If you have any questions like, how to clean a garbage disposal? then here we give some easy steps to clean disposal properly. Garbage disposals are a fantastic appliance. People love to use this wondrous appliance in their kitchen. We grow unwanted food scraps in our kitchen. For this reason, an excellent and quality appliance will help to clean away all sorts of trash. They clean everything within a few seconds. People buy different types of garbage disposals. They buy by looking at their requirements. Nowadays, self-cleaning appliances are very demanding and popular. You will happily know that there are many high-quality self-cleaning units are found in the market. The self-cleaning ones need extra attention. They would work best if it cleaned and well maintained from time to time. Like any other appliance, a person should show love to their disposal. Here love means proper maintenance and time to time cleaning. If you do not clean the garbage disposal, then many problems will start to occur. The odor is one of the significant issues. To prevent odor, we have to severe with the unit. Regular cleaning will prevent odors.
We made the article very easy to understand so that any user can clean their appliance. The report focuses on maintenance, safe cleaning, and eliminating the odors effectively. Let us go through the article step by step.
Cleaning the garbage disposal
- Physically remove lodged objects
Large object sometimes gets lodged in the garbage disposal. In this case, a person must remove them. For removing the large object, we turn OFF the fuse. The fuse turned off because it supplies the power. All the energy and fuse have to turn off before starting the cleaning process. Unplugging can also do as an alternative. Sometimes unplug is better. We unplug the garbage disposal from under the sink.
Most people use tongs or pliers. Those tools are needed to remove the objects which got trapped. The flashlight can be used for seeing the down area of the disposal. The grinder is sensitive. We have to be careful about grinders while removing the trapped object. We should avoid using our hands while cleaning the garbage disposals. But if you are using the site, then you unplug and turn off all the switches. Double-check the grinder because its blades are sharp.
- Flush with water
Garbage disposal is flushed using water. The water removes loose scraps, grime, or dirt. Hot water and a few squirts of dish soap were put inside, and the garbage disposal was plugged ON. Thus in this way, the water gets flushed, and it becomes dirt-free. Hot water is better to use than cold water. It helps to flush away hardened grease or oil in the drain. Hot water flushes out all debris effectively. We rinse the inner part of the garbage disposal by running the boiling water. If there is no dirt, then you can clean the entire unit by using tap water. No soil means there is no need to use hot water.
Use ice cubes and salt Hard dirt, sludge, and debris get developed inside the grinding chamber. Here we use two elements. The two elements are salt and ice cubes. Ice cubes and salt is effective method to remove debris and tough sludge. In the garbage disposal, we put two full cups of ice with one full cup of rock salt.
In the first step, the garbage disposal is switched ON, and the cold water will be running. At that time, salt and ice are poured inside according to the user’s requirement. Both the items get crushed by the blade and clean out the dirt and debris.
People also use iced white vinegar as an alternative to rock salt and ice. The ice cubes of the white vinegar are poured into the garbage disposal, and it gets crushed. Thus in this way, the unit gets cleaned. Blades of the garbage disposal get sharp and more powerful when we grind hard ice cubes. They also remove all types of bad odors. Both benefits come from one source. At first, it cleans the entire system, and at the second, it increases the sharpness of the grinder blades. You should use an old toothbrush or scrub brush for scrubbing.
Some people prefer to clean their garbage disposal manually. They use a toothbrush or standard scrubber brush. Different types of scrubbing brushes are available in the market, which are designed only for cleaning the garbage disposal. When you are cleaning manually, then at first remove the screen. You will see the screen over the drain. People can clean the inner part swiftly and safely after removing the filter.
How to eliminate odors?
There are various ways of eliminating odors from the garbage disposal. Those steps are discussed below-
- Use citrus fruit peels.
It has been scientifically proven that citrus fruit peels are natural perfumes. Here the citrus fruit peels are- lemon, grapefruits, orange, lime, or any other. They freshen up the atmosphere of any place, including your garbage disposal. The kitchen smells great when we grind the citrus peels. All the natural compounds of the skin clean up the blade correctly, and it also eliminates unwanted odors.
After cleaning the appliance form, citrus fruit peels people also add rosemary oil, fragrant spices, lavender oil, or natural fragrances.
- Use baking soda and vinegar.
Baking soda and vinegar work great to fight against odor. The combination is praise-worthy. We must take the baking soda and pour a half cup into the drain. Again we put the white vinegar on top of the baking soda. After sprinkling the ingredients, we will see the bubble, and it will start to fizzle amazingly. The mixture was kept for 10 minutes. At last, we rinse the whole appliance with hot water by continuing the disposal in running condition.
- Rinse with a little bleach
The best effective way of killing the germs is by using bleach. They also fresh up the drain both inside and outside. Too much bleach should never use. It will make the grease harder inside the garbage disposal. A small amount of bleach allows removing any form of germs and dirt.
One tablespoon of liquid chlorine bleach is to be taken and make dilute in the water. We need to take a gallon of water and put one tablespoon of chlorine bleach. In the last step, we pour the mixture into the unit.
The mixture of water and a small amount of bleach will keep for less than 2 minutes. In the garbage disposal, we turn the hot water tap for several minutes to rinse the bleach water. You have to make sure that the bleach has flushed away.
- Use borax
Borax helps to minimize odors from the garbage disposal. Borax is safe for use, and It is a natural cleaning agent. We put borax into the disposal by measuring it with a tablespoon. People put 3 to 4 tablespoons into the unit. Let the natural product sit for 1 hour. After that, you wash the system with boiling water.
How to maintain the garbage disposal?
Every person should maintain their garbage disposal. Proper maintenance will allow the smooth running of the appliance. You need to put only biodegradable food items in your garbage disposal.
It is best to put biodegradable food items inside the unit for grinding. An individual should avoid putting things other than biodegradable. A trash can and garbage disposal are not the same at all. We must put those biodegradable foods or recipes which will be ground smoothly by the unit. The only way to protect the garbage disposal is by disposing of biodegradable food items. At the same time, if you use those food items, it will also cut down your cleaning time.
Things you must avoid putting down inside the garbage disposal pointed below-
- Onion skins, celery stalks, artichokes, corn husks, or any other fibrous materials should never be put inside. It will tangle and damage the motor.
- We should never dispose of starchy materials, for example, potato peels. The thick paste gets stuck inside the blade. So never put them.
- Rice, pasta, coffee beans, or any other expandable foods will avoid. They clog the drain.
The list of things you can put inside your garbage disposal includes-
- Eggshells
- Small fish
- Chicken bones
- Small fruit pits
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