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Ready to tackle that pesky garbage disposal grime? Discover the ultimate guide on how to clean your garbage disposal in just 3 short steps!
Have you ever heard that your kitchen sink is dirtier than a toilet?! It’s true! Which means the garbage disposal is probably no better. If you have a garbage disposal, you know it can get so gross! Often times we wait until we smell it to clean it but best practice is really to tackle it once a month. You can either do it by hand in a few steps with some baking soda and dish soap with a great cleaning brush or toss in a tablet and let it do the work for you (no shame in that game). If the tablets mean you can stay on top of it more often, then definitely go that route and save the deep clean by hand for spring cleaning or a few times a year.
Here are 2 simple methods for how to clean the garbage disposal:
How to Clean Your Garbage Disposal by Hand in 3 Steps:
- Add in a cup of baking soda
- Drizzle in dish soap
- Scrub with a disposal cleaning brush and rinse with hot water
Optional 4th Step:
To sharpen the blades (they are actually more like teeth than blades) you can pour some ice cubes in the disposal and run it.
How to Clean Your Garbage Disposal in 1 Step:
If you want an even easier way for clean the disposal you can add in a cleaning tablet . These are great because you drop it in and run the disposal and they suds up and give the disposal a good deep clean. Don’t worry if you see some of the suds come up into the sink part. That can happen and just needs rinsed. Use 1-2 times a month and the pack I’ve linked will last you a year. They are so easy and work great, but sometimes giving a good scrub is nice too!
Final Step & How to Maintain:
When you’re finished cleaning the disposal don’t forget to give your sink a good clean too! Not only do you kill 2 birds with one stone this way but any nastiness brought up from the disposal cleaning will then get washed away rather than hanging out in the sink.
Need an easy way to stay on top of this chore? Pick one day a month to always do it. For example, maybe pick the first Sunday of every month to do it. Before you know it, it will become habit and simply part of your routine.
Things to Never Put Down a Garbage Disposal:
- Egg Shells or Seafood Shells
- Pasta & Rice
- Fibrous Foods / Stringy Vegetables
- Coffee Grounds
- Grease and Fat
- Potato Peels
- Starchy Foods
- Banana Peels (fruit peels are also debated and get mixed opinions)
- Oatmeals
- Onion Skins
- Expandable Foods
- Paint
- Bones
- Nuts
- Trash
- Harsh Cleaning Chemicals
Garbage Disposal Cleaning Favorites
Disposal Cleaning Brush
The universal garbage disposal brush helps eliminate residual food waste inside any garbage disposal, the most common cause of stinky sinks.
Disposal Cleaning Tablets
These concentrated cleaning tablets are designed specifically for garbage disposals – they have deep cleaning action with new, improved scrubbing foam that cleans nasty dirt, grime, and buildup that sticks in your smelly sink disposal.
Baking Soda
Baking Soda is a power house when it comes to cleaning in your home – especially in the kitchen and with your garbage disposal – it’s a must-have!
Dish Soap
This is one of my favorite “clean ingredients” dish soap.
Scrub Mommy
Scrub Mommy takes traditional kitchen sponges and scrubbers to the next level with this dual-sided design. On one side, the FlexTexture foam changes based on your water temperature. Soft in warm water and firm in cool. On the other, spongy ResoFoam helps to create a soapy lather for wiping up spills.
See the Reel!
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