Got a Stinky Waste Disposer? Here’s How You Can Deodorize It 

A garbage disposal unit or waste disposer is the ultimate savior when dealing with kitchen garbage and food scraps. Waste disposers prevent your drains from getting clogged by squishing the waste entirely and making it easier for the waste to pass through.

Anything that deals with food or food wastes often get a foul odor and so it is not uncommon for waste disposers to catch these smells. It is what causes a lot of people how to deodorize food waste disposer.

However, luckily, there are specific ways to help you eliminate the worry about deodorizing food waste disposer. These will help you clean the food waste disposers, clear out the bad smells, and, most prominently, prevent your food waste disposer from getting any odor in the future.

I was wondering how to deodorize food waste disposer? Here’s all that you should know.

Removing the Source of the Smell

1.    Remove clogs

A garbage disposal unit or food waste disposer doesn’t smell bad without some content stuck down there. There are high odds that there’s a clog in the company somewhere is the smell often forces you to think about how to deodorize food waste disposer.

The clog formed in your garbage disposal unit is obviously of the food content that is run through the company. It mostly happens when the foodstuff thrown in is expandable, too hard, or too greasy. Get rid of the worry about deodorizing food waste disposer; the first step is to remove the clog.

Ensure you do not stick your hand in the drain when cleaning the food waste disposer even though the unit is turned off.

To remove clogs:

• Disconnect the garbage disposer’s electricity connection
• Use a flashlight to shine the drain’s insides to see if there is a clog and locate it correctly.
• To remove the clogs/blockage, use forceps, long tweezers, or pliers.
• Reconnect/plug in the appliance back
• Let the water on after and turn on the disposer. Allow running for a minute.
• Lastly, turn off the disposer and then the water supply.

2.    Soak the food waste disposer in soapy water

The next step in dealing with how to deodorize food waste disposer is cleaning the unit. Since your garbage disposer’s job is to process and drain food, it isn’t easy to give it a decent clean up by soaking. The particles of food you hurl down there get trapped in the unit and cause it to smell bad. Because the disposer is always processing and draining, it can be challenging to give it a good soaking and cleaning.

To soak the unit and thoroughly clean it:

• Place a plug in the drain of the garbage disposal unit.
• Fill up the sink with not less than 4 inches (10 cm) of water.
• Include 10ml or two teaspoons of liquid dish wash/soap
• Let the water swirl around to create lathers.
• Disconnect/unplug the drain
• Next, turn the garbage disposal unit on and let the soap water process
• Once the water has drained out, turn the disposal unit off.

3.    Scrub the visible surface of the unit

If the question ‘how to deodorize food waste disposer’ is bothering you even after the soaking and cleaning process, go for scrubbing. Once the soaking and cleaning part is done and you have successfully released the food particles that were caught inside, scrub the food waste disposer to get rid of any chunks that are still stuck in there.

To scrub the visible parts of the unit:

• Use water to rinse a dish wand or brush.
• Dispense a generous amount of liquid dish soap onto the brush
• Brush the parts of the garbage disposal unit that are accessible, inclusive of the rim in the sink and the interiors of the drain

4.    Scrub the interiors of the disposal unit

Take ten ice cubes and put them into the basin where the food disposer is connected. Conceal the ice cubes entirely with ½ cup or 96 grams of coarse salt. Let a slow stream of water flow in and turn on the disposal unit. Next, push the ice cubes and salt into the drain. Allow running until both the cubes and salt are gone.

The ice cubes and salt will loosen any stuck food particles and scrub the unit and cater to the problem of deodorizing your food waste disposer.

5.    Flush the unit thoroughly using cold water

To evacuate the leftover filth or remnants, let the cold water flow on full load and let the stream into the unit’s drain. IT is essential you first get rid of the existing particles of food and the odor to remove the smell and cater to how to deodorize food waste disposer.

Set the disposer on and allow the water to run for a minute or two. Please make sure you always turn the water on before turning on the unit itself. On the contrary, when you are done, do the exact opposite: turn off the disposer first, followed by the water supply when you are done.

Deodorizing the Disposal Unit

While the above-given method is very useful in getting rid of the odor, the following remedies will help you get rid of the worry about how to deodorize food waste disposer.

1.    Baking soda and vinegar

Baking soda and vinegar are numerous kitchens and household remedies because of their effectiveness in cleaning purposes. The soda is a fantastic absorber, while the vinegar is an excellent cleaner. The cherry on the top proves to leave behind the best of cleaners when used as a combo. And most importantly, the two are safe to be used in your garbage disposal unit. To get rid of the worry that the question of how to deodorize food waste disposer is causing, use the combo as directed below:

• Include 1 cups or 440 grams of baking soda in the drain of the disposal unit
• Gradually add into it a ½ cup or 11 grams of vinegar
• Let stay for an hour
• Turn the water and the disposal unit on after an hour and run for about a minute

2.    Vinegar cubes

If how to deodorize food waste disposer is still bothering you, merge the cleaning quality of vinegar and the scrubbing quality of the ice cubes to thoroughly clean and deodorize it. Take an empty tray of ice cubes and fill up with vinegar. Put and let stay in the fridge overnight so that the cubes are entirely concrete.

