Can You Put Strawberries in a Garbage Disposal

The danger that comes from placing leftovers in your disposal is that the disposal and running water do not always clear out every food particle. There are minute bits and pieces that somehow find a way to stay inside your appliance and make themselves known through their foul odor.

It is tempting to put fruit pieces down the drain to cover that foul odor. Especially when you do not want to use commercial cleansers with their many harsh chemical ingredients. Keep reading to see if it is safe to use strawberries as that natural freshener.

Is it Safe to Put Strawberries Down Your Disposal

The good news is that strawberries do not come with any pits or large hard seeds. Plus, they are small fruit items without a tough rind to get stuck between the blades of your disposal.

What this all means is that it is okay to put strawberries down your disposal to get rid of the leftovers or freshen the smell of your kitchen appliance. The key to doing this is to not put in large amounts at one time.

You may have to stand there for a few minutes if there are a lot of strawberry pieces to dispose of, but that time is worth it. You won’t be plugging up your drain or disposal when you put a little in at a time.

How to Freshen Your Garbage Disposal

As we said earlier, those little food particles can stay in secret places in your disposal and rot away. When they rot, they give off a foul smell. This is an odor you do not want your guests to smell when they are in your kitchen.

The best way to get rid of those bad odors is to freshen your disposal. But before you reach for oranges, lemons, limes, or different berries to do the job, here are some solutions that will work:

1. Baking soda and vinegar – 1 cup of baking soda and 2 cups of vinegar should do it
2. Hot water and liquid dishwashing soap – Make it a soap that fights off grease
3. Ice cubes and cold water – These will help clean the blades and do not worry about sharpening them, they do not need it.

Some Final Words

Strawberries are small and give off a very pleasant fragrance. That is good news since they will not clog your disposal or your drain. Plus, you get a nice fresh scent coming from your disposal instead of rotting food.