A Smelly Garbage Blender

The good ole’ garbage disposal. The sink blender that makes our unwanted vegetables magically disappear. Although this beautiful machine liquifies leftovers, it can become a smelly pest if left uncleaned. Today we’re going to learn how to clean this modern marvel of human ingenuity. Enjoy!

Starting From the Top

Tools for the job,

• Tongs

• Toothbrush

• Dish Soap

• Baking soda

• Vinegar

• Water

• Ice

• Lemon/Orange Peels (optional)

Turning off the Power

First, you’ll want to disconnect the power to the garbage disposal. If yours does not have a plug underneath the cabinet that is okay, just don’t put any hands or fingers down the drain.

Cleaning & Removing the Splash Guard

The splash guard is a circular object that sits at the base of the sink outlet right before entering the garbage disposal. Usually, these guards are removable by simply lifting them up from the drain. If you can’t remove yours that is okay, the cleaning method is the same, just trickier.

Take a toothbrush (that will never enter your mouth again) and squeeze some dish soap onto the bristles. Brush around the splash guard getting into the grooves and teeth of the rubber until all the gunky film is cleaned off. Rinse off the guard and set it to dry.

Remove Excess Food from the Disposal

Grab a set of tongs and a flashlight to shine down into the body of the garbage disposal. Look in and pull-out large chunks of food, plastic, glass, or other debris that may be inside the opening.

The First Clean

The first clean of the blades and inside the disposal consist of baking soda, vinegar, and hot water. Put a quarter cup of baking soda down the drain followed by a quarter cup of vinegar. For those of you who forget third grade science class, this reaction will create an exciting bubbling effect immediately after the two interact. Let this reaction sit inside the disposal for a minute. Rinse the disposal out with cold water until the baking soda is gone.

The Second Clean

When cleaning your disposal, one clean likely isn’t enough. For the second clean we’re going to use another method to get all the grease out of the blades. Made popular in recent years, the second clean consist of ice and dish soap.

First, reconnect your garbage disposal to the power. Pour some dish soap down the drain, turn on the disposal, and let hot water run simultaneously. As it runs, grab ice (at least 10-15 cubes) from your freezer and put them in the drain. The ice will engage the blades cleaning them with the soap and warm water. Keep the disposal running until all the ice is gone.

Finishing Touches

An old school trick is to take some orange or lemon peels and blend them in the garbage disposal. This method has been around for decades since it freshens up the smell of the entire kitchen with a touch of citrus. You don’t have to do this step, but it does improve the smell acting as a “finishing touch.”

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