How to clean a garbage disposal and stop the smell

To clean a garbage disposal, switch it off at the wall or breaker, scrub the underside of the rubber splash guard with an old toothbrush and dish soap, then run a cup of ice and a handful of coarse salt through it with cold water. Finish with a few lemon peels. For the drain, use baking soda, then white vinegar, wait 15 minutes, and flush with hot tap water.

What do you need?

• An old toothbrush or a narrow bottle brush
• Dish soap
• A cup of ice cubes
• Coarse salt (kosher or rock salt)
• Lemon, orange or lime peels
• Baking soda and white vinegar
• Kitchen tongs or pliers, for pulling things out of the disposal

How do you clean a garbage disposal step by step?

1. Cut the power. Flip the wall switch off and, if you'll be reaching in at all, unplug the unit under the sink or turn off its breaker. Don't put your hand in a disposal that has power, even with the switch off.
2. Check for anything stuck. Shine a flashlight in. Pull out bottle caps, twist ties or bones with tongs, not fingers.
3. Scrub the splash guard. Lift each rubber flap and scrub the underside with dish soap and the toothbrush. Smell builds up here. You'll see the gray film come off.
4. Scrub the top of the chamber. Reach the brush through the opening and scrub the walls you can get to.
5. Grind ice and salt. Restore power. Drop in a cup of ice and a handful of coarse salt, turn on the cold water, and run the disposal until the grinding stops. The ice knocks buildup off the walls and the salt scours.
6. Freshen it. Drop in a few citrus peels, cut into small pieces, and run them through with cold water.

About 10 minutes, start to finish.

How do you clean a smelly kitchen drain?

On a sink side without a disposal, or after you've cleaned the disposal:

1. Pour in half a cup of baking soda. Push it down the drain with a spoon handle if it sits on top.
2. Follow with a cup of white vinegar. It'll fizz.
3. Cover the drain with a plug or a damp cloth and wait 15 minutes.
4. Flush with hot tap water for a minute or two.

This clears light buildup and odor. It won't fix a real clog. If the sink drains slowly, try a sink plunger (cover the other drain in a double sink first), then clean out the P-trap under the sink with a bucket underneath. If it's still slow, call a plumber.

What should you avoid?

• Boiling water. It can soften PVC pipe joints and crack some porcelain and composite sinks. Hot tap water does the job.
• Chemical drain openers in a disposal. They can damage the seals and they're dangerous if they splash back while someone's working on the unit.
• Bleach mixed with anything else. Never mix bleach with vinegar or other cleaners. The fumes are toxic.
• Hot water while grinding. Use cold water when the disposal runs, so any grease stays solid and gets chopped and carried away instead of coating the pipe.

What shouldn't go down a garbage disposal?

• Grease, oil and fat. Wipe pans with a paper towel and throw it away first.
• Coffee grounds. They pack together in the pipe.
• Pasta, rice and bread. They swell with water.
• Stringy vegetables like celery, corn husks, onion skins and artichoke leaves. They wrap around the parts.
• Potato peels, in quantity.
• Bones, fruit pits and shells.
• Anything that isn't food.

Scrape plates into the trash or compost, and use the disposal for the small scraps left in the sink.

How do you keep it from smelling again?

• Run cold water for 15 to 20 seconds after each use, so food gets carried all the way through.
• Run the disposal at least every few days. A unit that sits unused gets stale.
• Do the ice-and-salt run every week or two.
• Scrub the splash guard and do baking soda and vinegar once a month.

If the smell is under the sink rather than in it, check for a slow leak at the pipe joints. Musty means moisture.

For the rest of the sink, see how to clean your kitchen sink, and for where this fits in the week, our kitchen cleaning schedule.

What does a house cleaning do at the kitchen sink?

On a Standard House Cleaning, RoutineCare, the kitchen sink and faucet are cleaned, along with the counters and backsplash and the stovetop.

On a Deep Cleaning, PureRenewal, the sink and faucet are descaled and polished, and every item on the list is cleaned whether or not it looks like it needs it.

See what's covered at House Cleaning.

FAQ

Why does my garbage disposal smell even after I run it? The smell usually comes from food film on the underside of the rubber splash guard and on the walls of the grinding chamber, which running water doesn't reach. Turn the power off, scrub the splash guard with an old toothbrush and dish soap, then grind ice and coarse salt.

Is it OK to put ice down a garbage disposal? Yes. Regular ice cubes knock buildup off the grinding chamber and are a standard way to clean it. Run cold water while you do it.

Can you pour boiling water down a kitchen drain? Hot tap water is the safer choice. Boiling water can soften PVC pipe joints and crack some sinks, and it's no help with grease, which just moves further down the pipe and sets again.

How often should you clean a garbage disposal? A quick ice-and-salt run every week or two, and a splash guard scrub plus baking soda and vinegar once a month. Clean it right away if it starts to smell.

Does a house cleaning include the kitchen sink? Yes. Standard House Cleaning cleans the kitchen sink and faucet. Deep Cleaning descales and polishes them.

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