Do I need to clean my garbage disposal?
Q: Do I need to clean my garbage disposal and, if so, what’s the best way to do it?
A: Given that it’s called a garbage disposal, you might think that this appliance is likely to reek if it’s not cleaned frequently.
But a garbage disposal is not like a garbage can. If you use it properly, a disposal is generally remarkably self-cleaning. Manuals for popular models — including those from InSinkErator, Moen and Moen-related companies Whirlaway and Waste King — don’t say to clean daily or weekly or even monthly. Instead, Moen just says, “The garbage disposal is self-cleaning and scours its internal parts with each use.” InSinkErator suggests cleaning if off-putting smells develop.
The exception, according to both Moen and InSinkErator, is the splash guard. Also known as a sink baffle, this is the rubberlike piece that fits in the drain and helps keep food waste from being spit back at you while the machine is running. It also helps muffle sound.
Splash guards do get grimy, and unlike disposal interiors, they are highly visible and could come in contact with food or dishes you want clean. So they definitely need to be cleaned. In some models, the splash guard just lifts out so you can wash it with a toothbrush in warm, soapy water in the sink. Some splash guards can even go into a dishwasher. But the splash guard on other models can be detached for cleaning only if you remove the disposal from the sink. Although that’s not terribly complicated, getting everything back in place can be tricky, especially if you don’t have a helper to support the machine while you are trying to tighten the bolts or screws that hold it in place. To simplify things, try cleaning the top of the splash guard with a brush or cloth and then reaching through the rubber flanges with an old toothbrush to clean the underside. Resort to taking out the disposal to clean the splash guard more thoroughly only if odors persist.
Beyond the splash guard, a disposal can sometimes develop unpleasant smells because people run it with an eye toward minimizing how much water they use or how often they turn it on. Some foods can start smelling in a day or two, especially in a warm room. Leaving food remnants to rot, even out of sight, is never a good idea, so it makes sense to switch on the disposal at least once a day if you’ve put any food down the drain. Use cold water, especially if food is greasy, because hot water could liquefy fat that you want to send down the drain in a solid form, rather than as melted fat that could congeal when it reaches cold pipes, plugging them. With the water running, switch on the machine, then add the food gradually. Once the machine stops shredding food, a stage that’s clear from the change in sound, leave the water on so all the ground-up food gets rinsed away. InSinkErator recommends leaving the water on for “a few seconds.” Moen says 15 seconds. (Most kitchen faucets are now set to a maximum flow rate of 2.2 gallons per minute, so leaving the water running that long would use a little over 2 quarts, if the tap is open all the way.)
InSinkErator recommends periodically running fruit pits, small bones and ice through the disposal to help scour the interior. Don’t worry about dulling blades — garbage disposals don’t have blades. They have impellers, or lugs, mounted on a spinning plate that continuously forces food waste against a grind ring.
If the sink starts stinking, you can’t go wrong by following advice from InSinkErator, regardless of the brand of your disposal. Place a stopper in the sink, fill the basin halfway with warm water, add a fourth of a cup of baking soda, then simultaneously remove the stopper and turn on the disposer. The baking soda should neutralize the odor and cut through any greasy food caught in the dispenser, and the rush of warm water should help rinse away food remnants. Consider adding citrus peels for the disposer to grind up; it will help create a fresh scent. Repeat the procedure if one cleaning isn’t enough.
You’ll find advice online about putting baking soda into the drain and then rinsing it down with vinegar. Baking soda is alkaline and vinegar is acidic. Their opposite chemistries produce a violent reaction, just as in the liter bottle rockets you might have made as a child. But there’s no need for this in a disposal, and some plumbers worry that the added pressure could actually cause leaks in old plumbing.
And if your disposal is clogged, baking soda and vinegar won’t help. That’s because with most clogs, the culprit is coins, screws, bottle caps, plastic wrap or other things that people accidentally let slip down drains. If one of these items gets stuck, it can keep the parts that shred food from turning, and that in turn can lead to foul smells. Instructions for clearing clogs vary by model.
Many disposals come with a little wrench about four inches long with a bend near each end. One end functions like a handle; the other, like a one-fourth-inch Allen wrench (and you can use an Allen wrench if you don’t have the wrench made for unclogging a disposal). Fit it into the center hole on the bottom of the dispenser and work the wrench back and forth to loosen the clog. When you can make one full revolution, reach into the top of the dispenser, through the drain, with needle-nose pliers or long-handle tongs and remove whatever had been stuck. Don’t reach in with your hands.
If there is no center hole for an Allen wrench at the bottom of your disposal, reach into the disposal from the top with the handles of one or two wooden spoons. Work them back and forth until you can get the spinning plate to turn. Then use tongs or pliers to remove what caused the clog. Or use Moen’s Garbage Disposal Unjamming Wrench ($19.08 at Home Depot), which works from the top.
After you remove the clog, if the disposal won’t turn on, you might need to press the reset button (it’s usually red) on the bottom of the unit. Turn on the water before you switch on the disposal.