How To Keep Your Garbage Disposal from Smelling Bad, According to 2 Experts

Stop throwing these things down the drain.

Lots of things get dumped in the kitchen sink at our house. We push peels and eggshells down the disposal and wash the gunk off pots and pans and anything else before it heads into the dishwasher. No matter how much water I run down the drain or how much cleanser I wipe around the sink itself, an odor sometimes still lingers.

The key to cleaning your kitchen garbage disposal is a little gadget, says Jessica Ek, spokesperson for the American Cleaning Institute.

“The best way to keep your sink from smelling bad is using a strainer in the drain and regularly empty and clean it so that food particles don’t end up stuck in your drain to smell,” Ek says. A kitchen sink drain strainer likely came with your sink, but you can also find loads online or in stores with kitchen tools.

Be careful what you toss in there to keep your garbage disposal from being the reason for a stinky sink. “Only put things down it that the appliance is capable of pulverizing,” Ek says. “Also, be sure to keep the water running before turning on the disposal and for a bit after you run the disposal to ensure food debris is fully flushed down the drain.”

Some things you should never put down the garbage disposal include eggshells, coffee grounds, bones, fat, and seeds. These things may clog or wear down the blades of the disposal.

“Ideally, the garbage disposal is just used for clearing drains and not for kitchen scrap trash disposal,” says Ann Ziata, chef at the Institute of Culinary Education’s New York City campus. “Get in the habit of tossing all food scraps in the trash or compost and keeping the sink as clean as possible. Try to avoid using odoriferous foods with aromas that tend to linger, like onions and garlic, in the disposal.”

How To Clean Your Kitchen Sink and Garbage Disposal

If your sink or disposal starts to smell bad, there are a few things you can try to get rid of the odor. Ek suggests running hot water down the drain with dish soap. This can help dislodge any food that may have gotten stuck and wash it down the drain.

For the garbage disposal, she recommends pouring boiling water down the drain, followed by 1/2 cup of baking soda and then about 1/2 to one cup of white vinegar. Let the mixture sit in the drain for a few minutes, then rinse it with boiling water. Run the garbage disposal while you run the water through the drain to help get rid of any food debris.

Ek suggests washing your sink quickly daily. “It’s a good idea to wipe down your sink at the end of each day and deep clean it once a week,” she says. The garbage disposal should be cleaned every couple of weeks.”