How to Clean Garbage Disposal: The Ultimate Step-by-Step Guide
Learning how to clean your garbage disposal is crucial for a germ-free kitchen. Bacteria and odors can build up, causing potential health risks. Follow this step-by-step guide using simple household items to deep clean your garbage disposal and ensure a fresh, hygienic kitchen.
Germs—bacteria and viruses—are practically everywhere. While most of them are harmless, about one percent can cause anything from a runny nose to a serious infection. When we clean our homes, common sense tells us to focus on places like toilets and countertops. But we’re just scratching the surface when it comes to where germs truly lurk.
Why Knowing How to Clean Garbage Disposal is Essential
Did you know that there are more than half a million bacteria in the kitchen sink? That’s about 1,000 times more than you’d find on an average toilet! Your garbage disposal is a hotspot for germs from raw food like chicken, eggs, and spinach. These foods can harbor harmful bacteria like salmonella, which can make anyone—especially kids, the elderly, or those with weakened immune systems—very sick.
The metal part of your garbage disposal produces ions that help kill germs, but bacteria love to grow in the crevices around the slimy rubber splash guard. This makes your disposal a real breeding ground for bacteria, contaminating your hands, dishes, and utensils. Plus, all that rotting gunk and grime can cause a serious stink!
So, knowing how to clean your garbage disposal properly is not just about keeping things tidy; it’s about keeping your family safe from harmful bacteria.
Essential Materials for Cleaning Your Garbage Disposal
Cleaning your garbage disposal doesn’t require fancy products or expensive tools. You’ll find everything you need right in your kitchen! Here’s your go-to list:
- Ice Cubes: Perfect for dislodging gunk from the disposal blades.
- Salt: Rock salt is great, but regular table salt works just fine.
- Baking Soda: A natural cleaner that helps eliminate odors.
- White Vinegar: The magic ingredient for fizzing away grime and killing bacteria.
- Wooden Spoon: Ideal for safely pushing ice into the disposal.
- Small Stiff Brush: For scrubbing the splash guard and other crevices.
- Disposal Brush: Designed specifically to clean those hard-to-reach spots inside the disposal.
How to Clean Garbage Disposal: Step-by-Step Instructions
Deep-cleaning your garbage disposal every couple of weeks is the key to keeping it fresh and free of harmful bacteria. It’s easy and takes just 20 minutes using items you probably already have in your freezer and pantry. Here’s how:
Step 1: Ice and Salt
Start by dumping a generous amount of ice cubes into your garbage disposal. Follow this with about 1/2 cup of salt—rock salt if you have it, but regular table salt works just as well.
Turn on the disposal and run a small stream of water down the drain. Use a long-handled wooden spoon or similar tool to carefully push all the ice into the running disposal. Keep it on for at least two minutes to let the ice and salt work their magic, dislodging built-up gunk and grime from the blades. Then, turn off the water and disposal.
Step 2: Baking Soda and Vinegar
Next, pour about 1/2 cup of baking soda into the disposal.
Follow this with 1 cup of white vinegar and get ready for a show! This non-toxic combo will fizz and bubble, breaking down grime and killing bacteria like salmonella and E. coli. Let it sit for at least 15 minutes.
Step 3: Brush and Scrub
OXO Good Grips Kitchen Appliance Cleaning Set
While the baking soda and vinegar do their thing, mix a bit of vinegar and baking soda in a small dish to make a thick paste. Dip a small stiff brush (I swear by this brush set; I use it every day for all sorts of tasks) into the paste. Scrub down the top of the disposal and the splash guard (inside and out). If your disposal has a removable splash guard, this part will be much easier. Don’t forget to scrub the rubber sink stopper, too.
Step 4: Unplug and Go In
Now, look under the sink to find where the disposal is plugged in and disconnect it from the electrical outlet. You’re going to scrub the inside floor, walls, and the “ceiling” area at the top inside of the disposal. If you’re brave, put on a rubber glove, take a deep breath, and go in with a scrubber or brush.
Mr. Scrappy Universal Garbage Disposal Brush
Personally, I prefer to avoid that by using a disposal brush like Mr. Scrappy, designed specifically for this task.
Let me warn you—what you find in there won’t be pretty. Even with routine cleaning, stuff splashes and gets stuck inside the disposal, where it sits and rots. Enough said.
