Want to know how to clean a garbage disposal? You’re in the right place. We’ll show you some excellent natural methods so you can clean your garbage disposal.
Garbage disposals are used to collect any leftover food waste that may accumulate, and are often used as an alternative to throwing it in the trash (although it’s ideal to have no food waste at all). In fact, according to Consumer Reports, it is estimated over half of Americans have one installed in their house. However, over time, bits of food get stuck in the nooks and the splash guard, which may eventually lead to rather unsavory smells wafting around your kitchen. Thankfully, there are plenty of natural tricks that you can use to clean your garbage disposal — even if it seems like a daunting task.
So, if you’re wondering how to clean your garbage disposal, we’ll break down some of the easiest tips for you below. Let’s take a look.
1. How to Clean Your Garbage Disposal With Baking Soda
You can use baking soda to clean your garbage disposal. This method is fairly simple, and shouldn’t take too long. All you’ll need is some baking soda, vinegar, and soap. So, what next?
- Turn off your power for your own safety.
- Using hot water and soap, scrub the black rubber splash guard thoroughly until you feel as though it is clean, and rinse it.
- Now, it’s time to apply your baking soda. Sprinkle some baking soda into your garbage disposal alongside a cup of vinegar.
- Cover the drain opening with your sink stopper.
- Leave the mixture to soak for around ten minutes.
- Finally, remove your sink stopper and rinse the mixture away thoroughly with cold water.
Baking soda helps to eliminate odors, so this method should also help to remove any smells that have been lurking in the air. It is also biodegradable, making it a great environmentally-friendly option.
2. Use Lemons to Clean Your Garbage Disposal
Using lemon is a natural, chemical-free option that will help to clean your garbage disposal. If you want, you can even mix lemons and limes. While it may not have the same cleaning power as using baking soda, it should still help to neutralize any odors. The citric acid inside will also help to give it a clean. If you have any leftover lemon, you can use that too! To use this method, follow the steps below:
- Slice up your lemon and limes into pieces.
- Squirt some juices down the garbage disposal and let it sit for a couple of minutes.
- Add your chopped-up slices one by one down the opening.
- Wait for around five minutes before rinsing with cold water.
This is a great option if you want to clean your sink naturally, and will help to prevent toxic chemicals from entering the environment that could potentially harm wildlife and pollute ecosystems. It’s for this reason that it’s incredibly important to always try and use natural methods over chemically-based solutions.
3. Use Ice Cubes
While it may come as a surprise, you can actually use ice cubes to clean your garbage disposal. Not only is it natural, but it is also incredibly straightforward — and you are likely already stocked up. All you will need for this nifty little method is of course some ice cubes and some salt. However, you can actually just use some ice on its own if you’d wish. The salt just adds a bit of extra cleaning power.
- Combine your ice and salt together and fill your garbage disposal with them.
- Run your cold water until the ice has all disappeared.
This method should help to clean your garbage disposal. The ice should help to dislodge any food waste that has become stuck and help to remove it. You can even add some lemon if you wish, just like the previous method. It’s really that simple!
4. How to Clean Your Garbage Disposal Using Boiling Water
Boiling water is known to kill bacteria, making it perfect for cleaning your garbage disposal. However, rather than being done alone, it’s best combined with one of the above methods so you can give your garbage disposal the love that it deserves. Likewise, just like the other methods, this is completely natural and chemical-free — hooray! Let’s dive into this incredibly simple method.
- Using one of the above methods, clean your garbage disposal.
- Once complete, boil some water and pour it down.
In addition, when it comes to cleaning your unit, there are some important tips to keep in mind to prevent it from smelling and even breaking. For starters, there are some things you should never put down your garbage disposal.
You should never put cooking oils, raw meat, bones, banana peels, coffee grounds, eggshells, onion skins, or dough down your disposal unit. While it may be tempting to toss it all in there, this could cause your garbage disposal to end up smelling worse and may even end up blocking it.
Read more:
- How to Reuse Leftover Food: 8 Ideas
- Use White Vinegar and Borax as an Alternative to Baking Soda
- How to Get Rid of Nasty Drain Smells: 4 Household Cleaning
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