It keeps the drains and pipes clear and shreds away any food scraps into tiny pieces. Furthermore, it is also useful to wash away any pesky sauces and crumbs which go down the sink.
Regardless of the benefits provided by garbage disposal to collect food particles going down and reducing the food waste, debris, and bacteria – all this is achieved at a very stinky cost.
Having established the fact that garbage disposal must be cleaned regularly, let’s move on to discuss how to deodorize the garbage disposal.
The quick and easy tips which follow will make sure it becomes less of a chore for you, and everything is done as easily and quickly as possible!
The ‘volcano’ will do the deal!
The splash guard and drain are mostly the culprits behind the foul odor present in your kitchen sink.
We will be using the volcano method you used in your science class in primary grade, which involves vinegar and baking soda to deodorize the garbage disposal.
It is suggested that half a cup of baking soda should be poured in the drain, followed by a cup full of hot white distilled vinegar.
Vinegar can be quickly heated in the microwave. As soon as you pour these contents, let the foaming frenzy begin and watch the magic happen!
Randall Edwards
Magic Ingredient
Baking Soda!
We have all heard about baking soda being useful to deodorize pets, underarms, and fridges. And guess what? Yes, this magic ingredient will also be your garbage disposal deodorizer.
To do the deal, pour some amount of it down there and flush some hot water as well. Baking soda neutralizes and eliminates any stinky smells on contact, and acts as a natural deodorizer.
Let the baking soda sit there for a while and pour the right amount of hot boiling water down the disposal to flush all the contents. This will make sure the disposal’s chopping part is also fresh and lovely.
Ice and Salt
The next best thing you can go for is some rock salt and ice cubes. Both these items will eliminate any foods which smell foul, which are stuck between the disposal walls or blades.
The blades will be sharpened by the ice cubes, while the salt will disinfect it. If rock salt isn’t available, regular sea salt or even table salt will do the job.
Ice and Vinegar (Citrus)
Another trick is to use some ice cubes and vinegar instead of salt and repeat the method described above.
The high acidity levels of vinegar will kill most of the bacteria, germs, and mold present in the disposal.
The power of Citrus!
When you have a pile of some leftover citrus peels, whether it be or orange, grapefruit, lemons, or lime – make use out of these to deodorize your garbage disposal.
Toss in some pieces of these peels in the garbage disposal along which some cold water and turn on the disposal simultaneously.
You can even use whole fruits to de-stink the destruction, which can be a good idea to use them if you see them spoiling.
The citrus peel’s rough texture will clean the blades of the disposal, and the oils from these fruit peels will act as a natural deodorizer and freshener, removing the additional buildup.
Besides removing all the buildup and disinfecting the blades of the disposal, the smell of citrus fruits will also help you get rid of anxiety and stress the next time you will be washing dishes or cooking.
Mouthwash
This may sound very unusual, but yes, there are many other uses to mouthwash besides ‘washing the mouth’ as well. It may not be a natural method to deodorize the garbage disposal, but it is as good for the sink and its drain as it is for your mouth.
So grab some mouthwash and pour it down the sink – tada! Your sink is all refreshed.
Whatever you use, never go for abrasive liquids or bleach!
To avoid any damage to your disposal, impellers, and pipes, always go for natural methods to deodorize the garbage disposal.
Ammonia or other corrosive cleaning agents can be very harmful to your plumbing.
Never put these items in your disposal
Food items like coffee grounds, eggshells, bones, corn husks, pits of avocados and peaches, oil and grease – all are the items that do not mesh well enough in the garbage disposal and harm it.
As they do not mesh well enough, they often lead to forming clogs. The most important part is that if these items are washed down the drain frequently, you may find yourself buying new disposal before you were supposed to or maybe even worse – end up calling an expensive plumber to fix your disposal.
Preventing nasty odors in the future
We have discussed how to deodorize garbage disposal, so let’s list down some tips to avoid such bad smells in the future.
Make sure that no grease enters your sink as it is one of the primary factors to clog the pipes and wretch small things.
The grease is congealed after time, catching all the food on it, which makes it even tougher to deodorize and clean it.
Ensure that any gooey items like fish, shrimp, eggs, honey, and big things like bones or eggshells are kept out of the disposal.
Coffee grounds are useful in deodorizing the kitchen, freezer, etc. but they are not a good option for placement as their fields do not grind well and build up in the drain pipes.
The garbage disposal is an essential item in your kitchen as it handles almost anything which is tossed in it, except for the questionable items mentioned above.
Now that we have discussed how to deodorize garbage disposal, make sure you are also cleaning it regularly and keeping it in tip-top shape and do not put down any wrong liquids or scraps down the drain.
