How to clean your garbage disposal in 5 steps
By Jarrett Hensley•Last updated Sep 28, 2022
Last updated Sep 28, 2022
Table of Contents
- Do you need to clean your garbage disposal?
- How often should you clean your garbage disposal?
- Is it safe to put baking soda and vinegar down the garbage disposal?
- At-home remedies for cleaning and eliminating odors
- Garbage disposal cleaning steps
- Garbage disposal mistakes to avoid
- How to keep your garbage disposal clean and odor-free
- When to call in a professional
Find local pros for your project
Search for pros
Notice a funky smell coming from your garbage disposal? Is something clogging and blocking it? It may be time for a deep cleaning. Use this step-by-step guide to clean your garbage disposal and eliminate terrible odors.
Do you need to clean your garbage disposal?
Yes, you need to clean your garbage disposal. Garbage disposals are breeding grounds for smelly, rotten food. While disposals get rid of most waste, they leave small bits behind. These small bits of food, fat and waste promote mold growth and emit bad smells. Cleaning is a necessary maintenance step to prevent the buildup of odor-emitting bacteria, mold and rotten food.
How often should you clean your garbage disposal?
The need to clean your garbage disposal is not up for debate, but the frequency depends on use. In short, you should clean your garbage disposal whenever needed.
Some disposals work better than others, and some people never use theirs. A quality garbage disposal that is never used needs cleaning the least, while a less efficient disposal that is used daily needs cleaning the most. That leaves a lot of middle ground where most garbage disposal owners are.
If you aren’t sure how efficient your disposal is or how often you use it, clean it regularly. In a perfect world, this would be every time you use it. However, no one has time for that, so I recommend working in a weekly or biweekly cleaning, or doing it every time you deep clean your kitchen.
If you don’t regularly clean your disposal, it will eventually tell you it needs cleaning. Two telltale signs are gunk and smell. Shine a flashlight down the drain. If you see gunk or food particles, it’s time to clean. Also, if you notice a funky smell in your kitchen or near your sink, you should clean your disposal.
Is it safe to put baking soda and vinegar down the garbage disposal?
Baking soda and vinegar are great alternatives to caustic, and potentially damaging, chemical drain cleaners. Not only is it safe to put vinegar and baking soda into your garbage disposal, but it is often preferred over most other cleaners.
The chemical reaction between vinegar and baking soda emits carbon dioxide, which can lift food particles from the walls of the grinding chamber. Just add them to the disposal separately rather than premixing them, so the reaction happens where it can do some good.
At-home remedies for cleaning and eliminating odors
You can use cleaners specifically designed to clean your garbage disposal. But if you prefer natural ingredients and items you can find around your house, you can use the following:
- Baking soda
- Vinegar
- Ice cubes
- Rock salt
- Citrus peels
- Dish soap
In addition to the ingredients above, you’ll also need the following tools to clean your garbage disposal:
- Scrub brush (an old toothbrush, scouring pad or abrasive sponge)
- Hot water
- Gloves
Garbage disposal cleaning steps
Has it been a while since you last cleaned your disposal? Maybe you've never cleaned it, and a deep clean is long overdue. Either way, these five steps will get your disposal clean safely and efficiently. Don't skip step one — cutting the power comes first every time.
1. Turn off the power to your disposal
No garbage disposal is worth a serious hand injury, so the first step is always disconnecting the power. If you plan on putting your hand or a brush in the grinding chamber, you should always cut the power to the disposal. You can do this by unplugging it or turning off the breaker. Failing to turn off the power could result in severe injury or a damaged disposal.
2. Clean the splash guard or baffle
Pay extra attention to the splash guard. A splash guard, baffle or gasket is the rubber piece that lines your sink drain. The folds on the underside of the baffle are a common place for food particles and mold to collect. It could be the source of the foul smells you’ve noticed.
With the power still off, remove the splash guard and use hot water and a scrub brush, abrasive sponge or old toothbrush to clean both sides. A small brush or toothbrush is the most effective way I have found to clean this part of the disposal.
While the splash guard is off, put on your gloves and clear out any large visible pieces of food from the grinding chamber. Never reach in bare-handed — there can be glass shards, bone fragments and other sharp debris you won't see from above.
