How to Fix Garburator Smells

A smelly kitchen sink can really mess up your day. With today’s open floor plans, the smells coming from your garburator rarely stay contained to the kitchen. Even when they do, a bad odour can make cooking and doing the dishes unpleasant.

Thankfully, a smelly garburator can be fixed with common household items. Often, your disposal is dirty and just needs some cleaning.

We’ll show you how to fix garburator smells and explain a few of the common causes of a smelly garbage disposal so you can tackle this pungent problem on your own.

Common Causes of Garburator Smells

The most common cause for smells emanating from your garburator is stuck-on food. If your garbage disposal smells terrible, the ideal scenario is that it’s from food being stuck inside the disposal itself. That’s because removing food from the disposal blades takes less effort than removing a clog, and it generally won’t cause any damage to your drainpipes either.

Other places where food can be trapped are in the drain or even under the rubber flap in your kitchen sink if you have one.

Additionally, if your garburator is broken, that can lead to unpleasant smells. These smells are still caused by residual bits of food, but because the disposal is broken, it fails to grind the food into small enough pieces to be washed away. A broken garburator can also contribute to the formation of plumbing clogs if left unaddressed.

Tips and Techniques for Fixing Garburator Smells

There are a few good ways to get rid of smells in your garburator. Most of these remedies only require a few items, most of which are likely in your home already. If you don’t have any of the items you need lying around, your local grocery store probably has what you need.

Here are three of the best ways to clean a garbage disposal:

1. Baking soda and white vinegar: Your favourite childhood science experiment actually has many uses around the home! You can use this combination to clear drain clogs and eliminate odours.

To use these items to freshen your garbage disposal, pour 60 mg of baking soda into your drain and then add 240 mL of white vinegar. The ensuing reaction eliminates bacteria, mineral deposits, and germs, leaving your garbage disposal nice and clean.

2. Ice, salt, and dish soap: Ice can help clear away stuck-on foods. Because it acts as an abrasive material, ice can chip away at grime stuck in your garburator. Adding salt introduces an additional abrasive element that also lowers the melting point of the ice, allowing it to clean your disposal blades for longer.

To use this method, pour enough ice down your drain to fill your garburator. Next, sprinkle in some salt and a few squirts of dish soap. Then, turn on your garbage disposal and let it run until the ice turns into a slurry. Finally, turn off the disposal and wash the ice, salt, and dish soap mixture down the drain.

3. Mouthwash: Garbage disposals can get bad breath too. Pouring 240 mL of mouthwash into your garburator and running it can help kill bacteria hanging around your drain.

Signs You Need Professional Garbage Disposal Repair

Garburators don’t last forever. If your garbage disposal is exhibiting any of the following signs, it might be time to call a plumber:

• Frequent, inexplicable clogs
• Strange noises
• Long-lasting odours
• Weak performance
• Leaks

Any of these signs can point to a broken garbage disposal, which you don’t want to leave sitting for too long. The longer you wait to repair it, the more likely it is that a serious issue like a clog could occur.

Call Us for Fast and Affordable Garbage Disposal Repairs

If your smelly garburator turns out to be more than a cleaning issue, then you need to get it fixed ASAP. At Mr. Rooter Plumbing, we offer fast and affordable garburator repairs that will get your kitchen back into working order.