A bad odor in your kitchen is the last thing you want when cooking and eating meals or sharing juicy gossip with your loved ones. People typically associate the kitchen with the pleasant aroma of delicious foods. But a terrible odor in your kitchen will ruin all that.
Where do bad odors in the kitchen come from? They can come from unwashed dishes in the sink, leftovers in the trash bin, and dirty nooks and crannies in the kitchen. But Specialized Property Management Houston warns the garbage disposal unit is one of the most common sources of bad odors in the kitchen.
Garbage disposals help you get rid of small food scraps conveniently. Often, they will do this job without any problems at all. But sometimes, the scraps that enter the unit get stuck inside it. These food particles can cause bad odors when they start to decay.
Normally, you can remove any debris in the disposal by running plenty of cold water through it. If the device is jammed, you can un-jam it by pressing the reset button or turning the impeller by twisting the knob at the bottom of the disposal unit with an Allen wrench.
However, even after you do all this, the garbage disposal may still emit a bad odor. That is very normal; anything that handles food waste will smell. But this does not mean you have to live with the bad odors. There are ways to get rid of that smell.
7 simple ways to stop bad odors from your kitchen garbage disposal
1. Salt and ice
When used together, the abrasive power of salt and ice can get rid of the materials that cause bad odors inside your garbage disposal. Fill the disposal unit with ice cubes and add a tablespoon of salt (large rock salt, preferably). Put on the garbage disposal and let it run until it grinds up the ice and salt mixture. Run cold water to wash away the debris.
The vinegar and baking soda mixture kill bacteria that cause bad odors.
2. Baking Soda and white vinegar
The vinegar and baking soda mixture kill bacteria that cause bad odors. The frothy reaction that results from mixing vinegar and baking soda also helps remove any mineral deposits inside the unit. Pour a ¼ cup of baking into the disposal, followed by a cup of vinegar. Let the mixture sit for 30 minutes before you run cold water into the drain.
3. Use borax
Borax is a powerful mineral that has been used by our grandmothers for many generations. This all-purpose tool cleaning agent, also known as sodium tetraborate, will destroy odors, mold and mildew, and soap residue or other stuff inside the disposal. Scoop 3 tablespoons of borax into the drain and let it sit for 15 minutes. Run warm water into the unit to flush away the debris.
4. Clean the unit with mouthwash
The same antiseptic properties that let mouthwash kill the bacteria that cause bad breath will help it get rid of odors in your garbage disposal. To clean the disposal with mouthwash, pour four ounces of minty mouthwash into the drain and let your garbage disposal run until the bad smell is gone. Rinse the unit by running water into it. Make sure the mouthwash you use has antibacterial properties.
5. Use dish soap
Run hot water into the kitchen sink until it is full. Add a few drops of dish soap to the water. Remove the stopper and turn on the disposal. Let the water and soap drain completely from the sink. The water will work its way around the blades and chamber of the disposal unit to remove any grease and debris inside it. To keep suds from forming, do not use too much dish soap.
Lemon, lime and other citrus peelings can clean your garbage disposal and remove bad odors.
6. Clean with citrus
Lemon, lime and other citrus peelings can clean your garbage disposal and remove bad odors. Citrus rinds contain natural oils and mild acids with antibacterial and anti-fungal properties. To use this method, grind a handful of citrus peels in the disposal. You may cut them into slices or even use the whole fruit. Friction from the rough peels will clean the unit, and citrus oils will kill odor-causing germs.
7. Clean with scouring powder and bottle brush
You should not wait until your garbage disposal becomes smelly before you clean it. At least once a week, pour ½ cup of scouring powder into the disposal, add some cold water and run the unit. The gentle abrasion of the powder will clean the blades. You should scrub the inside of the unit with a bottle brush and dish soap at least once a month.
Finally, you want to avoid grinding the following stuff in your garbage disposal: fats, oils and grease, meats, starchy foods (such as potatoes and rice), stringy vegetables, eggshells and coffee grinds. These foods will only stick to the garbage disposal blades and cause bad odors.