"baking soda and vinegar actually break down the gunk causing the smell"
Definitely agree with this, but a couple extra tips that might help:
- Run cold water while using the disposal—hot water can soften fats and make them stick more.
- Check under the rubber splash guard (the black flap thing). A lot of nasty stuff can hide there.
- If you haven't cleaned the trap recently, that could be holding onto some serious funk. Might be worth taking apart and cleaning manually if you're comfortable with basic plumbing.
Good luck... disposals can get pretty rank pretty fast.
- If you haven't cleaned the trap recently, that could be holding onto some serious funk.
I've had decent luck tossing a few lemon peels in there after cleaning. Doesn't fix the root cause, but helps freshen things up temporarily. And yeah, totally second checking under the splash guard—that thing can get seriously gross...
Haha, lemon peels are a classic move—my grandma swears by them. But if you're looking to really evict that swamp monster for good, here's a quick rundown that's worked wonders for me:
1. First, unplug or turn off the disposal at the breaker (safety first, folks).
2. Grab an old toothbrush and scrub under that splash guard—trust me, you'll find stuff you wish you hadn't.
3. Next, toss in a handful of ice cubes and a generous sprinkle of coarse salt. Flip it back on and let it grind away. This combo helps scrape off any lingering gunk.
4. Finish up with a quick rinse of hot water and a splash of vinegar to disinfect and deodorize.
Usually does the trick for me...at least until the next time someone forgets to run water while grinding up leftovers.
Speaking of which, anyone else notice certain foods seem to make the smell worse? For me, broccoli stems are the absolute worst offenders. Curious if it's just my disposal being picky or if others have noticed this too.
Broccoli stems are definitely up there, but for me, nothing beats onion scraps. I swear, every time someone tosses onion bits down the disposal, the smell lingers forever...it's like a weird oniony swamp creature hybrid moves in. Your cleaning method is pretty spot-on though; ice cubes and salt are my go-to as well. One thing I'd add—if you haven't tried baking soda yet, sprinkle a bit down there before the vinegar rinse. It bubbles up nicely and seems to neutralize odors better than vinegar alone.
Also, quick PSA: avoid putting potato peels down the disposal if you can help it. Learned that lesson the hard way after spending an afternoon unclogging mine. Those peels turn into a gluey mess real fast...
"Those peels turn into a gluey mess real fast..."
Yeah, potato peels are no joke—I spent a solid hour wrestling with mine after Thanksgiving dinner last year. Lemon wedges occasionally help too, btw...quick fix for swampy smells between deeper cleans.
