What Is the Best Way to Remove the Smell From a Garbage Disposal

Grind It up

• The first key to removing the disgusting smell from your disposal is to ensure all the food you put in it gets ground up completely. Pushing food particles down the drain and quickly pulsing the disposal to grind it may not be enough to flush it down the pipes and into the sewer or septic tank. You can hear the difference in the tone of the blades as they transition from chopping food to spinning free without obstruction. Let the disposal run long enough to completely grind the food, and keep the faucet running at the same time to help flush it all down.

Plug It

• Sometimes running the faucet while grinding the food does not allow for enough water to rinse out the disposal completely. To give the pipes a thorough flush after grinding the food, plug the sink and fill it one-half to two-thirds deep with warm water and a small squirt of dishwashing liquid. Once the sink is filled, reach down and unplug the sink, turn the disposal back on and let the hot soapy water flush out the drain.

Clean the P-Trap

• The disposal isn't always successful at grinding up the food to a pureed consistency. When larger chunks of food make it past the blades and into the pipe, they may be caught in the p-trap under the sink. The accumulation of food particles and grease may eventually form a partial clog of rotting organic material that eventually creates a rotting smell that drifts into the drain. When this happens, it can affect water drainage and must be cleaned out.

  With a bucket of water set underneath the trap, unscrew the p-trap and let the water drain out. Shaking the trap or banging it against the side of the bucket will probably make the clog fall out. You may even need to use a spoon or other long object to dig out the blockage, which isn't a pleasant task, but it will remove the odor.

Vinegar Cubes

• If you suspect the odor from the disposal is caused by food in and around the blade area that has managed to stick to the walls of the pipes, you can use vinegar to remove the smell. Pour white vinegar in an ice cube tray and make vinegar cubes. Turn on the disposal with the faucet running slowly, drop in the cubes one at a time and let the blades grind them up, which will help scrub off the struck-on foods and flush them down the drain while deodorizing the disposal.