How to Fix a Stinky Garbage Disposal
“My favorite method is super simple and uses just lemon juice and baking soda,” she says.
Clean Mama’s garbage disposal cleaning method:
Ingredients:
¼ cup lemon juice
¼ cup baking soda
- Mix lemon juice and baking soda to make a pasty liquid.
- Pour the fizzing liquid down the disposal. Let it sit for a few minutes.
- Run cold water and turn on disposal and run for up to a minute.
Doctor Rooter’s garbage disposal cleaning method:
Ingredients:
½ cup baking soda
½ cup vinegar
- Sprinkle the baking soda down the drain, getting as much of it into the disposal as possible.
- Pour in the vinegar (this will begin the reaction between the base and and the acid).
- Let this mixture react for about five minutes, then run hot water down the drain for about 30 seconds.
- If the smell persists, repeat.
“By feeding your garbage disposal a steady diet of lemon-vinegar ice cubes, you will keep it clean and fresh smelling and clog free,” she says. “Lemons, vinegar and ice cubes are the cleaning trifecta when it comes to keeping your garbage disposal in tip-top shape — not to mention, [the cubes are] extremely easy and inexpensive to make!”
Here’s how these cubes will keep things running smoothly while emitting a pleasing scent. “Ice sharpens the blades, breaks up any grease build-up and scours hard-to-reach areas before melting harmlessly down the drain,” she says. “Vinegar safely kills odor-causing bacteria, and the acid in the vinegar will help remove any clogs that are forming. … The rough lemon peels also help to clean the blades, and the natural citrus oils keep things delightfully fresh smelling.”
One Good Thing by Jillee’s garbage disposal cleaning method:
Ingredients and materials:
Vinegar
Lemon
Ice cube tray
- Cut up a lemon and place a lemon slice into each ice cube mold.
- Fill the rest of each cube mold with vinegar.
- Freeze fully, then keep the cubes in a zip-top bag in the freezer.
- Feed a handful of cubes into the disposal every few days, then run cold water and the disposal until they are crushed up.
Scrape your plates into the compost bin or trash before doing dishes. The extra benefit of developing a composting system is that it’s great for your garden.
Get on a Composting Kick