I've noticed the same thing about citrus peels—they're great for freshening things up, but they don't really tackle mechanical issues. The grinding noise usually points to something stuck or worn down inside. Last summer, my disposal started making this awful rattling sound, almost like it was trying to grind rocks. I did the usual troubleshooting: ice cubes, baking soda and vinegar, even citrus peels (which, as you said, smelled nice but didn't help mechanically). Eventually, I decided to take a closer look.
Here's what worked for me step-by-step, in case anyone else wants to try:
1. First, I unplugged the disposal completely—safety first, always.
2. Then I used a flashlight to carefully inspect inside the chamber. Sometimes small objects like bottle caps, screws, or even bits of broken glass can sneak in there unnoticed.
3. Didn't see anything obvious at first glance, so I grabbed an Allen wrench (most disposals have a spot underneath where you can manually rotate the blades). Turning it gently back and forth helped loosen whatever was stuck.
4. After rotating it manually a few times, I checked again with the flashlight and found a tiny piece of broken ceramic mug wedged near one of the blades. No idea how it got there!
5. Carefully removed it with needle-nose pliers, then gave everything a thorough rinse and scrub with some baking soda paste.
Once that little shard was out, the disposal ran smoothly again—no more gravelly noises. So yeah, citrus peels are nice for deodorizing, but if you're hearing grinding or rattling sounds, it's probably worth doing a careful manual inspection. Also, regular maintenance helps prevent these issues—every month or two I'll toss in some ice cubes and coarse salt to keep things clean and sharp.
Hope this helps someone else dealing with a noisy sink monster...
"Turning it gently back and forth helped loosen whatever was stuck."
Yep, the Allen wrench trick is gold—saved me more than once. Also, quick tip: check the rubber splash guard occasionally. Mine had tiny metal bits hiding underneath... sneaky little sink monster snacks.
Glad I stumbled onto this thread. My sink monster started giving me grief last week—making this awful grinding noise, like it was chewing rocks or something. Tried the Allen wrench trick too (worked great), but the real culprit turned out to be a tiny piece of broken glass hidden under the splash guard.
"Mine had tiny metal bits hiding underneath... sneaky little sink monster snacks."
Totally relate! Never realized how much random stuff can slip in there unnoticed. Guess I'll be checking that splash guard more often now...
Yeah, you'd be surprised what I've pulled out of disposals over the years... coins, screws, even a Lego piece once (still wondering how that got there). Glass shards are sneaky though—tiny but cause a racket. Quick tip: shining a flashlight down there occasionally can save you some headaches later. Glad the Allen wrench trick helped; it's usually my go-to first step too.
Totally agree on the flashlight trick—saved me countless times. A few other things that've given me trouble:
- Twist ties (those wire ones from bread bags)...they wrap around blades like crazy.
- Bottle caps—tenants seem to think disposals eat anything metal.
- Small bones like chicken wings...noisy and tough to fish out.
Usually, a quick manual spin with the wrench sorts it, but occasionally I've had to pull the whole unit. Not fun.
