Stinky Garbage Disposal? An Expert Shares 4 Quick Fixes

What kind of things do you grind up in your  garbage disposal? Whether it’s vegetable scraps and banana peels or dinner leftovers, little bits of food always seem to linger. And the sink can harbor some of the most dangerous germs in the home because that’s where we often clean or prepare raw meat and fresh produce. The disposal can be teeming with salmonella, E. coli, and other harmful bacteria. Plus, that’s where you also wash your hands, rinsing away even more germs through the drain and disposal. It’s no wonder the garbage disposal can smell like something crawled into it and died. 

7 Surprising Things You Should Be Cleaning With Aluminum Foil

Even if you frequently blast hot water down the drain, that's not enough to properly clean your disposal and rid yourself of the pungent aromas.

“Running really hot water helps through reducing the level of microorganisms present, but it may not remove the food particulates that serve as a source of food for microorganism growth,” says Martin Bucknavage, an expert in food safety in the Penn State Department of Food Science.

Bucknavage says you should clean your garbage disposal thoroughly at least once a month using one (or more) of these four methods.

Baking Soda and Vinegar

One of the easiest ways to clean a disposal is with the natural combination of baking soda and vinegar. Start by sprinkling about 1/2 cup of baking soda into the disposal. Follow that with a cup of white or apple cider vinegar. Let it sit for at least 10 minutes. You’ll be able to see the mixture bubbling and foaming. Then, flush with hot water and turn on the disposal to let the mixture scour the inside of the unit.

Citrus Peels and Ice Cubes

When you have a spent lemon, orange, or other citrus fruit, toss the used fruit, peels and all, down the disposal. Cut up the rinds into smaller pieces if needed. Turn on the disposal for a few seconds to grind up the aromatic rinds. “The peels will serve to provide physical scrubbing while the citrus oils have an antimicrobial effect,” says Bucknavage. “You will notice the nice citrus smell after running it.”

You can even toss in a few ice cubes for extra scrubbing action and to help slough off food particles stuck in the disposal. 

Clean the Splash Guard

The rubber collar, also called a splash guard, is the flexible ring at the opening of the disposal that helps keep food inside the device. You can imagine how germy and gunky it can get over time. 

Remove the splash guard and clean it in warm, soapy water. It can help to use an old toothbrush and lots of dish soap to make sure you get into all the nooks and crannies. Wipe it down to be sure you’ve removed all the sludge. If the collar is torn or really grimy, you can replace it with a new one.

The Big Deep Clean

“If you clean your disposal regularly using at least one of the above methods, that should be enough to keep your disposal from getting too dirty and funky,” says Bucknavage. But if you want to really go all out with your cleaning routine, you can do a really deep clean.