Cleaning a garbage disposal may not always be at the forefront of many homeowners. Garbage disposals are such an easy solution used on a daily basis in the kitchen, but we almost never give it a second thought.
Nevertheless, the garbage disposal still needs some maintenance from time to time. And learning to clean it the right way means that your kitchen is that much cleaner and hygienic, making it worth the time and effort. Here is a simple and easy breakdown of how you can effortlessly clean your garbage disposal.
How you can clean your garbage disposal:
- Do not forget to turn it off! First and foremost, be safe and cautious by turning off your disposal before you proceed on with the steps mentioned below.
- Remove leftover pieces. Manually clean out any pieces that might be stuck in the crevices of the disposal. You never know what might be lodged in there, despite regular use. Stubborn substances like pieces of plastic and unforgiving food may gather over time. You may use pliers or tongs if you want to, and have a flashlight handy.
- Cleanse with soap and hot water. You may turn on the disposal at this point. Use hot water to wash down the disposal. Then gradually pour in a bit of liquid dishwashing soap after turning on the disposal. This will allow cleaning the blades thoroughly as they continue spinning.
- Scour the blades using salt and ice. After all the soapy water has been washed off from the blades, keep the disposal turned on. Grab two cups of ice cubes and pour it in along with one-fourth cup of table salt. Allow for the spinning blades to grind the ice and salt. Finish it off by turning on cold water to wash the disposal blades.
- Clean it inside and out. In a small bucket, pour in hot water and some liquid soap to turn it soapy. Then, take an old toothbrush and proceed to scrub the gasket. Remember to remove the rim of the gaskets and scrubbing the inner sides too. Do make sure the disposal is turned off.
- Give it a thorough rinse. After you have cleaned every single inch possible, rinse the whole thing thoroughly. Go back on forth with hot and cold water to easily liquefy and remove any remaining residue.
Deodorize your garbage disposal by using these two common ingredients
Detail of the plumbing system under a modern kitchen sink, with a plumbers tool tray and equipment. Horizontal format.
- Lemon and Orange. Citrus is one of the common methods of removing odor from any substance. Spritz some lemon juice or better yet, release pieces of lemon or orange peelings into your garbage disposal. Run it down with warm water to disseminate any foul smells emitted.
- Vinegar and Baking Soda. If you are still not satisfied and the odor does not completely go away, it’s time to bring in the big guns. In the disposal, pour in a one-half cup of baking soda and quickly following it down with a cup of hot vinegar. The combination of the two should be able to do a wondrous job of neutralizing the foul odor.
Tips for everyday maintenance
- Make sure to throw any food substance that soaks up water in the trash rather than the disposal. Foods like, rice and pasta absorb a lot of water and can clog up the disposal pipe.
- Do not stuff bones, plastic utensils or any other similar items down the drain.
- Make sure not to let foods with a lot of fiber to go down the drain either. These may include, onion and potato skins, leaves of artichokes, etc. They might be small and thin, but they have the tendency to plaster itself to the blades and are harder to remove.
- Lastly, wash it down with water before and after every single meal.
Maintaining a routine of cleaning your garbage disposal from time to time prolongs the lifespan of it. If you do not give it the love and attention it needs, then it is bound to give up on you unexpectedly. Treat it properly and it will last a long time, making the time and effort absolutely worth it. Now that you know all the steps, you have no more excuses not to do so!