Here, take a look.
The previous steps should have loosened the gunk. Now, use your disposal brush to scrub the floor, walls, and “ceiling” areas of the disposal, including the underside of the splash guard, without having to touch any of it. Continue scrubbing, cleaning, and rinsing until your brush comes out clean.
Step 5: Plug It Back In
Plug the disposal back into its electrical outlet. Place the rubber stopper in place and fill the sink three-quarters full of warm water. Add a teaspoon of liquid dishwashing detergent, like Blue Dawn. Remove the rubber stopper, turn on the disposal, and let all the water drain at once. Turn off the disposal.
Step 6: Admire Your Work
Step back and admire your beautifully clean garbage disposal. Enjoy the fresh, clean scent and peace of mind knowing your kitchen is free of hidden germs.
Daily Tips for Maintaining a Clean Garbage Disposal
Keep your garbage disposal in top shape with a simple daily maintenance routine. Clean the disposal’s splash guard and rubber stopper with a diluted bleach solution—1 teaspoon of liquid bleach in 1 gallon of water, dispensed from a well-labeled spray bottle. Give it a good scrub and rinse thoroughly. Trust me, soap and water just don’t cut it for this job.
Proper Garbage Disposal Use to Prevent Clogs
Remember, your garbage disposal is NOT a garbage can. Avoid putting potato peels, artichoke leaves, or even citrus peels down there. These items can cause blockages that require a plumber’s visit—not fun!
Your garbage disposal is meant for the small chunks and bits that inevitably find their way down the drain in a typical kitchen. Always scrape the big stuff into a trash can or, better yet, compost it if you can. This way, you’ll keep your disposal running smoothly and prevent those pesky clogs.
Question: How often do you deep clean your garbage disposal? Share your best tips and tricks with us.
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The same thing happened to my daughter and to me, but I haven’t seen comments that it happened to anyone else. When we put the ice and salt into the disposer and turned it on, it started to run, then stopped. My daughter’s ran again after being off for about ten minutes, but mine never started again. Even after unplugging it overnight, it would only hum but not run. Trying to clean it didn’t end well.
hi mary, have tried everything you suggested and then some, but my garbage disposal STILL smells like something died down there~!!!! it has always been that way in 5 yrs. the water is sluggish going down, builds back up in the sink and I have to turn the disposal on to get it down faster, have a side sink and when running water, always gurggles in the second sink (drainer). so short of taking everything apart, ugh, dont know what else to do. probably something in the line somewhere, causing the problem, not the disposal. hate them anyway, hardly ever use it anymore. had a house without for years, got used to not having. sometimes things arent what they seem….lol
I’m no plumber, but the fact that the side sink gurgles and backs up in the sink, etc leads me to believe that you do have a stubborn clog between the disposal and that side sink. Just a guess but the facts you share suggest that to me. Given how long you hve been putting up with this, my best advice is that it’s time call the pros to have your kitchen plumbing “snaked” out.
I like to spray Nok- out or Sniper in sink and disposal. And leave some in disposal especially after draining fish
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Does “1/2 baking soda” mean 1/2 cup or 1/2 box? Thank you!
It says 1/2 cup…
The splash guards are around $6. I bought a second one and rinse the dirty one before putting it in the small enclosed basket in the top rack of my dishwasher. The back up one keeps the disposal in use.
Great tips Mary! This procedure makes me feel so much better about my kitchen’s cleanliness. The garbage disposal is a gross area and to have it sparkling clean is a relief to say the least! As a plumbers wife for well over 35 years I have a couple things to add. The garbage is not a place for raw foods at all. Left over cooked foods are fine and will not harm the disposal. Potato peels, egg shells lemon/lime peels and grease should never go in the disposal and can only facilitate the need for a plumber to clear that plug. Keep in mind that most of those things can be composted. Thanks Mary.
How much baking soda? It says 1/2 a baking soda…
Thanks!
I think it would be 1/2 of the box of baking soda. Makes sense.
It says 1/2 CUP….
Thanks for this, but I don’t understand “ Allow this non-toxic combo to fizz and bubble for at least 15 minutes” How do you prevent the vinegar from going straight down the disposal drain tube? I never knew about the removable splash guards….next time, that’s a definite must-have!
The vinegar will go down the drain but not before it reacts with the baking soda. Give it a try, then you’ll see and understand!