How I Clean & Deodorize My Garbage Disposal

 

One of my readers asked me how do I clean and deodorize the garbage disposal?  I thought that was a really good question so I figured I'd answer it right here.  It is a very simple task and it works so well I couldn't believe it the first time I tried it.  You only need a few items - dish soap, hot water and ice.  Yep!  That is it!

 

I begin by turning on the hot water faucet and letting it run along with a with good shot of dish soap (about a tablespoon), which foams up and loosens things up a bit.  Then I turn off the hot water and put four cups of ice cubes down the hole while it is still running.  Use a wooden spoon, not your hand, to help guide the ice.  It makes a heck of a racket, but it also churns up the gunk and reall cleans things out.  Once all the ice is done grinding around I turn the hot water back on and drizzle a little bit more dish soap (about a teaspoon) in and let that do a final clean.  That's it, you're all done.

 

Use an old toothbrush to scrub this part while the unit is turned off

I have to tell you I was shocked the first time I tried this and saw all the crud churn up while I was doing the ice.  Rust and goo.  It was disgusting!  I do this about once a month or so depending on how often I use the disposal and it keeps it clean and fresh.