How to Keep Garbage Disposal from Smelling 

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Kitchens are the most critical areas of our houses, as that is the place where we make our food and eat at times. Therefore, there would be nothing worse than a smelly kitchen, keeping in mind the unique role that kitchens play in our daily lives.

Speaking of kitchens filled with bad smells all the time, we are always on the lookout to find the root cause behind it. After a little search, we conclude that garbage disposal is usually the reason. Keeping our garbage disposers clean can help us keep our kitchens odor-free and hence keep them fresh. Here is how to keep Garbage Disposal from Smelling.

Clear the Clogs Out

If you are looking for How to Keep Garbage Disposal from Smelling, the first thing that you would need to do is to clear out the clogs in the garbage disposal. These clogs are the main reasons behind bad smells. So if you want to get rid of the odor that you have found to be coming from the garbage disposer, the best thing you can do is remove the clog altogether.

When you have to clear the clogs, one thing to always keep in is never to put your hand into the garbage disposer even when it is not powered on, as you might end up hurting yourself. Eliminating the smells should never be at the cost of a bleeding hand. Instead, make sure to use relevant tools like tweezers or pliers.

Before doing that, you will be worried about how to locate where the clog is. To do this, you need to shine a flashlight into the garbage disposer. You would see the clogged garbage in the disposer using this method. It will make the next step significantly more comfortable for you.

Another thing to keep in mind is to power off the appliance before you go about the process of removing the clog. It will make it safer for whoever would be cleaning the garbage disposer. Once you have cleared the clog, you can plug the appliance back in. now, run the water into the sink and turn the device on for a while so that it washes away the excess dirt buildup.

Rinse with Soapy Water

Do you want to know How to Keep Garbage Disposal from Smelling? Your answer must be yes, and if that is the case, you can use some old methods. You must have heard of methods like soaking things in soapy water to get rid of odors. This old-school method can also work well for the garbage disposers in your house.

You must be thinking of ways to remove it from the place and then disassemble it to soak it in the soapy water. But wait, we have an easier way for you. Since you need to keep using your kitchen sink, it is difficult to remove it from the place and wash it. Therefore, our method is always preferred.

Instead of soaking it in soapy water, you can run the soapy water through it so that the purpose of keeping it in contact with soapy water is fulfilled. Running soapy water is also essential because it will also clear out the suck particles in the garbage disposer, which would otherwise start smelling. So if you want to learn how to keep garbage disposal from smelling, keep reading on to find out.

The best way to go about the process is to start by plugging the garbage disposer drain and filling the sink with 4 to 5 inches of water. Next, pour some liquid dishwashing soap into the water and swirl the water around to mix it thoroughly. Dish wash liquids containing lemon juice are preferred as they kill the odor better.

Once the soap has mixed up, unplug the plug from the drain of the garbage disposer. The water is running; please turn on the garbage disposer so that its blades are also cleaned up well. When all the water has been flushed out, turn the garbage disposer off.

If you are not satisfied with once, you can also repeat the process another time to be sure. It will thoroughly remove the odors and clear out the waste particles built up in the garbage disposer.

It’s advisable to repeat the process once a week or once every two weeks, making sure the odors do not even occur in the first place.

Scrub the Garbage Disposer from outside

The next step that holds the most important when it comes to keeping garbage disposal from smelling is to scrub the visible parts of the appliance. While the last step might have cleared out the insides’ smells, some loosened particles stuck to the device’s external factors that could still cause the foul odors inside the kitchen.

To go about this step, you can use a scrub brush or merely an old toothbrush. Make a solution of water and liquid dish soap in a cup. Dip the meeting in the cup and start scrubbing the external parts with it. Make sure to cover all the visible and accessible components, starting from the sink’s rim to the end of the drain.

When you plan to go about this step, there are a few things that you need to keep in mind. One of those is the order of things involved in the process.

Scrub the Garbage Disposer from Insides

Once you have done scrubbing the garbage disposer from the outsides, the next step in keeping the garbage disposal from smelling is to clean it from the insides. To go about it, you can put around ten or more ice cubes in the sink, to which the garbage disposer attaches. Now pour half a cup of coarse salt to cover the ice cubes entirely.

