There’s an unsung hero in our kitchens and we probably look at it daily—it’s our garbage disposal.
We feel free as we chop and cook about while being able to toss some of the mess down the garbage disposal. This handy appliance is reliable and low maintenance as it’s self-cleaning. However, every now and then it’s a good idea to show them some love.
Whether there’s a funky smell coming from your disposal or if you can’t remember a time you ever cleaned it, you may want to use the following steps to keep it healthy.
In just ten minutes, you can eliminate bacteria and clean your garbage disposal:
- Gather your materials
- Dishwashing soap
- Distilled white vinegar
- Baking soda
- Sea salt
- Lemon or lime
- Ice
- Old toothbrush
- Sponge
- Flashlight
- Needle nose pliers
- Disconnect the power to your disposal: unplug it or turn off the breaker.
- Use the flashlight to look down the garbage disposal for any items that may be lodged down there. NEVER USE YOUR HAND – use the needle nose pliers to grab anything that may be stuck.
- Drop approximately a dozen ice cubes into the garbage disposal along with some sea salt. Reconnect or restore the power to the garbage disposal. Then, start running the water and run the garbage disposal. Do this for about a minute.
- Turn everything off and check the blades using the flashlight. Check to see if they look clean. If so, shut the power off again and proceed to the next step. If not, repeat step 4.
- Pour a cup of vinegar and a half-cup of baking soda into the disposal. Let it combine and fizz for about 15 minutes. This is a natural and non-toxic way of cleaning your disposal. This concoction will eliminate bacteria.
- While you’re waiting the 15 minutes, combine vinegar and baking soda again to create a paste somewhere outside the disposal, such as your counter. Put some of the paste on the old toothbrush and scrub the rubber flaps of the disposal as well as the area around it, eliminating bacteria from these areas too. Use the paste to scrub other areas of your sink if you wish.
- Now it’s time for the final flush. Plug up your disposal opening with a stopper, run the water to fill about three-quarters of your sink. Add a tablespoon of dish soap, remove the plug, and run the garbage disposal again.
Other tips and tricks:
- Flush the garbage disposal with boiling hot water and a dash of dish soap
- Grinding ice cubes and sea salt in your garbage disposal will remove sludge and debris as well as keep your blades sharp and remove bad odors.
- Cut a lemon or lime in half and with the water and garbage disposal both running, toss the halves into your disposal, one at a time. This will clean and deodorize your appliance.
- Pour half a cup of baking soda and a cup of white vinegar down into your disposal and let it sit for 5-10 minutes. Next, rinse it down with hot or boiling water while running the garbage disposal.
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