How to Clean Garbage Disposal in 3 Easy Steps

Jan 10, 2024

By Julia Mitchem and Yelena Moroz Alpert

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You clean your kitchen regularly, but when was the last time you really thought about how to clean a garbage disposal? Even the most gorgeous kitchen can be off-putting if you get a whiff of food waste from the kitchen sink. Unlike a trash can, which can be emptied in a jiffy, a garbage disposal cleaning needs to be more than running it for 30 seconds with hot water.

That’s because food waste gets caught in the hopper chamber and around the impellers. A simple rinse of running water won’t be able to get the debris out, and after a while food scraps start to smell and sometimes even house fruit flies.

Knowing how to clean a garbage disposal is as important as cleaning the dishwasher filter, since it also stops refuse buildup that can clog the drain. The last thing you want is icky water to come up as your kitchen sink is full of dishes. This swamp bath is anything but a sanitized scenario.

The good news: There are several DIY garbage disposal cleaning methods you can try. Cleaning experts opt for hot water, rock salt, ice cubes, and basic household items such as white vinegar and baking soda, as well as common cleaning products. You can even attain a super-clean garbage disposal with the help of the humble old toothbrush. Read on to find out how.

This DIY cleaning method is all-natural and is one of the best drain cleaners around.

Clean the sink and garbage disposal.

Before you start this process, make sure that your garbage disposal doesn’t have large chunks of food waste inside the chamber. Use tongs to look for stray scraps. It helps to have a flashlight for this.

A bottle cap or toothpick can make the garbage disposal rattle. If you can’t resolve the problem on your own, call a plumber to assess the situation.

David Steckel, home expert on home service site Thumbtack, recommends a one-to-one ratio for this cleaning solution. This means first adding one cup baking soda and then adding one cup white vinegar into the disposal. The solution with start to foam. Add a cup of boiling hot water. Let it sit for at least 10 minutes.

Be sure to rinse your mixture with hot and not tepid water.

Run hot water from your faucet, then turn on the garbage disposal until the mixture and food particles have washed away. Ontario, Canada–based Ahmed Mezil, CEO of Hellamaid, recommends “citrus peels refresh” by adding freshly halved lemons, limes, or oranges to this step. “Let the natural oils and fresh scent eliminate odors,” Mezil says. As the blades break up the citrus, not only do you get a fresh aroma, but the acid in the fruit will give your garbage disposal a disinfecting boost.

Ice cubes and dish soap are probably the easiest garbage disposal cleaning hack you can do at anytime.

Make sure the splash guard is clean as can be.

Before you get to the inside of your garbage disposal, what about the wide opening that leads to the chamber? You’ll notice that the black circular fan-like piece, also called the rubber splash guard, which is inside the sink flange, is probably covered in greenish-brown plaque. Spray it down with an all-purpose cleaner like the grapefruit-scented Method All-Purpose cleaner concentrate. Use an old toothbrush or a designated scrub brush to clean away the grime. Rinse with warm water. If your splash guard has seen better days, replace it.

Fill the entire garbage disposal with ice cubes. You will likely need at least two to three cups of ice. Use tongs, not fingers, to push down the ice cube to fill the chamber.

More likely than not the blades are coated with gunk, grease, and other uninviting residue. To wash it away, squirt grease-cutting dish soap, like Dawn Platinum EZ-Squeeze, over ice.

EZ-Squeeze Dawn Dishwashing Liquid

Amazon

This is the fun part. Turn on the water and run the garbage disposal until the ice cubes become the consistency of a slushy. You’ll likely see that the white ice is now a brownish color. You may want to add another two cups of ice cubes for a deep clean.

To rinse away all the residue, you can put in a stopper and then fill up the kitchen sink with water. Then remove the stopper and run the disposal again to create a powerful whirlpool that will remove any leftover debris. Alternatively, use a kettle and pour boiling water down the drain.

Want to step up the ice cube cleaning routine with an extra deep clean? Add rock salt. The combination of rock salt and ice works twice as hard at dislodging food particles.

Make sure to use rock salt specifically.

