A Garbage disposal is one of the best inventions ever made for the kitchen. These small devices that fit nicely under your kitchen sink make it easier to deal with leftover food. By grinding up leftovers, garbage disposal makes it easier to send them into your home’s drain.
But garbage disposal units are not without their problems, warns Abacus Avenue Property Management. Two prominent issues homeowners face with kitchen garbage disposals are constant jamming and bad smells from the unit. Odors in any part of the home are a problem, but inside the kitchen, they are unbearable.
Why does your garbage disposal unit stink? What can you do to stop the smell? Are there long-term solutions to keep the problem from happening again? Here, you will find all the answers to help prevent this disgusting problem from happening again.
Why does your garbage disposal smell so bad?
The straightforward answer is decaying food inside the garbage disposal will cause foul odors. Garbage disposals are only to grind up food waste to make it easy to flow through your drains. But sometimes, some of that food waste gets trapped inside the unit.
When this happens, the bacteria inside your garbage disposal will start to feed on the lodged food waste and break them down. The decay or rot process will result in the formation of foul-smelling chemicals or gases inside your garbage disposal.
Foods rich in oils, fats, proteins, and sugar are the biggest culprits in this regard. Yet the problem is not that hard to solve. There are two ways to deal with terrible odors from a kitchen garbage disposal; remove the bad odors or prevent them altogether.
How to keep your kitchen garbage disposal clean and fresh
Get rid of annoying odors from your garbage disposal with these simple steps:
Flush with clean hot water
It is as simple as pouring hot water into the sink to clean the garbage disposal while it is running. The heat from the water should be enough to remove the bad smells and dislodge any food crumbs sticking to the garbage disposal blade. Regular clean hot water flush will help you avoid bad odors.
Flush with hot water and detergent
For odors caused by greasy food, hot water alone may not be enough to rid the smell. If you notice a lingering smell after the first step, fill your sink with hot water and grease-cutting dish detergent and then open the drain to release the water.
Scrub the inside of the garbage disposal
Before you do this step, disconnect the unit completely from power. Pass a brush with a long narrow handle, an old toothbrush, or a scrub with a narrow head into the garbage disposal via the drain opening. After that, scrub the unit’s interior with water and dish soap. You may need a flashlight to see what you are doing.
Deodorize with baking soda and vinegar
Pour half a cup of baking soda into the drain opening, followed by a mixture of white vinegar and water. Let the fizzy solution sit inside the garbage disposal for ten minutes or even one hour. Power on your garbage disposal and pour hot water into the unit to clear away the debris causing the bad smell.
Get your plumber to clean the unit
If all else fails, then it is time to get professional help. If you tried all the steps and the smell still won’t go away, it could be because there are encrusted food particles on the garbage disposal blades. Your plumber will know how to remove the offending material and stop the bad odors in your kitchen.
Preventing garbage disposal smells
Now that you have gotten rid of the bad odors, you don’t want them back. These simple steps will keep your kitchen garbage disposal clean, fresh, and free of bad odors.
- At least once a week, pour hot water into the garbage disposal, with a small amount of dish soap, to get rid of trapped food particles. Do this while the unit is running. You will get the best results if you do this every day.
- Use your garbage disposal often. You are more likely to have bad odors from the unit if you leave it unused for long periods. If you are about to travel, take the time to clean the unit thoroughly (follow the steps in the section above).
- When using the garbage disposal, always make sure that there is a strong water flow. Food particles are less likely to get stuck in the unit if enough water flows through the device at the time of use.
Finally, bad odors from garbage disposal may be due to improper maintenance. The unit will lose efficiency and be more likely to create bad odors if it doesn’t get the required care. You will have fewer issues with your garbage disposal if a professional plumber inspects it regularly.