wonderful Preventions
Remember to never run fibrous vegetables or starchy food through your garbage disposal. Instead, try to run your machine for 5 minutes extra to dispel persistent particles from within the housing.
Conclusion
Luckily, there are many ways to take care of a smelly garbage disposal. Get rid of the rotten odor coming out of your garbage disposal with available house supplies and the aforementioned tricks. Routine maintenance and cleaning will ensure your garbage disposal never smells.