Odor Free Living: The Essential Guide to Keeping a Healthy Garbage Disposal

To keep a garbage disposal from smelling, run it with plenty of cold water, keep grease and hard or fibrous scraps out of it, clean the underside of the rubber splash guard, and scour the grinding chamber now and then with ice, baking soda, or citrus peels. Odors usually come from food stuck under the splash guard or in the chamber.

What is a garbage disposal, and why keep it clean?

A garbage disposal is a household appliance that grinds up food scraps so they can be washed down the drain. It's a handy way to cut down on food waste in the trash, but scraps that don't get fully flushed away can build up and cause odors and clogs.

To keep your disposal in good working order, always run it with cold water. Cold water keeps any fats solid so they get chopped up and carried away, instead of melting and then hardening again further down your pipes.

How do you prevent garbage disposal clogs?

Run the disposal regularly with a strong flow of cold water, and keep the water running for a few seconds after the grinding stops so everything gets flushed through. It also helps to cut scraps into smaller pieces before sending them down the drain, so there aren't large chunks that could cause a clog.

What should you keep out of a garbage disposal?

You can put a lot of things down your garbage disposal, but that doesn't mean you should. Avoid:

• Grease, oil, and fat, which coat the pipes and cause clogs.
• Hard and fibrous foods like potato skins, apple cores, and celery, which can get caught in the grinding parts.
• Coffee grounds and eggshells, which can build up in the drain line.

And whatever you're grinding, use plenty of cold water. It helps the grinding process and keeps your disposal smelling fresh.

How do you clean a garbage disposal?

Safety first: turn the disposal off at the switch, and unplug it or switch off its breaker before you put anything other than food and water into it. Never put your hand inside the grinding chamber.

1. Sprinkle some baking soda into the drain, followed by a healthy dose of white vinegar. Chopped citrus peels work as an alternative.
2. Let the mixture sit for about 15 to 20 minutes to break down stuck-on gunk, then flush with hot tap water.
3. With the power off, scrub the underside of the rubber splash guard and the top of the grinding chamber with an old toothbrush or a long-handled brush, then rinse.
4. Add a squirt of dish soap, run cold water, and run the disposal for about 10 seconds.

How do you keep a garbage disposal smelling fresh?

• Clean the splash guard. It's easy to overlook, but food collects on the underside of that rubber flap.
• Grind ice and rock salt. A handful of ice cubes with a little rock salt scours buildup off the grinding chamber.
• Grind a few citrus peels for a fresher smell.
• Use baking soda and vinegar. Pour a cup of baking soda down the drain, then a cup of white vinegar. After about 15 minutes, rinse it away with hot water.

How do you troubleshoot common garbage disposal problems?

It won't turn on

Press the red reset button on the bottom of the unit, and check whether the circuit breaker has tripped. If the disposal hums but doesn't grind, it's probably jammed. Turn the power off, then use the hex wrench that came with the unit (many models have a socket in the center of the bottom) to work the grinding plate back and forth until it moves freely.

It runs but still smells

Grind some ice cubes and citrus peels, clean the splash guard, and make sure you're running it with cold water. Hot water can melt fat and grease into your drain line, which leads to clogs and more odors.

It drains slowly or backs up

The clog may be in the drain line past the disposal. See our guide to clearing a clogged drain, or call our kitchen plumbing team for disposal repair or replacement.