Food particles that are likely to accumulate in your garbage disposal over time are almost definitely odor-producing, even when you are really careful about disposing of food remains and also use plenty of water. Properly clean waste disposal by deodorizing and scraping accumulated dirt off it, keeping an eye on the disposal chamber, splash guard, and trap. A garbage disposal is one of the essential areas of any cleaning schedule in the kitchen, even though it is often overlooked. Use the same natural cleaning supplies used to clean appliances and counters to make things easier. A combination of the techniques listed below works best in cleaning and ridding a garbage disposal of odor. Let’s discuss How to remove bad smells from garbage disposal.
First, how do disposals for waste operate?
Your garbage disposal is mounted to the drain and located under your sink. Each time you rinse vegetables, wash dishes, or scrape your plate into the drain opening, food debris collects in the grinding chamber.
Food particles are pulverized into a paste by the grinding ring that lines the chamber’s lower walls when the disposal is activated. A rotating disk with metal lugs drives the grinding action. The liquefied food gets flushed down the drain by the running water (you do run the water when you use the disposal, right?)
My garbage disposal stinks; why is that?
Food waste can be liquefied with the aid of trash compactors, which makes them easily Flushable down a drain. Over a period, this can build up and cause a foul odour in your kitchen. Generally, food particles that are liquefied but have stuck inside the appliance due to grinding cause this bad smell.
Though these machines quite effectively break down food waste, food particles still often stay back, sticking to the inner piping or blades of the machine. These stuck or lodging particles around the appliance will start decaying very fast and start giving off a foul odour. Some meals may last longer or smell worse after some time than other meals.
This can result in a partial or even complete blockage. Blockages obstruct the free flow of water, which intensifies this smell by providing an environment that encourages the growth of mould or mildew and their accompanying odour.
In what situations does it make sense to use a garbage disposal?
Image describing a woman sitting next to a table with pie, strawberries, and lemonade
Even though your garbage disposal can eliminate many types of foods, it is not a trash can. Consumer Reports says there are some things you should never put down, including:
- Cooking oil and grease
- Husks from corn
- Eggshells
- Coffee grinds
- Raw meat bones
- Banana peels
- Any dough
What makes a garbage disposal smell?
An image of a drain with bacteria, bugs, and a ghost. As I stated above, some stenches from the garbage disposal actually originate from the chamber itself. Still, most of it is from food that rots and accumulates on the rubber flange, which is a flaky black splash guard that fits into the drain hole.
How to Get Rid of Odours from Garbage Disposals
Even when you’re not experiencing clogs, knowing how to get rid of odours from your garbage disposal is always in your best interest. If your garbage disposal has stopped working, then consider the following five solutions for fixing this problem.
Baking soda and vinegar
Want to freshen up the odour of your garbage disposal? Well, here are a few items that you no doubt have at home: vinegar and baking soda. First, try pouring a cup of dry baking soda down a working garbage disposal. Next, use a cup of distilled vinegar to rinse the baking soda down the drain by pouring it down. This should do much to eliminate the stench from your garbage disposal.
Ice
Ice serves two purposes. It works to get rid of that awful smell in the first place. Secondly, it sharpens the blades of your garbage disposal. Since you likely have plenty of ice lying around, let’s start with that one. Drop cubes into your disposal, then run it until all the ice has disappeared, hopefully taking the smell with it.
Orange
Citrus fruits are an established method for cleaning garbage disposals. Lemons appear to be the favourite, though. Just chop up an orange, lemon, or lime into small pieces and drop them down a running waste disposal. The fruit itself acts as a natural cleaner, while the citric juice that is created serves to replace the foul smell with a much more pleasant one.
4. Bleach In case the substance is mild and the water is running, then you can use bleach. You can get rid of the odour by running a bit of bleach down the disposal as cold water runs. Any bits of food that are trapped in your pipes are also flushed out by the bleach.
Unique Items
If your garbage disposal still smells, you can usually find garbage disposal cleaning products, specifically at the food store. In that case, treatments are specially made for garbage disposals, and various chemicals are used to not only kill odors but also restore your disposal’s functionality.
Some odors are harder to detect, and sometimes, one really foul odor may get the best of you. If you need help flushing out the smells at your disposal and cleaning it out, then hire the pros at Mr. Rooter Plumbing. We know all about garbage disposals and can quickly identify the problems you’re experiencing before providing a solution for you.
How often should you deodorize your garbage disposal?
If you use it a lot, clean the waste disposal once a week or every two weeks. Once a month might work, but that may just be stretching things a little too far. Please give it a time frame in your cleaning program that reflects how often you use your disposal.
The goal is consistency. If you clean your disposal on a regular basis—weekly, every other week, or monthly—you might not be caught off guard by that foul smell that occasionally rises from your disposal. The buildup that occurs in a dirty disposal and causes the smell is avoided when you clean it regularly.
Why Does the Odor Remain in My Garbage Disposal Even After Cleaning?
Be prepared for the possibility that it may take a few different cleaning methods to completely eliminate odors from your garbage disposal. Typically, this smell comes from old, stuck food in the crevices of your disposal. Sometimes, more than the first method you try is needed to clear all causes of smell.
Another possible reason for the odor in your disposal after you clean may be grease or fat that you have rinsed down the drain. These items go down easily when they are hot. As they cool, they can harden and create a layer over the pipes out of your sink. You may need to double the cleaning method to rinse everything out completely.
Conclusion
By using these methods and maintenance tips, you can keep your waste disposal efficient and smelling good during your everyday work. Apart from eliminating odors, frequent cleaning will also help in the elongation of the life of your disposal.
