Do you have a stinky kitchen sink?
If you do, there are several ways to stop nasty odors.
Just last week my good buddy complained about his garbage disposal stinking to high heaven.
Since the holidays are approaching I decided to put together a little tutorial.
Today you’ll learn 4 tips that’ll show you how to clean a garbage disposal.
Instead of smelling awful odors you can enjoy the wonderful sent of chocolate chip cookies.
Hmm, maybe I’ll have to include a good cookie recipe at the end of this post…
I bet you have most of the ingredients in your home to clean your garbage disposal.
Even if you don’t it won’t cost you much money.
Almost all the methods I use are “natural”, meaning we’re not using bleach or other chemicals.
Here’s the full supply list 😀
- Lemons ($2)
- Knife (FREE)
- Cutting Board or Plate (FREE)
- Baking Soda ($2)
- Vinegar ($2)
- Borax ($3)
- 1/2 Cup Measuring Cup (FREE)
- 1 Tablespoon (FREE)
Pretty simple list, right?
So lets jump right into the cleaning!
4 Easy methods for cleaning your disposal (SUPER FAST too)
Alright, the first method uses lemons.
Cheap, natural, and quick.
Cut a lemon in half then cut it into 1/4 inch slices.
Cut the slices into half moon shapes.
I like to take the seeds out of the lemons because frankly we don’t put much down the disposal beside fruit pieces or cereal.
Here’s the deal, even though you might have a disposal that doesn’t mean you should put all your leftovers down in it.
I remember watching a Mike Holmes show on HGTV and he pretty much hated disposals because they cause more harm than good.
Who’s gonna argue with the big guy, I’m not!!
Pasta, meat, grease…. these all are bad news for your pipes.
Imagine the grinding up pasta. The sludge has to pass through the P-Trap and make it’s way into your main sewer pipe.
In order to do that you have to run a lot of water (witch is wasteful) and even then you run the risk of getting a clog.
We all know what a pain clogs are to fix.
Enough of my thoughts on garbage disposal dos and don’ts.
Push the lemons down into the disposal (disposal should be off :D), run warm water, then turn on the disposal for 1 minute.
Lemon juice is acidic and will naturally clean your disposal and pipes.
Method #2
Make vinegar ice cubes overnight.
The next morning throw a handful of these cleaning cubes into the disposal, run cold water, and turn on the disposal for 1 minute.
Ice cubes will abrade the blades of the disposal and vinegar is mildly acidic, so it will clean the disposal and pipes much like the lemons.
PLEASE make sure to remove the leftover vinegar ice cubes from your fridge.
The last thing you need is for a family member to mix vinegar with their orange juice in the morning.
Although it might be somewhat entertaining.
Don’t get any smart ideas. Either use all the vinegar cubes or throw them away 😀
Method #3
The third method involves adding 1/2 cup of baking soda to the disposal.
Let the baking soda sit and absorb whatever’s in the disposal for about 1 hour.
Then you can add 1 cup of vinegar, I prefer Heinz cleaning vinegar, to the disposal.
A lot of fizzing will occur. This is natural and a product of the baking soda reacting with the vinegar.
It’s perfectly safe and mostly carbon dioxide gas.
Method #4
Use Borax.
The best part about this is the box has super specific instructions on how to use Borax for garbage disposals.
You’ll see what I mean in the video, which is all of 4 minutes but could be super helpful if your disposal smells worse than the high school football team’s locker room.
And yes, I’ve seen some disgusting stuff in kitchens that would rival a boys locker room!!!
What’s Next
If you liked this tutorial you’ll love the one showing how to clean greasy kitchen hoods – it’s awesome!
If you’re doing a bathroom remodel and need help, join one of our online courses – they’ll make your bathroom renovation much easier!
Let me know if you have any questions and I’ll do my best to help.
Thanks as always for reading, watching, and being part of our awesome community.
Cheers,
Jeff