The rock salt to ice ratio varies. For a deep clean, you can do a two-to-one ratio of ice cubes to rock salt. This means you will have two cups of ice cubes and one cup of rock salt. Use tongs to make sure the combo is evenly mixed.

By Mel Studach

By Hadley Keller

By Paola Singer

Yet, for Alessandro Gazzo of Emily’s Maids, a house-cleaning and maid service in the Dallas area, two tablespoons added to a large mixing bowl of ice cubes is a proven solution. “Both salt and ice cubes are going to create friction between blades,” Gazzo says. I think doing this once a month should be enough.

Turn on the faucet so that the cold water starts to cover the ice cubes and the rock salt. Then start the garbage disposal and let it go for at least 15 seconds. “Always keep the garbage disposal running long enough to empty itself,” Gazzo says. You will know to stop when the grinding turns to a more soothing hum. Turn off the water and enjoy your clean garbage disposal.

No one wants to lose a finger cleaning the grinding chamber. First things first: Turn off the power source, which means flipping the breaker or unplugging the disposal. Ensure that the garbage disposal is truly off by pushing the on-and-off button or switch.

If the rubber splash guard comes off easily, remove it first. Take a flashlight and shine it into the drain opening to see if large food scraps or other debris are blocking the grinder. Never put your hands into the garbage disposal to remove objects. Doing so can result in lacerations and even finger fractures. Instead, use tongs or pliers to remove these items safely. Once the garbage disposal is unobstructed, use a scrub brush or old toothbrush, as well as dish soap or drain cleaner to cleanse around the disposal impellers and dislodge grime. Once you’re finished, reconnect the power and run the disposal with hot water to clear out the soapy water.

Yes! Every time you’re done using the garbage disposal, leave the cold water faucet running for an extra 30 seconds to make sure the debris is flushed away. Make cleaning your garbage disposal a weekly habit.

Steckel recommends a hot water treatment once a week. “Run it for 30 to 45 seconds with the disposal on, so that anything caught in and around the drain can be flushed out, especially thicker liquids that could be stuck to the area,” he says.

Trying the hack with a few cups of ice with a handful of rock salt and running it with some warm water will literally take you less than two minutes. (See steps above.) Bonus points if you finish by throwing in citrus peels for a burst of freshness. Even if you rarely use your garbage disposal, cleaning it every two weeks will prevent a lingering stale kitchen sink smell. Once a month, deep clean with a scrub brush.

Don’t overstuff your garbage disposal or fill it with hard-to-break-down items, like bones.

By Mel Studach

By Hadley Keller

By Paola Singer

To prevent a clog in your garbage disposal, avoid stuffing too much down the opening. While it can work like magic on food scraps like cucumber peels, big chunks, like a chicken bone, can overwhelm the grinder, cause clogs, and damage the appliance. Even seemingly harmless food like corn husks and celery sticks can mess with the garbage disposal because the strands can tangle around the blades.

If you’ve been negligent in cleaning the garbage disposal, don’t think that a splash of bleach is going to fix the problem. Bleach doesn’t always play nice with other cleaning products, and it leaves your kitchen smelling like a pool.

One of the quickest and easiest ways to clean your disposal is to run warm water, squirt dish soap into the drain, and turn on the garbage disposal. If you haven’t cleaned the appliance in a while, use boiling water to sanitize the drain, disposal, and pipes.

To deodorize and get rid of that stale-kitchen-sink smell, drop citrus peels into the disposal—you might want to use tongs to ensure they are in—then let running water and grinder mash it all up into DIY aromatherapy. This method can be done with cold water.

Alternatively, pour a mixture of baking soda and white vinegar into the sink drain. Make sure to place the stopper over the drain because this mixture will fizz up and try to escape. Turn the hot water faucet on and run the disposal to clear it out. For a seriously smelly clog, use tongs to check if a nonfood item is stuck in the garbage disposal.

For no-fuss cleaning, use disposal cleaners, like Plink or Grab Green mineral-based garbage disposal cleaning pods, both found on Amazon.

Grab Green Garbage Disposal Freshener

Amazon