HELP!! My garbage disposal is really smelly!!?

Question

I have tried everything that I can think of to get rid of the smell. Lemon juice, grinding up oranges lemons and limes, bleach, baking soda, I even tried a comercial cleaner called Disposer Care. They all work, for the moment, but shortly afterward the smell comes back. I also always make sure to grind things up completly as soon as they go down. Can anyone help?

Answer 1

All of the ideas that are given from lemons to ice to coffee and store bought products do work for a lil bit, sewer gas is a concern but if it is actually the disposal that stinks, I'll let you in on a secret that I never see posted. The black rubber "flapper" or whatever the name of it. It's the rubber seal that keeps you from from seeing in there, or from food flying back out. These things get a layer of "slime" on the under side that smells like death. Most of them that I have ran across just pull out and wedge back in. I'd wear gloves because you are not going to believe how gross it is. Anyhow pull it up and out. Wash it with hot water and bleach. If you can stand the thought of it you can put it in the dishwasher. Most people don't know that these can be removed and washed. All good ideas that people posted but I promise you that if your disposal still stinks after the lemon trick then you need to "de-slime" the underside of the rubber guard. Good Luck Hope this helps!!

Answer 2

Try slowly pouring a box of baking soda into the disposal every day for a week and then stop the water and turn off the disposer and add a teaspoon of baking soda into the disposer. After a week, then just add the teaspoon of soda at night.

Be sure to fully grind up the scraps you put into the disposer and let the water run a little longer maybe 5 seconds after you've completely ground it all up and there are no more strange noises coming from the disposer.

Answer 3

Try de-oderizing the sink drain too. Ans be sure to run cold water while ginding and for a few seconds after you shut off the disposal. Then if you still get an odor you need to check that the sink is ventialted properly or you may be getting sewer gas coming back thru the pipes....if you don't know how to verify the ventialtion get a plumber as soon as you can. Sewer gas can be dangerous.

Answer 4

Do you have a dishwasher that drains into the disposal? I do, and if I don't use the dishwasher for a while a smell come from its hose. I take a small hose and a funnel and pour Clorox into the tube. Ends the smell right away.

And, of course they are right about the rubber thingie.

Answer 5

Put vinegar and water in an ice tray and let it freeze, then put the cubes in your disposal and run it, that should help deodorize it and get any gunk off of the blades. Good luck.

Answer 6

White vinegar is good for removing odors from clothing (when used in the rinse cycle) and for cleaning a coffee pot. It might work on your garbage disposal.

Answer 7

Are you letting the stuff set in there for awhile? Like maybe when you go to bed tonight, pour something in there and leave it. Don't run any water for awhile to let it set and work. Just a thought.

Answer 8

mine gets that way too. try cleaning the underneath side of the rubber flaps that cover the drain. they get moldy sometimes if you use your sink a lot. something i never thought of til someone told me about it.

Answer 9

try some vinegar and a tums or two. let it dissolve before washing it down. see if that helps. good luck.

Answer 10

try vinegar... and check to see that it is ventalated properly...