Garbage disposal is a device powered by electricity that shreds waste food into small particles. It relieves you off smelly trash cans full of decomposing foods and regularly clogged pipes.
After constant use, the pipes from the garbage disposal start to remove the odor caused by food residue.
Although the stench may not be strong at first, it is essential to know how to deal with it. If left too long, the pungent smell will spread all through the kitchen, forcing you to purify the whole kitchen, which is more expensive.
If you do not have odor removal products for garbage disposal in hand, you do not need to worry –there are plenty of ways to do it.
4 ways of getting rid of odors from a garbage disposal
Depending on your preferences, use any of the methods below to eliminate bad odors from your garbage disposal:
1. Use ice cubes and salt mixture
For this method, all you will need is ice cubes and salt. Once you have these in place, follow the steps below:
- Drop a couple of ice cubes mixed with salt in the garbage disposal. Kosher salt works the best in this case, but any other salt can do the job.
- Switch on your garbage disposal and wait until the grinding noise stops
- Run cold water to remove any leftovers in the disposal unit.
Ice cubes act like tiny bullets when being ground, knocking down any debris they come into contact with. Coarse Kosher salt, on the other hand, rubs down the pipes and also helps to remove small persistent particles.
2. Using citrus fruits like lemons or peach
While lemon is the most commonly used fruit, this method should work well with any citrus fruit.
Follow the steps below to remove bad odors from your garbage disposal using fruits:
- Peel the citrus fruit into tiny strips and drop them in the disposer
- Run hot water on them for a few minutes
- Power on the device and let it run until the grinding noise stops.
This method is only applicable if your garbage disposer is free of debris as it works by coating the pipes with a fresh scent; it’s like deodorant but for garbage disposals.
3. Using baking soda and vinegar
Old is gold, and this plumbing solution has proved this point having been passed down generations. It is, however, very acidic and can cause damage if used too often.
If you are using baking soda and vinegar to fight odors in your garbage disposal, here’s how to do it:
- Pour a half cup of baking soda down the disposer drain. (I recommend using Arm & Hammer baking soda)
- Follow it up with a half-full cup of white vinegar
- Let the two to sizzle together for a few minutes
- Turn on the garbage disposer and run hot water for about five minutes
Vinegar is the best natural deodorizer that also helps to clear bacteria. Baking soda, on the other hand, neutralizes the odors leaving your disposal unit smelling fresh.
4. Using foam cleaner
If any of the above methods don’t work for you, get a foam cleaner (Glisten disposer care is the best) and a garbage disposer brush.
Once you have these items in place, clean your disposal unit by following the steps outlined below:
- Pour a packet of foam cleaner down the garbage disposal drain.
- Run hot water for about 2 minutes; the foam will rise above the sink and stay for a couple of minutes.
- Using your brush, scrub off all the remaining debris.
The trick here is to find a foam cleaner with good reviews as some just claim greatness but do not deliver results.
If your garbage disposal smells like sewage or any other terrible odor, I hope the cleaning methods above have been helpful. If it still smells even after using all these methods, you need to call your plumber to help remove odors from garbage disposal as this could be a septic tank backup issue.
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