Smelly Garbage Disposal? 2 Ways to Clean your Garbage Disposal
Is your disposal emitting some very interesting odors? We’ve gathered fast and easy cleaning hacks to help you fix the smelly garbage disposal.
We’ll discuss DIY ways to clean and deodorize your garbage disposal, and then we have a quick, easy way if you don’t have the right ingredients around the house. Watch the video below to see how it works in real-time.
Featured Products in this Blog
➡️ Glisten Disposal Cleaner
➡️ Force of Nature Multi-Purpose Cleaner
➡️ Mr. Siga Microfiber Cloths
Method 1: Use a DIY Cleaner to Fix Smelly Garbage Disposal
Follow these easy steps to banish the odor of your decomposing food and leave your kitchen sink sparkly clean just by using kitchen ingredients.
How to Clean your Garbage Disposal
- Turn on the hot water to flush things through.
- Dump in about half a box of baking soda and pour in one cup of white vinegar.
- Run more water through and turn on the disposal.
Some people think that all you need is baking soda and water. But there’s something magical about baking soda and vinegar combined. It’s like a science project.
We’ve tried vinegar by itself, and it just drains out immediately and does nothing. And, if you use baking soda only and flush it with water, it also doesn’t do much either. But when you combine the two, you’ll get a magical chemical reaction that cleans and deodorizes way better.
How to Deodorize your Garbage Disposal
- Cut a lemon in half and run it through the disposal.
- Add some vinegar.
For this method, you may use fresh lemon or one that’s going bad that you haven’t had a chance to use in time. The funky fish and chips smell will disappear and you’ll have a wonderful lemon scent left behind. If in a pinch, lemon essential oil works too.
I love the smell of fresh lemons in the kitchen!
Method 2: Use a Commercial Cleanser to Fix Smelly Garbage Disposal
Suppose you’re not the DIY type and don’t have the ingredients at home. In that case, you can use a tablet, such as a Glisten garbage disposer foaming cleaner, which is an instant solution to fix your smelly garbage disposal.
- Start with a turned-off empty disposal and make sure there’s nothing in it.
- Run a stream of hot water into the side of the sink for one minute, then reduce the amount of hot water to a trickle.
- Drop one packet of Glisten Garbage Disposer Cleaner directly into the disposal.
- Turn on your garbage disposal until all the foam entirely disappears.
- Rinse off the remaining foam on your sink.
Since they are biodegradable packages, there’s no need to open the pouch and pour the contents out. Once the biodegradable package comes into contact with water and the disposal is in action, a cleaning foam is created. It will scrub away the toughest grime buildup and foul odors from the entire disposal, including the blades, sidewalls, and splash guards.
How to clean your rubber splash guard
To fix smelly garbage disposal thoroughly, don’t forget to clean the rubber splash guard too. First, remove the rubber stopper and put it in the dishwasher for a quick wash. If it’s not removable, wipe off the dirt or grime on the underside of the rubber stopper using a microfiber cloth with bleach or pour Dawn detergent.
A rubber splashguard‘s job is to prevent water and food from splashing up when you turn on the disposal. Without it you could have an even bigger mess! But they need cleaning too.
The most effective way to clean yours is to give it a good scrub with a garbage disposal brush. Or better yet, the next time you replace your garbage disposal, get one that has a removable gasket.
Final Touch
Lastly, wipe your whole sink using a non-toxic, multi-purpose cleaner, like my favorite Force of Nature cleaner. It cleans as much as bleach without the awful smell, and it will not ruin your hands.
If you have a stinky garbage disposal, try one of these methods and let me know in the comments how it went for you.
