How to clean a garbage disposal and kitchen drain

To clean a garbage disposal, switch it off at the wall, scrub the underside of the rubber splash guard with an old toothbrush, then run it with a cup of ice and a handful of coarse salt under cold water. Finish with half a cup of baking soda, a cup of white vinegar, a ten-minute wait and a hot-water flush.

That usually clears the smell. If the drain itself is slow, the drain section below is for you, and it's the same method whether or not your sink has a disposal.

What do you need?

• An old toothbrush or a bottle brush
• A cup of ice and a handful of coarse salt
• Baking soda and white vinegar
• A lemon, cut into wedges (optional)
• Rubber gloves
• A flashlight

How do you clean a garbage disposal, step by step?

1. Cut the power. Turn the disposal off at the switch, and unplug it under the sink if it's plugged in. Your hand goes nowhere near the chamber with the power on.
2. Look inside. Shine the flashlight down. If you see a utensil, a bottle cap or a fruit pit, pull it out with tongs, not your fingers.
3. Scrub the splash guard. Lift the rubber flaps and scrub the underside with the toothbrush and a little dish soap. This is where the smell usually lives, and rinsing alone doesn't touch it.
4. Grind ice and salt. Power back on, cold water running, then drop in the ice and salt and run it until the grinding stops. It knocks built-up food off the grinding parts.
5. Baking soda and vinegar. Turn it off, pour in the baking soda, then the vinegar. Let it fizz for ten minutes.
6. Flush. Run hot tap water for a minute with the disposal on.
7. Lemon, if you like. Grind a couple of lemon wedges with cold water for a fresh smell. It's a finishing touch, not a cleaner.

Skip chemical drain openers in a disposal. They sit in the chamber and they're a problem for anyone who has to put a hand in later.

How do you clean a slow or smelly kitchen drain?

No disposal? Same idea, minus the grinding.

1. Pull out the sink strainer and wash it.
2. Pour a kettle's worth of hot (not boiling) water down the drain to loosen what's there. Boiling water can soften older plastic drain pipes and fittings.
3. Pour in half a cup of baking soda, then a cup of white vinegar, and cover the drain with the stopper for ten to fifteen minutes.
4. Flush with more hot water.

If it's still slow after two rounds, it's a clog, not a cleaning job. A plunger made for sinks, or a plumber, is the next step.

Can you pour grease down the drain?

No. Grease goes down as liquid, cools inside the pipe, hardens, and catches every bit of food that comes after it. Hot water and dish soap just move it a few feet further down.

In Philadelphia, the property owner is responsible for the sewer line between the house and the main in the street, so a grease clog past your sink can turn into your repair bill. Let grease cool in the pan, scrape it into an old can or a jar with a lid, and put it out with the trash. Wipe greasy pans with a paper towel before they go in the sink.

Other things that don't belong in a disposal: coffee grounds, eggshells, potato peels, rice and pasta (they swell), fruit pits, and stringy stuff like celery and corn husks.

How often should you clean the disposal and drain?

• Weekly: ice and salt, then a hot-water flush.
• Monthly: the full clean, splash guard scrubbed.
• After holiday cooking: a full clean, because that's when the grease and peelings pile up.

Want the kitchen handled?

Book House Cleaning or Deep Cleaning online, and put anything you want looked at, like the sink or the stovetop, in your booking notes. For the next job over, see how to clean a stovetop.

FAQ

Why does my garbage disposal smell? Food stuck to the underside of the rubber splash guard and around the grinding chamber is the usual cause. Scrub the guard with an old toothbrush, then grind ice and coarse salt and flush with baking soda and vinegar.

Does ice clean a garbage disposal? Ice and a handful of coarse salt knock built-up food off the grinding parts as they spin. Run cold water while you do it, and follow with a hot-water flush.

Can you pour grease down the kitchen drain? No. Grease cools and hardens inside the pipe and catches everything that comes after it. Pour cooled grease into a can or jar with a lid and put it out with the trash.

How often should you clean a garbage disposal? Give it a quick ice-and-salt grind and a hot flush once a week, and a full clean with the splash guard scrubbed once a month. Clean it sooner if it starts to smell.

Book a cleaning

Our service area: every Philadelphia neighborhood, plus the Pennsylvania suburbs within about 30 miles of Center City, in Montgomery, Delaware, Bucks and Chester counties. Book online at phillyscleanteam.com/book-now, or call or text (215) 798-7576, 9 AM to 9 PM, every day.