How To Keep A Garbage Disposal Clean

Garbage disposals follow a self-cleaning mechanism by breaking down the food particles and washing them down the drain. Often there are food particles that do not clean by the grinding actions and the residue starts to build upon these areas. It will leave your garbage disposal and ultimately your kitchen smelling nasty.

If your kitchen is also stinking and you think it is a coming from your garbage disposal, then it is time to clean up your garbage disposal. The good news for you is that cleaning garbage disposal is easy and can be done in a few simple steps. Follow the methods discussed below, they could help you out immensely.

4 Methods to Keep a Garbage Disposal Clean

• Using Lemons – In the first method, we will use lemons to clean the garbage disposal.
  • Unplug or switch off the garbage disposal.
  • Take a lemon and cut it into small pieces until you have a whole bunch of half-moon shaped pieces of lemon.
  • Stuff down the pieces of lemon in the garbage disposal and turn on the water.
  • Now, turn on the garbage disposal and let it run for 1 or 2 minutes.

Following this method will not only clean your garbage disposal blades but also it will help to get rid of the nasty smell.

• Using Vinegar – For the second method, we will use the vinegar ice cubes to clean the garbage disposal.
  • Take an ice cube tray and fill it with vinegar. Just make sure that nobody uses that because nobody likes vinegar in their drink.
  • Once the cubes are frozen, take them out.
  • Now stuff the garbage disposal with vinegar ice cubes and turn it on.
  • Turn on the hot water and let the garbage disposal run for a few minutes.

As the vinegar ice cubes get crushed by the garbage disposal, it will clean it out nicely.

• Using Baking Soda and Vinegar – This method involves baking soda along with vinegar. Baking soda is frequently used in cooking and is easily available in most of the kitchens.  
  • Take about a half cup of baking soda and stuff it down into garbage disposal.
  • Let it sit there for around one hour and then push it down with the spoon and again let it sit there for 1 hour. This will absorb all the nastiness and yucky smell from the garbage disposal.
  • Now, take about 1 cup of vinegar and pour it down the drain into the garbage disposal. Combining vinegar with baking soda will cause a chemical reaction which will create a lava effect. Do not worry, it will be harmless.
  • Turn on the water and rinse out the garbage disposal. Run the garbage disposal for a minute and you are good to go.

• Using Borax – For the final method, we will be using Borax. It is a natural laundry cleaner, and most of the boxes even outline on the box how to clean your garbage disposal using the Borax.
  • Grab a tablespoon and add about 2-3 tablespoons of the Borax to the garbage disposal.
  • Let it sit in the garbage disposal for about 15 minutes.
  • Again, push it down with a spoon and let it sit for another 15 minutes.
  • Borax will work just like the baking soda did. The only difference is you want to use the warm water as per the directions on the box.
  • Now clean out your sink, run the garbage disposal, and you are done.

How Often You Should Clean Your Garbage Disposal

Well, knowing the method is not enough. You should clean your garbage disposal regularly, preferably every week to increase its life. You can use any method mentioned above to clean your garbage disposal and the good news is that majority of the materials required for the process are easily available in your home.