5 Ways of Deodorizing Your Garbage Disposal
There is nothing more embarrassing than having guests in my home when there is a foul odor emanating from my kitchen’s garbage disposal. Of course, they probably assume that I never clean my home because the odor spreads throughout the kitchen and into the heating vents.
With a busy lifestyle, it is sometimes difficult to remember to sanitize my kitchen sink’s garbage disposal frequently, but if I remember to do this, then my home smells nicer, and the appliance also works better.
I do a lot of cooking, so I use my garbage disposal several times a day to get rid of food scraps. This leads to needing to clean the appliance often to avoid bad odors in my kitchen.
Here are some of the ways that I clean my kitchen’s garbage disposal each week.
One: Natural Ways to Deodorize Your Kitchen’s Garbage Disposal
One of the best ways to remove the odors from a garbage disposal is with inexpensive and natural substances available at my local grocery store. I buy baking soda and white vinegar when it is on sale to deodorize my kitchen’s drain.
First, I remove everything from the sink such as a dishpan and dirty dishes before taking out the drain stopper. I turn on the water and the garbage disposal for a few minutes to grind any debris inside the drain. Next, I shut off the water and the garbage disposal for the following step.
Following that, I sprinkle one cup of baking soda into the drain before pouring in one cup of white vinegar. These two substances create a chemical bubbling reaction to dissolve the debris that is on the garbage disposal’s blades and inside the drain. After the bubbling reaction stops, I turn on the water again to rinse away the mixture. This cleaning method is fast and inexpensive to do on a weekly basis.
Two: How Powerful Citrus Fruit Deodorizes a Garbage Disposal
Nothing smells fresher than delicious citrus fruit such as lemons, grapefruit or oranges, and the acidic juices and thin peels from these fruits will deodorize a kitchen’s drains.
If you have a heavy-duty garbage disposal, then remove the peels from citrus fruit to insert into the garbage disposal as it is operating. Make sure to have water running during this procedure, and place only a few peels in the drain at a time.
Alternatively, if your garbage disposal is older or a flimsy model, you can use the citrus fruit instead in the same way as the peels. The citric acid in the limes, grapefruit and lemons will help to dissolve smelly debris such as grease and food particles, and the scent from the peels and pulp leaves behind a fresh scent.
Three: Avoid Putting These Stinky Substances in a Garbage Disposal
I know that some foods and beverages can make a garbage disposal smell terrible, and I avoid putting these substances down a kitchen’s drain:
• Cabbage and its juice
• Milk and dairy products
• Asparagus
• Meat products
• Eggs
• Onions
• Spoiled foods of any kind
• Broccoli
• Fish such as tuna or salmon
• Garlic or foods containing a lot of garlic
To keep my kitchen’s garbage disposal from getting smelly, I remember to put these foods in a garbage bag or trash can.
Four: Salt and Ice Cubes to Clean a Garbage Disposal
Another simple way to remove debris from my kitchen’s garbage disposal is with ice cubes and salt. I keep a bag of ice cubes in my refrigerator’s freezer section to clean my garbage disposal occasionally.
Any type of salt works but kosher salt has coarser grains that work better to scrape away nasty debris from a garbage disposal’s blades and the kitchen’s drain.
First, remove everything from your kitchen sink and pour in one cup of the regular or kosher salt. Next, add a few of the ice cubes to the kitchen’s drain and wait a few minutes as the items melt slightly. Turn on the garbage disposal and listen as the ice cubes are chopped by the blades. After the chopping sounds stop, turn off the garbage disposal and turn on the faucet to rinse away the debris.
Five: Dismantle the Garbage Disposal for Deep Cleaning
If a garbage disposal still has a bad odor, then it is time for me to become a do-it-yourselfer and use some tools to remove pipes underneath my kitchen’s sink to remove a buildup of debris.
I have a double sink, so I have to remove a pipe that is located between the garbage disposal and the water pipes underneath the sink. This is a time-consuming and strenuous chore that involves turning off the water with the valve underneath the sink. I also turn off the electrical power at the circuit box to ensure the garbage disposal does not start to work accidentally.
Contact a Plumber
For many individuals, it is easier to contact a plumber who has the proper tools to complete this job. To hire a plumber in Seattle, WA, call Gene Johnson Heating, Cooling, Plumbing and Electrical at 206.792.7495.
