Garbage disposals are great for keeping your kitchen clean and making cleanup faster by disposing of food waste, but sometimes you'll need to clean the garbage disposal and give it a bit of freshening up. Here are a few quick ways how to clean the garbage disposal, keep it smelling fresh, and we'll even clear up some myths along the way.
1. Ice Cubes
By now you've probably heard that putting ice cubes in the garbage disposal will help to eliminate smells and sharpen the blades. In reality, InSinkErator garbage disposals don't have blades! Our garbage disposals use impellers to push food waste against a grindshear ring that shreds it like a cheese shredder. While ice cubes can still be used to clean the disposal grinding components, ice will usually melt before it cleans the grind chamber completely. So the next time someone suggests a way to sharpen their garbage disposal blades, you can confidently put a myth to rest and tell them there are no blades!
2. Citrus Fruit
If your garbage disposal has a bad odor you can help to neutralize the smell by grinding a citrus fruit like lemons or oranges. Simply cut the fruit into wedges, turn the disposal on and put the wedges down one at a time along with a steady stream of cool water. The fruit rinds will help to clean the grind components while the citrus scent will provide a fresh smell. If you want use something harder than a citrus fruit you can cut a peach in half and place it down the disposal. And throw in the pit. The hard peach pit will help to dislodge any food waste that is stuck in the disposal.
3. Clean the removable baffle
If you have an InSinkErator Evolution Series® garbage disposal, every model is equipped with a baffle that can be easily removed and cleaned. The baffle sits in the collar of the disposal. Simply, pull it out, rinse it off, and wipe it clean of any food waste residue.
So there you have it, three quick and easy ways how to clean your garbage disposal and keep your kitchen smelling fresh with the simple facts—and no myths.
