The Natural and Easy Way to Get Rid of Garbage Disposal Smells
What’s the dirtiest place in your home? No, it’s not your toilet or even your laundry hamper. It’s your garbage disposal. Besides being a huge convenience, a kitchen garbage disposal is an appliance that can be festered with germs and produce off-putting smells.
Fortunately, a simple solution to deodorize a garbage disposal involves running the appliance with ice and then citrus to remove food bits and kill lingering bacteria.
Why garbage disposals can smell
There are many types of foul smells that can arise from your kitchen drain, but virtually all of them come down to the same thing: bacteria. When you put food down the garbage disposal, most of it gets shredded and goes all the way through the drain. But small bits of organic material get stuck in the canister and to the blades. These organics slowly decay and allow bacteria to flourish. And it’s these bacteria that can cause unpleasant smells.
Tips for deodorizing garbage disposal
To get rid of the smell coming from your kitchen sink, you need to address the two main culprits – debris that’s collecting in the disposal and bacteria lurking below the drain. Here’s a quick and natural method:
- Cold water and ice – Start by running the cold water from the faucet. Then push a few cups of ice down the drain (use a kitchen tool so you don’t get your hands near the blades). As the ice gets chewed up, it will hopefully hit and freeze the small pieces of food, which will help them fall off the surfaces easier.
- Add lemon. Keep the cold water running and place small chunks of lemon (you can also use other citrus fruits such as orange or lime) down the disposal. This does two things. First, the acid of the fruit will kill some of the bacteria down the drain. Second, it provides a fresh scent in place of the foul odor.
Prevent and repeat
If you want to prevent the stench from returning, you can repeat this deodorizing method once a month (or more often, since it’s very easy). You should also be careful of what you put down the garbage disposal. A few items on the no-no list are fats/grease, coffee grounds, pasta, rice, fibrous vegetables, eggshells, and potato peels.
Garbage disposal service in Oahu and Maui
If you try the above method and can’t seem to remove the stink from your sink, or if it’s time to replace your garbage disposal (they have an average life of 8-15 years), it might be time to bring in the professionals at Emergency Plumbing & Solar. Schedule an appointment by calling (808) 691-9309.
