Cures for Garbage Disposal Smells

Causes

• Garbage disposal smells occur when food particles are not flushed out of the disposal but instead sit inside of it until they begin to spoil. The odor of spoiled food and bacteria drifts up out of the drain and into your kitchen. Food remnants build up when you scrape food into the disposal but don't run the unit, instead letting them remain. Food particles can also be thrown up onto the underside of the splash guard, which prevents food from flying up out of your drain when you run with disposal. When the stuck-on food spoils, your sink will smell bad.

Disposal

• To get rid of smells from food remaining in the garbage disposal, flush the drain with a strong stream of water for about 20 seconds. This will wash out lingering bits of food. Next, add a double handful of ice cubes and a cut up lemon -- including the rind -- into the disposal. Let it sit for about 30 minutes, and then run the sink faucet and the disposal until the ice and lemons are gone. The lemon acts as an odor neutralizer, and the ice helps to scour away any lingering food particles that might remain.

Splashguard

• If the odor remains in your garbage disposal, you need to clean the splash guard. Pull the splash guard out of the drain. Wash away any stuck-on food, and then put it back in place. To avoid food material building up on it in the future, buy a toilet cleaning brush. Label it for kitchen use only. Every month or so, run hot water into the drain and carefully insert the brush into the disposal, and then use it to brush off the underside of the splash guard.

Considerations

• You can prevent smells inside your garbage disposal by always running a strong stream of water from your faucet whenever you run the disposal. Run the disposal for at least 10 seconds, and then run the water for another 20 seconds to be sure all food material has been washed away. For preventive care, toss orange or lemon peels into the disposal about every month to eliminate any odor. Pouring white vinegar into the disposal and letting it sit for 20 minutes will also help control odor.