Home » Blog » How to Clean Your Garbage Disposal

How to Clean Your Garbage Disposal

Your kitchen garbage disposal… friend or foe?

Ah, the kitchen garbage disposal. It can be a helpful friend in the kitchen or a smelly foe. We asked for some advice from professional housecleaning teams we refer to clients and got three smart and easy ways to clean it and keep your kitchen smelling fresh!

But first… what happened to garbage disposals? I’m half laughing as I ask this question, because anyone over the age of fifty will remember how you used to be able to put pretty much anything into the garbage disposal and never have a problem! It’s not like the blades were once made of titanium (and now they’re made of aluminum foil?), but nowadays, well, they just don’t seem to make ’em like they used to.

So the first step to keeping yours clean is to keep it functioning properly. It gets a lot more difficult to clean your garbage disposal with fibers from corn husks and celery wrapping around the blades or rancid solidified oil stuck in the motor compartment. Here are the key things to avoid putting down your sink and into your garbage disposal — even if it seems to be able to handle them well enough:

(1) Avoid grease and oil. These can solidify and clog your pipes and the parts of your disposal. And when oil gets rancid, it gets stinky!

(2) Avoid fibrous vegetables. Don’t torture your garbage disposal with stringy veggies like celery, asparagus or broccoli stems, and don’t even try putting corn husks or onion skin into the disposal. These things will wrap around the blades and not only cause jams, but will also create a great environment for breeding smelly bacteria.

(3) Avoid hard objects. “Don’t put fruit pits and bones into the disposal” goes without saying, but this also applies to things you don’t necessarily think of as “hard objects”, like eggshells.

And you’ve heard that coffee grounds are also bad for a sink. It’s true. But while your garbage disposal should be able to handle some wet coffee grounds with ease, the problem is what happens next — they will expand and form a clog deeper in your drain.

Now, even though you have a well-functioning garbage disposal that you continue to use carefully, you still need to regularly clean it. Bacteria will build up in your disposal and create some unpleasant and unappetizing smells in your kitchen. Here are three smart ways to keep your garbage disposal clean…

Cleaning Tip 1: Use Ice Cubes and Salt

A common problem with disposals is that debris will build up on the blades and other parts of the disposal and along the walls. This simple trick will dislodge that debris and clean the blades.

Simply place a handful of ice cubes and a quarter cup of salt into the disposal. While running some cold water, turn on the disposal and let it clear.

Using ice cubes like this is not something you want to do every day, because after all, ice cubes are “hard objects” and hard objects should generally be avoided, but doing this on a monthly basis will not damage the blades… it will actually help keep them sharp. Ice cubes break down much easier than bones or fruit pits and will give your disposal a good scrub without damaging your blades.

Cleaning Tip 2: Use Vinegar and Baking Soda

As a kid, I used to love dazzling my friends with highly sophisticated scientific experiments, like mixing vinegar and baking soda. Little did I know, this simple household mixture is one of the most effective ways to clean and freshen a garbage disposal! Let’s Go, Science!

First, before you do anything else, get the water running hot. You’ll need it for the final step.

Next, battle some nasty odors by dumping a half cup of baking soda into the disposal. “Pulse” the disposal with a couple brief “on & off” actions to get that baking soda worked in. Let it sit for a 15 minutes. Don’t run the water.

Then, pour a cup of white vinegar into the disposal. Again, don’t run the water. You should hear it fizz. That’s the sound of science hard at work, loosening up residues that builds up in the disposal and giving it a good clean.

Wait a few minutes while the cleaning process occurs and then run some hot water to rinse it all down and help further remove any remaining debris and residue.

Cleaning Tip 3: Use Citrus and Baking Soda

This is a great way to keep things fresh and can be done on a daily basis.

Like Tip #2 above, start with a half cup of baking soda into the drain. “Pulse” the disposal with a couple “on & off” actions to get the baking soda worked-in, and then let it sit for 10-15 minutes to soak-up those nasty smells.

Next, drop in some small cut pieces of orange or lemon peels, run some cold water and run the disposal until clear.

Citrus oil is a natural de-greaser and will help break down oils and greasy build-up. It’s also a great natural deodorizer. And finally, the acids in citrus have some antibiotic properties. Although they don’t directly kill bacteria, they do create an environment that prohibits growth of nasty bacteria, including e. coli and salmonella.

No More Garbage Disposal Smells!

The garbage disposal is a leading source of foul kitchen odors, and these cleaning tricks will solve that problem!

Would you rather have a true cleaning professional deal with your sink and the rest of your kitchen… and then the rest of your home? If you answered “YES!” we don’t blame you. That’s what we’re here for!

Whether you need regularly scheduled cleanings, one-time cleanings, move-in / move-out cleanings, or construction cleanup, and even other services like carpet steam cleaning and window cleaning… we handle it all, so give us a call. We are your ONE-STOP-SHOP for taking care of your home.

Always… At Your Service!
Call Howard: 949.215.9550

Get a call back!