The next morning, pull out the vinegar cubes and add them to the disposal unit drain. Let a low stream of water flow and turn the unit. Allow the crew to function until the cubes vanish away.

3.    Lemon peels

The peels of citrus fruits such as lemon and oranges contain strong cleaners and deodorizers. So if what is worrying you is how to deodorize food waste disposer, lemon peels are for you. If you want to make your garbage disposal unit smell like fresh citrus fruits, use the peels of lemon or other citrus fruits.

Slice up the peel to form chunks of about 1-inch each. Turn the water and disposal unit on and hurl down the lemon peels, a few at a time.

4.    Ice Cubes

Plain ice cubes are another technique you can use to prevent yourself from spending hours on the internet looking for answers to deodorizing food waste disposer. The ice cubes won’t leave any pleasant smell behind like citrus fruits, but they will sharpen the unit’s grinding blades as a bonus.

5.    Ice and salt

The next best thing that can be considered when thinking about deodorizing food waste disposer is the combo of ice and salt. Both the agents will help eliminate foul-smelling foods that are stuck in the unit and disinfect the interiors. The ice again will help sharpen the blades.

6.    Ice, vinegar, and citrus

The trio of ice, vinegar, and citrus is a killer combination that works against your question of deodorizing food waste disposer. Use vinegar in place of salt following the remedy that is given on number 05. Vinegar is highly acidic and will help kill the mold, bacteria, and germs.

Besides, prepare ice cubes of vinegar and chunks of citrus fruits by freezing in an ice cube tray overnight. Add them to the disposal unit and run with a flowing water stream until the cubes are completely gone.

7.    Baking soda

Baking soda on its own can also help a lot in getting rid of the odor from your garbage disposer. From removing odors from fridges, pets, and underarms to deodorizing garbage disposers, baking soda can do it all for you and is a beneficial compound. Make sure you only pour a little.

8.    Mouthwash

Mouthwash maybe the odd one in this list as it is not natural, but if it is suitable for your mouth, it can be useful for your food disposer. After all, there is no harm in trying, especially when it is a harsh smell that leaves you wondering how to deodorize food waste disposer.

9.    Bleach

A gentle bleach use for clothes, a roman cleanser, or a slightly perfumed bleach can be put down the disposer along with a cold water stream that can leave behind a delightful smell. It will not only kill the odor but will also loosen any of the food particles left behind.

·      The Don’ts

Here comes the essential part. There are a few things you should be careful of when dealing with your food waste disposer. Not everything is supposed to down there, and the disposer can’t even dispose of anything put into it. And if you do so, you will be just another person stressing out over the question of how to deodorize food waste disposer.

Here is what you should not do:

1.    Avoid putting fibrous foods in the garbage disposal unit.

The key to freeing yourself from deodorizing food waste disposer is to know what should/shouldn’t be thrown down there. The wrong food items can easily create a blockage in the drain, jam the engine, clog up your unit’s drain, and even lead to rotting and foul odor in the company.

Fibrous foods are amongst those food items which should be kept away from the disposal unit. These include banana peels, artichoke, celery, onion skin, corn husks, and many more.

Also, make sure no starchy or expandable foods make their way to the disposal unit. Foodstuff with starch can expand when damp and leave a foul odor in the disposal unit because of the enlarged chunks getting stuck on the walls and in the drain.

Here are some common starchy foods you should not put in the garbage disposal unit:

• Potatoes
• Rice
• Bread

2.    Cut oversized items/chunks into smaller ones.

Vast chunks of food items can again block the drain and cause a foul odor. The best way to deal with large food pieces is to slice them into smaller ones before letting them into the garbage disposal unit. Make sure no part is more significant than 1-inch (2.5-cm) in size before you feed the disposal unit with anything.

Likewise, you should only put a little amount of stuff at a time and not everything at once. Putting in too much food together can cause problems like blockages and odor.

3.    Run water whenever the unit is in use

If you don’t let the water flow in the disposal unit whenever you run it, this has caused you to think about how to deodorize food waste disposer. A slow stream of cold water is needed for the garbage disposal unit to process what is put in it properly, and it should never be run without turning the water on.

• Ensure you turn on the water before the disposal unit is run and keep the supply until it keeps running. Once the disposal unit has finished disposing of foodstuff, allow the water to run for another five seconds to rinse the interiors.
• Remember that if there is an insufficient water supply, i.e., the water is run for a shorter span, food c

Preventing Nasty Smells in the Future

Suppose you have been using the above-given remedies, and the problems always recur, leaving you to think aboutdeodorizing food waste disposer forever. In that case, it can be oil/greasy items that bring the smell back every time. After some time, the oil or grease clots catch different particles that make it difficult for them to dispose of them. The stuck food particles then permeate lousy odor and cause you to worry.

Avoid putting in oily items or the oil itself to ensure the smell doesn’t come back again.

If the question ‘how to deodorize food waste disposer’ is what brought you to this page, you have found all the possible, easy, and safe solutions to get rid of the problem. Start trying these remedies and tips today to see the difference!