With the arrival of fall, many homeowners are prepping their home for the winter. Before you know it, the holiday seasons will arrive, and so will family and friends who may notice the bad smell emanating from your kitchen sink. The following tips may help to prepare your kitchen for holiday guests by eliminating garbage disposal odor. Furthermore, if your disposal is experiencing problems, contact a Benjamin Franklin plumber in Arlington for garbage disposal repair before the holidays arrive.
A garbage disposal is a small kitchen appliance installed in the sink and used to grind up food scraps, small enough that they can be flushed down the drain. The disposal is very efficient when disposing of unwanted food waste, but may develop offensive odors. The odor is caused by decaying food on the disposal’s cutting blades or in the drainpipe connected to it. Read on to learn how to potentially eliminate the odor, and to prevent it in the future. A Benjamin Franklin plumber in Arlington offers garbage disposal services, and drain cleaning to ensure your kitchen sink doesn’t become a source of odors in your home.
Flushing
It’s the recommended practice to allow the disposal to continue to run along with cold water for 20 seconds after you have completed grinding food. This flushes food from the blades, and allows the ground-up food to be washed down the drain. You should always abide by this practice, and only with cold water while food is being ground. However, as long as you are not grinding food you can provide a hot water flush by placing dishwashing liquid in the disposal and turning on the hot water for cleaning.
Rinsing with Soapy Water
Fill the sink with hot, soapy water using a grease-cutting detergent and allow it to begin draining, then turn the garbage disposal on for a more thorough cleaning. Be sure to shut off the disposal before the water has drained to avoid damage to the appliance.
Scrub It
The rubber flap around the disposal drain, and the stopper requires a routine clean with a soft brush and soapy water. Refer to the owner’s manual for specific instructions for cleaning and the recommended frequency.
Deodorizing the Disposal
Baking soda is an excellent deodorizer. Pour 1/2 cup of it into your garbage disposal along with 1/2 cup of vinegar to eliminate most odors. The solution will foam. Allow to work for approximately 15-20 minutes before flushing with water. Vinegar is an acid, and may damage rubber if allowed to remain in the disposal, so allow to flush thoroughly.
To assist in cleaning and deodorizing the disposal, turn on the cold water, next the disposal, and drop cut up lemon, lime or orange peels into the disposal. Allow the water to run for at least 20 seconds after the ground peels have been flushed away.
Professional Cleaning
When home remedies fail to rid your kitchen disposal of an unpleasant odor, contact a Benjamin Franklin professional plumber. A Ben Franklin plumber in Arlington offers expertise for all your plumbing needs. Furthermore, you can count on our services to meet and/or exceed the industry standards for superior service. Our plumbers can provide professional cleaning of the disposal, and if the odors are due to a drain with accumulating debris, your plumber in Arlington can also provide effective drain cleaning.
If you’re experiencing drain or garbage disposal odor, contact us for plumbing service you can rely on. In addition, a Benjamin Franklin Plumbing plumber in Arlington provides a wide range of services including garbage disposal installation, garbage disposal replacement, and a garbage disposal repair. We serve Arlington, Fort Worth, and the surrounding areas, and are a member of the BBB with an A+ rating.