Although garbage disposals help to keep your kitchen clean, and greatly reduce the mess and smell of food waste, they do need to be kept clean as well! Ignoring this simple task can result in bacteria growth in the drain and the unpleasant odors that come along with it. Try one or more of these cleaning methods to keep your garbage disposal smelling fresh:

• Vinegar: Pour a cup or two of vinegar down the drain, letting it sit for an hour to descale the inside of the disposal and drain pipes. Rinse afterwards with hot water.
• Vinegar and Baking Soda: Sprinkle one-quarter to one-half cup of baking soda into the drain, then pour a cup of vinegar on top so the mixture bubbles and foams. Leave for ten minutes, and rinse with hot water. The baking soda and vinegar will descale and disinfect the inside of the disposal and the drain pipe.
• Ice Cubes: Grinding up ice cubes is a great way to clean off the mess left behind from daily use. Turn on the water and the disposal, then dump in a handful of ice. Ice cubes made of vinegar work twice as well!

A common mistake our customers make is to grind up citrus peels in their disposal to leave it smelling fresh. We do not recommend this, because citrus leaves an oil that can cause bacteria to grow in your disposal.

If your garbage disposal is broken, or the odor pursists, contact Westside! At the time of another service (such as your garbage disposal repair or dryer vent cleaning), the cost for cleaning not only your garbage disposal, but also your dishwasher, washing machine and refrigerator is only $49.99! Call us today at 515-276-8899.