Introduction: Clean & Refresh Garbage Disposal
The Kitchen garbage disposal is a WONDERFUL thing. Highly undervalued and often overlooked during kitchen cleaning. Though disposals seem to clean themselves, maintenance and refreshment is often required to keep them cleaning and prevent foul odors from building. This will be a step-by-step guide to cleaning and eliminating garbage disposal odors.
Step 1: Tools & Materials
- Garbage Disposal wrench
- Orange peels, lemon peels, or lime peels
- Rosemary
- Olive oil
- White Vinegar
- Ice cube tray
- Sink stopper
- Pliers
- Dish Soap
Step 2: Cleaning Cubes
- Cut the fruit peels into 1/4" wide strips and remove rosemary from stems.
- Add peels and rosemary to ice cubes trays. Fill the remaining space in the trays with white vinegar.
- Place in the freezer for at least 24hrs or until frozen.
Step 3: Prep & Safety
- Before beginning any work on the garbage disposal, unplug the garbage disposal from the outlet
(if possible).
- Using the disposal wrench, insert underneath the disposal and rotate clockwise and counterclockwise to ensure no objects are jammed inside of the disposal.
- Use a pair of pliers to remove any objects that may have been lodged inside of the disposal.
- Plug the disposal back into the socket
Step 4: Flush the Dirt
- Uses the sink stopper to plug the sink. Begin filling the sink with warm/hot water and a squirt of dish soap. Fill until sink has 4-6" of water.
- keep sink water running, remove stopper, and turn on disposal. Wait for all water to leave the sink before turning off the disposal.
Step 5: Refreshing the Disposal
Remove the pre-made ice cubes from the freezer and place into a bowl. Dump bowl into the sink and turnon water. Turn on garbage disposal to grind cubes. Grinding ice cubes in your garbage disposal is a great way to remove tougher sludge and debris that has attached itself to the grinding elements. The fruit peels and rosemary will provide an aromatic smell to eliminate odors and clean the blades.
ALL DONE. Fresh and clean!