How to Get Rid of Smell from Garbage Disposal?

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Garbage disposal is the handiest thing in the kitchen. It deals with food waste and grinds everything thrown in it. Although it doesn’t leave any food waste, it can leave a bad smell.

If you are in this situation, then the first question that will arise is how to get rid of the smell from the garbage disposal?

Water itself can’t remove the odor under your sink. It can usually remove the leftovers still there, but that doesn’t affect the smell.We will tell you the best ways to get rid of the smell.

Also, you can read Which Garbage Disposal Should I Buy?

how to get rid of smell from garbage disposal

The Main Reason of the Smell

Typically, garbage disposal has few common parts. The flywheel is the part where blades are connected.

After filling it up with garbage, the flywheel spin with the help of an electric motor; it cuts all the trash into small parts before those flush out with the water.

Usually, garbage can stick with the impellers and flywheel. This continuous garbage collection will cause food to decompose, thus producing odor.

How to Remove the Smell from Garbage Disposal

You can remove the smell from your garbage disposal following various methods. These 4 are the best effective ways to deal with the problem:

1. Use Water and Soap

Soapy water is very effective for removing the odor.

  • Put a rubber stopper in the drain.
  • Fill the sink with hot water. Add few drops of liquid soap to the water, and mix it.
  • Finally, run the garbage disposal, and remove the stopper to drain the water.

This will remove any garbage stuck in it, and there will be no odor whatsoever.

liquid soap

2. Put Some Ice Cubes

Use some ice cubes, and run the disposal. Because of the structure of cubes, it will remove tiny pieces of garbage stuck in the blade. Do this for an hour to get a good result. You will hear some noise but don’t worry.

Ice Sharpen Garbage Disposal Blades

3. Use Citrus Fruits

Citrus fruits can help you remove the smell. Lemon, lime, or orange,etc.,are examples of citrus fruits that can get you rid of this smell issue.

Cut a lime or lemon into several small pieces. Throw the pieces into the running disposal, and run the tap water.

The fruit will remove any odor in the disposal unit and add a pleasant smell. For better results, use 2 or 3citrus fruits until you are satisfied with the cleaning.

4. The Mixture of Baking Soda and Vinegar

The following method is one of the common and effective ones you can apply. Vinegar is a natural deodorizer, and it can also kill bacteria.

All you need is a mixture of half-cup of baking soda and half-cup of vinegar. Pour the baking soda into vinegar. Make a mixture, and let it sit for 10 minutes in the sink.

Now, turn on the disposal, and run hot water from the tap for 5-10 minutes. It will flush any garbage stuck in there and remove the smell.

milliard baking soda
Calyptus 45% Pure Super Concentrated Vinegar

Some Tips for Using the Garbage Disposal

It would be best if you used the garbage disposal in a way that doesn’t even lead to the odor issue. Here some tips you can follow to prevent it from happening in the first place.

 1. Stop Throwing Large Garbage

The blade of the flywheel cannot cut large objects. Putting large stuff on the disposal unit can ruin the blade and affect its cleaning effectiveness. This is the main reason for producing an unpleasant odor. 

Try to manually clean any large garbage that the grinder cannot cut.

2. Clean the Garbage Disposal Regularly

Always keep garbage disposal components clean. Use the tricks that we mentioned above to clean it regularly when it’s filled with garbage. It would be best if you tried to clean once a week to obtain good results.

3. Always Run the Tap Water During Grinding

Never stop the water flow before you see all garbage is flushed away. Water helps to clean and flush out anything that is on the blade.

Follow user guidelines of the garbage disposal, and use water as mentioned. Sometimes the grinding seems stopped, but food waste remains at the disposal unit. Continuous water flow really helps in such a case.

The continued flow of water will also help the blades last longer.

4. Avoid Completely Filling with Garbage

Put food wastage in small amount in the disposal. This will ensure the blade is never stuck because of too much garbage in it.

Make sure you don’t dispose of different types of foods at once. Do it one by one.

5. Cold Tap Water for Cleaning Garbage

Use cold water while the disposal is running. It will help prevent any grease or oils from clogging the garbage disposal.

Normal room temperature water will be fine for regular cleaning as well.

Also Read: How to Keep Garbage Disposal Hot Or Cold Water?

6. Don’t Use Traditional Cleaners

Commercial cleaners have different chemicals which can damage different components of your garbage disposal. So, before using any cleaner, try to know its specific actions properly.

Only use products that are approved for garbage disposals.

7. Clean it After Using Soap

You can pour a small amount of dish soap to clean the components of the upper chamber. Use tap water to clean the soap.

8. Never Use Your Hands to Clean the Unit

Any tools like pliers will help to remove anything from the disposal unit while running. Avoid using your hands, or else you will cut your fingers.

9. Manually Free up Jam

Sometimes the disposal unit may jam after a long time of use. Remove the disposal unit, and clear any object jammed in it.

Clean all components before attaching them to the sink.

10. Use it Regularly

When acidic substances meet metals, rust begins to form. Rust and corrosion start to build up when you don’t use the unit for a long time.

Be sure to use the disposal unit regularly to prevent such issues from happening.

Conclusion

If you have made it this far, we hope now you have a clear idea of how to get rid of the smell from garbage disposal.

Use the disposal unit carefully to make sure you don’t have to face any unwanted issues.

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