There is a secret to cleaning your garbage disposal and its maintenance. Follow these simple steps, and you’ll never have to worry about the stench of rotten food ever again:
Step 1: Unplug the Power
Please do not run the garbage disposal with water when it is plugged in. This can be very dangerous. You must always clean your garbage disposal with the power turned off to avoid shock or another problem.
Make sure that it is completely shut off before going forward.
Step 2: Drain It
Some garbage disposals have an attached stopper. Pull it up and place a bucket underneath the drain to catch the water if yours has one. If you do not have a stopper, you can use a pitcher or any other tool that helps direct your water into a large bowl or bucket underneath.
Step 3: Use the Plunger
There are two different ways that you can use to clean your garbage disposal. The first is by using a plunger. If there is something stuck at your disposal or any blockage, then you can easily dislodge it by taking out the old-fashioned plunger.
Fill it with water and plunge it into the drain. You may have to do this multiple times to dislodge whatever is stuck in there completely, but it should work just fine.
Step 4: Flush It with Hot Water and Dish Soap
If you still can’t remove what is stuck in your garbage disposal, you need to flush it with hot water and dish soap. You can add a cup of baking soda and some vinegar to make it more effective, but the hot water and dish soap are the most important.
Pour this in with your disposal still turned off and let it sit there for about ten minutes. Then, run the faucet by turning on cold water (not hot) and turn on your garbage disposal.
This will flush everything out of there that is stuck or clean it as a whole.
Step 5: If You Need to, Use Some Ice
If you have ice cubes leftover from making drinks, then now is the time to use them. Please fill up your freezer bag with some ice cubes and add them to your garbage disposal.
Turn the power on and let the ice work its magic by grinding everything down. You may have to do this a few times until everything is smooth, but you should notice a difference after only one round of icy goodness!
Step 6: Wash It Out With Baking Soda and Vinegar Again
If you are having trouble getting rid of that horrible smell or there are bits and pieces left over, then you should run some water down the garbage disposal again with baking soda.
After this sinks in, you can use vinegar to flush it out one more time.
Step 7: Turn Off the Power
Your safety needs to turn off the power to your garbage disposal before moving on to the next step.
Step 8: Use the Snake to Clean it Out
Using a snake always does the trick! A special kind of gadget can be used as a “garbage disposal snake” that is made to clear out stuck items from the garbage disposal.
This will help to get rid of unwanted bits and pieces of whatever has been stuck in there!
A special kind of gadget can be used as a “garbage disposal snake”
Step 9: Rinse It Again
When you are sure everything is out of your garbage disposal, run some more water through it to ensure that every last bit is gone.
Step 10: Tidy Up
You can now tidy things up a bit by taking a damp cloth and wiping the outside of your garbage disposal to make sure it isn’t sticky or dirty from whatever was stuck in there.
You should also wipe away any excess water that may have spilled inside it as well.
Step 11: Turn The Power Back On
Once you turn the power back on and everything is dry, then you can switch it back to its original setting and enjoy your clean garbage disposal!
As always, make sure the power to the garbage disposal is turned off. We don’t want anyone getting hurt!
Step 12: Use the Plunger
You’ll want to take your plunger and fill it up with water, but you don’t need too much. You need enough so that it doesn’t leak all over the place when you plunge.
The plunger will help create a seal so that you’ll be able to have a steady stream of water coming out. All you have to do is plunge it down and move the handle back and forth until everything comes flooding out.
Try not to stop as this will likely result in incomplete results, as the garbage disposal probably still has more to unclog.
