Get Rid of a Smelly Garbage Disposal
Garbage disposals do a lot of dirty work and take a lot of abuse without fanfare, but many people are unaware that they require regular maintenance. If they are not run properly, food will not fully rinse away and will dry up and stick to the disposal, often resulting in an unpleasant smell. You don't need a plumber to fix it, though; a few simple home remedies and cleaning techniques can have your garbage disposal smelling like new in no time.
Instructions
Eliminate Odors
1. Cover the drain and fill your sink two-thirds full with hot, soapy water. Turn the disposal on and remove the drain cover. This will flush out any food that is still in your disposal.
2. Grind a quartered lemon in the disposal while running cold water. Leave the water running for an additional 15 seconds or so after the sound of grinding has stopped.
3. Pour half a cup of hot white vinegar and half a cup of baking soda into the disposal. After letting it sit in the disposal for five minutes, turn the disposal on and run hot water down the drain.
4. Freeze white vinegar in ice cube trays. Take a few cubes and place them in the disposal. Turn on the disposal while running cold water in the sink.
5. Unplug the disposal or trip the breaker to shut off the power to the disposal. Reach inside the rubber splash baffle, lift it up and scrub it with dishwashing liquid, cleaning the grinding chamber's upper lip as well. Reconnect the power and flush the disposal out with half a sink of warm water and 1/4 cup baking soda like in the first step.
Clean Your Disposal
6. Disconnect the pipe that runs from your disposal to the main sink piping. Place the test cap to the end of the garbage disposal pipe and tighten the clamp. Put a large bucket under the pipe to catch any leaks.
7. Fill the disposal with warm water, stopping when it reaches the top the strainer where the sink meets the disposal.
8. Add 1 cup OxiClean or similar product to the water in the disposal and let it sit. After an hour, remove the test cap and allow the water to flow into the bucket. Reattach the pipe from the disposal to the main pipe. Flush the disposal out with soapy water as in Step 1 of Section 1.
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