A kitchen garburator is the best way to get rid of food scraps and keep your pipes from clogging. Unfortunately, since it grinds food, it is not uncommon for it to smell bad and give off odors that are difficult to eliminate. Fortunately, it is possible to clean the garburator, get rid of bad odors, and most importantly, stop your sink from smelling bad again.
Remove all disposals
When a garburator starts to smell bad, chances are a clog is somewhere in the duct and is the cause. To get rid of the bad smell, first, try to dislodge the clog. Never insert your hand into the hose, even if the grinder is stopped. To dislodge the plug
- unplug the grinder
- illuminate the inside of the pipe with a flashlight to see if you can locate large clogs, stuck food, or other things
- use tweezers, long tweezers, or pliers to dislodge the plug
- reconnect your device
- let the water run, turn on the grinder and let it run for a minute
- turn off the grinder then turn off the tap
Get rid of bad smell from Garburator
Run soapy water through the garburator
Since the grinder is still running and draining food, it is difficult to clean it well. This means that food particles can get stuck inside and eventually start to smell bad. For deep cleaning
- block the garbage disposal duct
- fill the sink with at least 10 cm of water
- add 2 teaspoons of dish soap
- stir the water to make it foam
- unblock the duct
- turn on the garbage disposal and let it suck up the soapy water
- turn off the grinder after all the water is gone
Brush the visible parts of the machine
Once the casing of the grinder has been cleaned and the food particles have been removed, brush the visible parts of the machine to remove the crumbs that have remained stuck:
- rinse a dish brush or washing brush with water
- pour a generous amount of dishwashing liquid on the brush
- brush accessible parts of the grinder, including the edges of the sink and the inside of the duct
Clean the inside of the duct
Pour 10 ice cubes into the crusher and then half a cup (95 g) of coarse salt. Slowly run a trickle of water, turn on the crusher and push the ice cubes and salt into the duct. Let the machine run until the ice cubes and salt have dissolved. Ice cubes will dislodge food particles stuck in the duct. The salt will clean the blades and eliminate potential sources of bad odors
Rinse the grinder with cold water
To remove debris or food scraps, run cold water in a strong stream directed toward the chipper duct. Switch on the machine and let it run for 1 to 2 minute. Always let the water run before turning on the grinder and turn it off before turning off the tap.
Sometimes, however, no matter which solution you try to lessen the situation, the bad odor is still at your house. It’s time to have a drainage expert as MidCity Plumbers for proper inspection, as there might be a serious clogged issue behind which mainly caused the smell. Contact us 24/7 for the best water and drainage service in Metro Vancouver, BC.
