There are certain things that we use throughout the day that we trust to be clean and operational all the time. Among them are garbage disposals, which get rid of food particles and other waste and send them down the drain. However, that doesn’t take away our responsibility to do some of the work ourselves.
Cleaning your disposal not only helps gross odors from stinking up your kitchen and nearby rooms, but prevents bacteria and fungus from occupying the sink and possibly getting you sick. Here are three ways to keep your garbage disposal clean and your kitchen smelling good.
The Sponge
When it comes to making your dishes and glasses dry and sparkling after a huge dinner, very few tools are as reliable as a wet kitchen sponge. However, this option can come in handy for having a germ-free garbage disposal, as well. The best sponges to use, combined with liquid soap, are those that have a soft side and an abrasive side. The former is helpful for getting rid of particles around the top of the grinding chamber and the latter is more helpful for getting rid of filth in the folds and creases, where it is harder to reach and scrub off because of the lack of a flat surface.
If you want to make the cleaning process safe, it’s best to keep your cleaning station clear from anything that can accidentally turn the disposal on. While you’ll want to reach as many spots as possible, staying far from the teeth at the end of the chamber is a smart idea. Using a sponge on the drain pipes will help keep the disposal extra clean. The folds, creases, and top of the chamber are usually where most of the particles are found, but it helps to use a sponge on as much of the disposal as possible.
Vinegar and Baking Soda
Several tools can be used together to ensure a clean garbage disposal. You can combine vinegar and baking soda to create a cleaner by pouring half a cup of baking soda into the garbage disposal, and then follow that up with half a cup of vinegar. A fizz will form due to the combination of these elements, and it needs to be kept in the disposal in order to do its job. The sink stopper can help keep the fizz inside. It will take a few minutes for the mixture to take care of the particles, so you just have to give the process some time before you move on.
The next thing you’ll need is a kettle of hot water, which you should prepare while you’re waiting for the fizzing to end. Once the time is up, remove the sink stopper and pour the hot water down the disposal to flush the particles out. It’s best to have the disposal on while you do this, as this will give the water a helping hand in getting rid of the filth quick and easy. Some sinks have two basins, in which case, cleaning both at the same time will produce the best results. Both sink drains should be cleaned with the same amount of vinegar and baking soda.
Salt and Ice
Another combination that does a good job at producing a sparkly and bacteria-free garbage disposal is that of salt and ice. You’ll need somewhere between 10 and 15 ice cubes to drop into the disposal. Fill up an ice tray or two, depending on how many cubes each one can hold, so that you have them ready for cleaning. The next step is to pour half a cup of salt into the disposal and run it for a few seconds. This option will work as long as you have the water turned on while doing so, or else you’ll have to pour ice and salt in again.
Next, turn on the disposal and let it run for a few minutes. This will make a lot of noise, but that is because the ice will be scraping the inside of the grinding chamber to get rid of the food that gets stuck. The loudness may sound harmful to your disposal, but the ice will not cause any damage as it takes care of the buildup. The salt will melt the ice so that anything that remains afterwards can be cleaned out. Rock salt is common with this method, but table salt will do a good job, as well. If you want to learn about other types of salt that will help, you can contact Pipe Surgeons to see what they can offer.
Put these methods into practice so that you can keep your garbage disposal squeaky clean and odor-free.
