Horrible smells from your kitchen sink are usually the result of debris that has accumulated in the garbage disposal. After a little while, even a new garbage disposal can emit bad odors because of rotting food particles and bacteria that accumulate on the stopper, flange, rubber splashguard, and inside the garbage disposal. It is easy to eliminate those odors with some things that you probably already have lying around your house. You can skip the commercial cleaners advertised to get clean your garbage disposal. Even if you have a very clean kitchen, it is a good idea to use some of these tips in order to keep your disposer as fresh.
Weekly Cleaning
Instead of covering up bad odors, get rid of those horrible smells by cleaning the area thoroughly. Take off the splashguard and stopper and soak them in a solution of bleach and warm water in a ratio of 1:10 respectively. After they have soaked, wipe away the gunk with a rag or bristle brush before rinsing and replacing the splashguard and stopper. Once the sink is cleared of all dishes and cleaned, fill it with bleach and water. The mixture will need to sit for around 15 minutes before you can let it drain. Cleaning these parts weekly will take care of much of the offending odor.
If you have run some strong-smelling food through the dispenser like garlic or onions, or you just need a quick touch-up then try some of these natural methods to eliminate odor. Best of all, they are all chemical-free.
- Vinegar: Running ice cubes through the disposal helps get rid of some of the mess stuck on the blades. Making ice cubes from white vinegar will not only clean, but also deodorize all the crevices and grooves in the blades. You do not want use the same ice tray for regular ice cubes, so purchase one in a different color or mark it somehow. After you clean the disposal weekly, run some vinegar cubes through it along with cold water. Use these cubes anytime you notice an odor for a quick solution to the problem.
- Baking Soda as a Natural Cleaner: Baking soda is one of the best natural cleaners available and is great for eliminating odors not just in your fridge. Use about half of a small container at one time; pour the baking soda down the drain and wait a few minutes for it to work. Then run warm water to flush the baking soda and odors away at one time.
- Citrus Fresh: Citrus oils are natural deodorizers, which is why lemons, limes, and oranges are used in many different cleaners. After you have made a dish with a citrus, toss some peelings into the disposer. They clean the blades while leaving a clean citrus scent in your kitchen.
- Minty Fresh: Almost everyone loves peppermint, so bring that minty smell to your kitchen. Fill your sink with warm water and add a few peppermint drops before running your disposer.
Alyssa Davis is a staff writer and specialist in designing traditional interiors with music notes wall decor and wall art tree for Metal-Wall-Art.com.