Next, run a slow stream of water and turn on the garbage disposer. Keep turning off the garbage disposer in the middle at regular intervals. Wait until all the ice cubes and salt is gone.

You must be thinking about why this step is essential in the method for how to keep garbage disposal from smelling. Both the ice and salt are necessary for scrubbing the appliance from the inside. Ice cubes harden and then dislodge the waste food particles that might still be there, and the course nature of salt will help scrub the garbage disposer and its blades while running.

Flush Some Cold Water Down Into the Disposer

After the insides of your garbage disposal have been cleaned up, there is a high probability of it being free of all kinds of clogs and food particles. Bearing this in mind, if you are still concerned about getting rid of smelly garbage disposal, you should know that there is only one thing left to do: flushing the garbage disposal with cold water.

Why is this important? Well, it is because flushing cold water down the garbage disposal will flush out any leftover remnants and debris, making your appliance truly clean. To go about doing this, turn the cold water on full blast and direct the water stream into the waste disposal drain. Allow the water to run for two minutes for maximum results.

A pro tip to bear in mind regarding this is that you should always turn the water on before running the garbage disposal. On the other hand, when it comes to turning the water off, you are only supposed to do that after shutting down the garbage disposal.

When you speak of a guide on how to get rid of smelly garbage disposal, these steps constitute a significant chunk of all that needs to do. However, for people who are still concerned about getting rid of smelly garbage disposal, the fact remains that several things can always have done to make your lives easier.

Use Citrus Juice

When it comes to keeping garbage disposal from smelling, you should not only do things to remove the smell but also take steps to ensure it does not happen again. Remember, you need to know citrus is of the utmost importance when it comes to keeping your garbage disposal clean and fresh.

From lemon to lime to orange to grapefruit—it does not matter which citrus fruit you are speaking. Considering how all are nothing short of for your waste, from fruits to peels, you can throw anything into the garbage disposal and allow it to process it. It will not only help to clean the blades but also leave a breathtaking fragrance in your kitchen.

The peels of fruit will clean your blades and garbage disposals while your kitchen will smell as fresh as a dandelion. What more could you possibly wish for if you are concerned about getting rid of a smelly garbage disposal? Regular usage of citrus fruits and oils, in this regard, will ensure that there is no need for you to employ stringent and complex procedures for getting rid of foul smells.

The Bonus Solution

If you are taking good care of the clogs and the food particles stuck inside the garbage disposer, and use citrus regularly, the chances are that you will not have to worry much about how to keep the garbage disposal from smelling. However, if you still face the smelly garbage disposer problem, here is a bonus tip. Use this solution to effectively get rid of the smell.

What is the Bonus solution that we are discussing? It is made up of vinegar and baking soda and is sure to resolve the smelly garbage disposer’s problem. First, lift the rubber flaps and pour half a cup of baking soda straight into the drain. Once the entire gutter fills up, take half a cup of vinegar (or more if you deem it necessary) and pour it into the drain.

It should essentially form a paste-like solution in the drain. Vinegar is essential as it serves as a natural odor killer and anti-bacterial remedy. Allow this paste to sit in the garbage disposal drain for an hour or so and then move to the next step.

At the end of the hour, move to the next step. Now open a slow stream of water into the basin and start the garbage disposer. Keep the water and the disposer running until all of the solutions have flushed out!

This method, however, is useful, but one should not use it too often. The acidic nature of the vinegar can spoil the rubber components and the seals of the garbage disposer. Therefore, you should refer more to the other methods mentioned above to not rely much on this one.

Keeping this in mind, when it comes to maintaining garbage disposal from smelling, it is better to use citrus solutions rather than vinegar. If you use citrus frequently to clean the garbage disposer, there are chances that you will not need to worry much about the odors in the appliance, and therefore there would be a lesser need for using vinegar as a solution.

When you take it all into perspective, you have to comment that you only need to be worried about how to get rid of smelly garbage disposal if you defer the cleaning needs of your garbage disposal for a bit too long. If you remember to conduct simple cleaning jobs on your waste disposal unit regularly, you will be able to avoid foul odors with minimal fuss!