How To Properly Clean a Garbage Disposal: Easy Methods & Maintenance Tips
You’re brave.
But let’s be honest. If there’s one thing in your kitchen that mystifies and even scares you a bit, it’s the garbage disposal.
Fortunately, cleaning your garbage disposal is simple, and a clean disposal runs far more smoothly than one that’s neglected.
With no further ado, let’s learn when and how to clean your garbage disposal and maintain a clean, fresh kitchen sink. And the best news — no chopped-off fingers are required!
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How Often Do You Need To Clean Your Garbage Disposal?
If you regularly use your garbage disposal, most experts recommend cleaning it once a week since food buildup can lead to debris and odors. Depending on how much you use it, you may need to clean it twice a week or twice a month.
When food is trapped, especially in humid environments, bacteria begin to grow. This is what causes those nasty odors. And let’s be honest, nobody wants a stinky kitchen — or to think about bacteria growing and multiplying in their kitchen sink.
Luckily, the process is quick and simple, and we’re here to teach you exactly how to clean your garbage disposal.
Signs Your Garbage Disposal Needs a Thorough Cleaning
There are a few simple things to look out for that will let you know it’s time to clean out the disposal. Pay attention to these signs:
Unpleasant odors
Unusual noises while you’re running the disposal
Slow or sluggish draining
If you notice any of these, it’s probably time to clean your disposal.
4 Tried-and-True Methods for Cleaning Your Garbage Disposal
#1: The Ice Cube Method
This first method uses ingredients you likely already have handy. To use the ice cube method, you’ll need:
2 cups of ice cubes
1 tablespoon of baking soda
1 whole lemon, cut into wedges
Pack these three ingredients into your disposal, turn it on with cold water running, and run until it’s empty. The disposal might fizz from the baking soda and lemon reaction, which means your mixture is doing its job.
Ice will break up anything stuck in the disposal, baking soda will help scrub, and lemon will deodorize. This combination of ingredients is especially effective at breaking down the grime and muck stuck to the blades of your disposal.
#2: The Vinegar Method
This method combines two simple, powerful, and common ingredients.
Here’s what you’ll need for the vinegar method:
1 cup of apple cider vinegar
½ cup of baking soda
Mix the two ingredients, pour them into your disposal, and allow the mixture to sit for 10 minutes. Then, run hot water and run the disposal.
Apple cider vinegar has strong cleaning power due to its high acetic acid content, making it effective at cutting through dirt, grime, hard water stains, soap scum, and even some bacteria.
#3: The Power Flush
This technique is great to use every few days to keep the disposal flushed of debris and food residue. Best of all, you don’t need any ingredients at all.
Here’s what you’ll do:
Plug the sink.
Fill the sink about ¾ of the way with cold water.
Pull the plug and run the disposal until all the water has cleared.
We recommend doing this a couple of times a week in conjunction with one of the other methods, done weekly or biweekly, to keep your disposal running smoothly and smelling fresh.
#4: The Lemon-Only Method
To keep your disposal citrusy fresh, try this easy method.
Here’s how it works:
Take one lemon and cut it into wedges.
Run cold water and start the disposal.
While the water and disposal run, feed lemon wedges into the disposal one at a time until all grinding stops.
Voila! Your disposal smells fresh and clean once again.
How To Clean a Garbage Disposal: Other Effective Ingredients You Can Use
Some other ingredients you can pour down the drain to assist with cleaning a smelly or poorly functioning disposal are:
Salt
Dish soap
Boiling water
Essential oils, especially citrus and pine oils
White vinegar
Each of these ingredients offers cleaning, deodorizing, and degreasing benefits. Feel free to experiment with whichever ingredients you have handy in your kitchen to maximize your natural and effective cleaning power.
Helpful Tips for Maintaining Your Garbage Disposal
You’ve got some basics on the best practices for cleaning your disposal. Now, here are a few general tips that will help keep your garbage disposal running smoothly.
Consider the following:
Clean your disposal weekly or biweekly, depending on usage.
Don’t overload your disposal when using it.
Avoid putting fibrous vegetables and large bones in the garbage disposal because they can cause clogs.
Avoid pouring grease, eggshells, coffee grounds, starchy foods, and plastic down your disposal.
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