How to Clean Your Garbage Disposal

Don’t stress out over how to clean your garbage disposal! These simple tips will have it good as new in no time at all!

How to Clean Your Garbage Disposal

We’ve all been there, standing in the kitchen and something smells a bit funky. After a bit of searching, we are led to the garbage disposal. Since we are consistently running soapy water down the drain the garbage disposal should be semi-clean right? Unfortunately, this isn’t the case. The garbage disposal is full of bacteria and germs. This is why it is important to clean and sanitize your garbage disposal.

Simple ways to clean other areas of your home:

• How to clean your dishwasher
• How to clean in your kitchen everything you need to know
• The Ultimate Spring Cleaning List You Need

 

Tips to clean your garbage disposal

You probably already have most of what you need to clean your garbage disposal naturally in your kitchen. It is really simple and a pretty quick process too.

Vinegar and Baking Soda

The following are affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. You can read my full disclosure here.

Baking soda and vinegar easily work together to clean, deodorize and sanitize your garbage disposal.

Supplies you need to clean your garbage disposal

• White Vinegar
• Baking Soda
• Tea Kettle
• Salt (Rock Salt or Coarse Sea Salt)
• Lemons

Steps to take to clean your garbage disposal

1. Sprinkle about half a cup of baking soda down the drain
2. Add about one cup of vinegar
3. Let the chemical reaction do its job and let it fizz for a few minutes
4. While you let this sit, start your tea kettle for boiling water
5. Once the fizzing settles down a bit (after the few minutes is up) follow it with boiling water
6. Next, fill the drain with about two cups of ice
7. Using about a cup of salt, sprinkle it over the ice
8. Turn on your cold water
9. Turn your garbage disposal on
10. Allow this to run until the ice is completely gone
11. While you are waiting on the ice, cut a couple lemons in half
12. Place the lemons in the disposal (one piece at a time) 
13. Once the lemons are no longer in the garbage disposal you can shut it off and turn the water off

Commercial Cleaners

If using ready to go cleaners is easier (who doesn’t love when things are easier?), you can also get commercial cleaners for your garbage disposal as well. You can find several different types both online and in your local stores. These products are fairly inexpensive but, just make sure that you have them on hand when you are ready to clean your garbage disposal or it is easy to forget to clean it.

Other Tips

To get the best possible clean for your garbage disposal and a chance at removing the lingering smell, you need to also remember to clean the underside of the baffle. The underside of the baffle is likely holding on to a lot of food particles and bacteria. Some of these baffles are removable while others are permanent.

Warm soapy water is all you need to clean this and it will be as good as new. If yours happens to be removable just pull it out and clean it quick. If your baffle doesn’t come out, just use a soapy washcloth or sponge and clean the underside to the best of your ability.

How often should you clean your garbage disposal?

Adding your garbage disposal to your weekly cleaning list will help you to keep the nice fresh smell and make sure that there are minimal bacteria and germs hiding in there. No more searching for that funky smell in the kitchen.

And there you have it, just like that, you can clean your garbage disposal with ease!