Although you can, you don’t have to clean the splash guard every time you clean your disposal. However, you should do it at least every other month. How often you need to clean the splash guard will ultimately depend on how much you use your disposal.
3. Use baking soda and vinegar
Pour 1/2 cup of baking soda into the disposal first, then slowly follow it with 1 cup of white vinegar. Add them separately so the fizzing happens inside the grinding chamber, where you need it — premixing them in a cup spends the reaction before it ever reaches the disposal. Let it foam and sit for about 15 minutes, then flush with hot water.
4. Clean your garbage disposal with salt and ice
Salt and ice are the true heroes of the process. Together they're abrasive enough to knock loose the toughest, oldest and often smelliest built-up debris. Before you start this step, restore power to the disposal by plugging it back in or flipping the corresponding breaker — but leave the disposal switch itself off until your hands are clear.
Insert the drain plug in your kitchen sink and run cold water until the sink is about a quarter full, then turn the water off. Add a generous amount of ice, a cup of salt, and a squeeze of your favorite-smelling dish soap or a few lemon wedges.
Turn the cold water back on, pull the drain plug and switch the disposal on. Let it run until you can't hear any more ice being ground up. Use cold water rather than hot whenever the disposal is running — it keeps fats and grease solid so they get ground up and flushed away instead of coating the chamber walls.
5. Grind the citrus peels to improve the smell
All the previous steps were instrumental in cleaning your disposal, but this final step makes it smell good. Run cold water with your disposal and grind citrus peels. You can use any citrus peels, but I recommend using fresh peels because they emit a stronger odor.
This step is not required every time you clean, but if you start to notice a funky smell, it can be a quick fix.
Garbage disposal mistakes to avoid
There are a few common mistakes to avoid when cleaning your garbage disposal. For example:
Using harsh commercial cleaners
Although strong commercial cleaners might seem like a quick solution to a dirty, smelly disposal, they may cause more harm than good. Some chemicals, like bleach and drain cleaners, might eat away the rubber splash guard and damage the internal metal components.
Stick with the materials mentioned above, and you’ll prolong the life of your disposal — and keep it clean at the same time.
Putting the wrong items in your disposal
There are some items you should never, ever, ever put down your disposal. Here’s a list of what to avoid and why:
- Chicken bones can damage your plumbing and clog drains.
- Fibrous celery and corn husks wrap around the grinding components and cause clogs.
- Starchy potatoes and pasta gum up the disposal.
- Coffee grounds accumulate into a muddy mess and cause clogs.
- Eggshells can also clog your drain.
- Grease plugs up drains and creates foul smells.
For more guidance on what you can and cannot put down your disposal, check out this Consumer Reports article.
How to keep your garbage disposal clean and odor-free
To keep your garbage disposal clean and smelling fresh, I recommend cleaning it weekly or every other week. If you don’t think you’ll remember, work it into your regular kitchen cleaning routine.
Regular cleaning doesn't have to be as thorough as the deep clean outlined above. Grinding salt and ice handles most of the buildup inside the grinding chamber, so that's the one step worth doing every week or two.
But salt and ice never reach the underside of the splash guard, which is the most common source of lingering odors — so keep cleaning that by hand every other month. If smells crop up in between, repeat the baking soda and vinegar step or grind citrus peels.
When to call in a professional
Do you find yourself pressing the reset button on your disposal whenever you need to use it? Maybe it works, but it makes a strange sound when you turn it on. Or it could be that the disposal works but leaks water. If any of these sound like you, it’s time to call in a professional. Use Thumbtack to find and hire professionals who can repair or replace your garbage disposal.
And if you need help staying on top of all your cleaning tasks, you can search for local house cleaning services on Thumbtack too. Just let the professionals know what type of cleaning services you’re interested in, and be sure to get multiple quotes before you make a decision on who to hire.
How it works.
Search.
Browse profiles, see prices and use filters to find pros who match your project.
Chat.
Contact the pros you like to discuss project details.
Hire.
Check pro availability and book appointments right in the app.
Find local pros for your project
Tell us what you're looking for and we'll show you pros right for the job, with prices.