Do you have a stinky garbage disposal? It is hard to feel wonderfully luscious when you keep smelling something foul coming from your kitchen! But inevitably it happens to all of us at some point. This recipe uses all-natural ingredients that you may have on hand to help de-stink your kitchen!
Have you ever had to try to figure out how to freshen a stinky garbage disposal? There is nothing worse than having a disposal that is spewing the smell of rotting food throughout your kitchen and your house. And there is no need to turn to harsh chemicals to clear out the smell…in fact, using chemicals can actually cause damage to your disposal unit, and so to keep your disposal working properly, using natural ingredients is a better bet!
Skip the chemicals
Many store bought disposal fresheners contain chemicals that can negatively impact your health, and are best to be avoided completely. All you need are a few inexpensive ingredients that you may already have in your kitchen, and in just a few minutes, you can be on your way to having a stink-free kitchen sink! Won’t it feel wonderful to know that you are able to fix this problem with ingredients that you know are safe for you to use? It does for me!
Do be sure to run your garbage disposal before adding the ingredients so that you get rid of any rotting food that may be in there, contributing to the smell!
It is best to do this once every few weeks to help keep your disposal fresh and clean. That will keep you from dealing with the unexpected smell that can just appear unexpectedly!
Sometimes I use lime rinds instead of lemon. They work really well, too, and impart a slightly different scent than the lemon. But if I need limes for a recipe, I will plan to use the rinds to freshen the disposal! It’s a great way to reduce waste!
To clean your stinky garbage disposal:
Here’s a simple, natural routine that actually works.
First, pour about half a cup of baking soda straight down the drain. Let it sit for a few minutes so it can absorb odors. Then slowly pour one cup of white vinegar over it. It’ll fizz and bubble…that’s the fun science part. Let that sit for 10–15 minutes. After that, flush it with a kettle of very hot (not boiling if you have PVC pipes) water to wash everything through. This combo neutralizes odors and helps break down buildup.
If your drain smells more greasy than sour, try this: squeeze in half a fresh lemon after the hot water flush. Citrus oils cut grease and leave everything smelling bright instead of chemical-y.
If you have a garbage disposal, toss in a few lemon or orange peels and run it with cold water for 30 seconds. You can even freeze vinegar with small citrus pieces in ice cube trays and run those through the disposal once a week — it sharpens the blades and deodorizes at the same time.
One more thing most people forget: clean the rubber splash guard (that black flap inside the drain). Lift it gently and scrub underneath with an old toothbrush and a little dish soap. A shocking amount of smell hides there.
If the odor keeps coming back quickly, it might be food buildup further down or a slow-drain issue, and that’s a slightly different fix.
