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Has the question crossed your mind, “how to deep clean a garbage disposal?” Believe it or not, the garbage disposal needs to be cleaned, like your kitchen sink drain with tiny food particles, coffeee grounds, and several other appliances around your home. Regular disposal cleaning is necessary.
We know it’s easy to forget about cleaning garbage disposals as they are concealed under the sink. However, cleaning dirty garbage disposal is occasionally necessary to keep them free from unwanted mould and harmful bacteria when this is their breeding ground, especially since the kitchen and the area provide a perfect space for mould growth.
Even though cleaning appliances are intimidating, tidying up garbage disposal can be quite effortless if you use the proper techniques. That’s why we have gathered some of the best tips for cleaning garbage disposal to make the task easier.
So, check them out before you wear rubber gloves and clean your smelly garbage disposal!
The good thing about cleaning a garbage disposal is that you don’t need fancy stuff. Most of it can be accomplished with household items in our pantry. Make sure to have all or some of these before attempting to clean your garbage disposal so that you can get done with it in one sitting.
Here are the supplies you’ll need:
Now, let’s check out some tried and tested methods for cleaning garbage disposals. You can even combine the procedures if it’s your first time cleaning a garbage disposal to achieve a deep clean. Also, most methods use natural ingredients, so you may need to repeat the process once or twice to get the desired results. Never put your hands into the garbage disposal to remove objects. And don’t use traditional chemical drain cleaning products in a garbage disposal.
Like any other appliance, the first step to cleaning your garbage disposal is disconnecting it from the power. This prevents the chance of accidentally starting the appliance during the cleaning process. You can disconnect the device from the outlet under your kitchen sink. Or, you can turn it off directly from the breaker box.
The garbage disposal splash guard or baffle has many grooves and crevices, ideal nesting spots for smaller food scraps and grease. Check for large food scraps or other debris in the grinder; they may be blocking it. Over time, these particles can rot and give out an unpleasant smell. So, start the cleaning process by giving the rubber splash guard a good scrub using an old toothbrush or a kitchen sponge.
Ensure you lather the dish soap to break down the grease accumulated on the rubber flaps. Dish soap is also used with hot water to unblock household drain blockages. So, you can add building water and dish soap to create a soapy water mixture.
The grinding chamber is where the food particles get broken down, so it naturally traps many particles, especially between the teeth. As it can be hard to see the particles, we recommend using a flashlight to get a better view.
Before proceeding to clean the grinding chamber, make sure to wear your protective gloves to avoid accidents. Then, use the sponge or toothbrush to remove as much gunk as possible. If you see big chunks, use a pair of tongs to pull them out.
The best solution to break down any leftover food particles is a mixture of baking soda and vinegar. You only need to pour half a cup of baking soda into the drain and let it sit for half an hour. Then, pour one cup of white vinegar into the garbage disposal, and you should see the mixture foaming.
At this point, you should cover the drain with the sink stopper to let the mixture work for at least ten minutes. After that, remove the stopper, run hot water to rinse off everything, and turn on the garbage disposal.
Another nifty garbage disposal cleaning method is using ice cubes and salt. This is super helpful when you feel something is stuck to the blades or there is a possible clog. All you need to do is pour two cups of ice cubes and a cup of rock salt into the drain and turn on the garbage disposal.
The combination of ice and salt essentially works as a scrub for the blades, so you’ll need to let the appliance run until all the ice is gone. Remember not to run hot or warm water when the garbage disposal is turned on, as it can damage the appliance.
Has your garbage disposal been smelling bad for a while? Don’t worry; you can efficiently deodorise it and eliminate the stale kitchen sink smell with leftover lemon and citrus peels. Just put the peels of any citrus fruit into the drain opening, run cold water, and turn on the garbage disposal. You can also add a few ice cubes to intensify the scrubbing action.
That concludes our guide on garbage disposal cleaning! We hope you have learnt a thing or two about how to clean a garbage disposal. The abovementioned methods will occasionally keep your garbage disposal clean and running smoothly. Just make sure to follow the special cleaning instructions, if any, provided by its manufacturing brand to be on the safer side.
And remember, never force large chunks of food waste down the garbage disposal system as it can damage the blades. Always flush food debris with running water so that nothing gets stuck. Purchasing a sink stopper for your drain opening may be a good idea.
If your garbage disposal is malfunctioning, check out these four solutions for the most common garbage disposal problems.
For other plumbing needs and issues, contact our expert plumbers for cost-effective plumbing services. Gold Coast Plumbing Company caters to residential and commercial plumbing, so you don’t have to worry about a thing in your plumbing system. Call us today to learn more about our full range of plumbing services. Until next time!
