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Tuesday, September 28, 2010

How to clean and freshen your garbage disposal


This week was one of those weeks when we were reminded how nice it is to have a functional kitchen sink...it's the little things in life, isn't it? Our sink drain got clogged sometime late Friday night. I can't tell you how much of a relief it was to run water {and even clean dishes} on Monday afternoon when it was finally clear!

Before they left, the very nice plumbers shared this tip with me, and I thought it was so easy and helpful I wanted to pass it along. If your garbage disposal needs cleaned, the blades need sharpened, or you're just getting a funky smell from the drain, try this trick!


Take a full tray of ice cubes and pack your disposal with ice. Run water in your second sink and get it piping hot. Turn on the garbage disposal and let it run, without water, for 30 seconds to a minute. Once your ice has been pulverized, switch that piping hot water over and run it through your garbage disposal for a few minutes.


The ice will sharpen your blades and help remove any food that might be stuck on the blades. The hot water will melt the ice chips and help rinse everything down the drain and away from your kitchen! If you think there might also be a bit of greasy buildup, add a few drops of grease cutting dish soap to the ice cubes.


Just like that - good as new!

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4 comments:

Rachel said...

back when I had a garbage disposal - I did this monthly, then I also saved all the lemon and orange peels for the month and froze them, and whenever it smelled a bit funky, I would put 2 or 3 peels along with a 1/2 cup baking soda down the drain with running mostly hot water. Smelled great!

BusyMom said...

I do this from time to time - not with a tray full of ice, usually just a few cubes. Might have to try it with more ice and see if it is more effective.

I like to use my lemon and orange peels just like Rachel too!

Steph @ Problem Solvin Mom said...

I love the idea of frozen citrus peels, ladies, what a great way to add a fresh scent! I've put citrus peels in water before to freshen the microwave, but haven't tried it for the disposal. :)

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