The garbage disposal is emitting a nasty smell… and I can’t get rid of it. I have tried bleach, lemon juice, boiling water, etc.
When I look down the drain, it looks very clean, but it stinks!
When I run the disposal, it doesn’t work great, so there MAY be a clog. After searching GQ on other disposal threads, I did reset it, but haven’t run it yet.
I know there are products out there to clean and de-stink the disposal… any suggestions?
Try baking soda. Just pour a whole box down there and let it sit for a while.
Try throwing a lemon (cut up into wedges) into the disposer and turning it on.
I always just throw a bunch of ice in it and let it grind away.
“doesn’t run well” - Does that refer to the disposer sounding funny, or is the drain not draining quickly?
If it’s not draining well, the disposer’s outlet or drain trap is probably clogged. First thing to try is put the stopper into the disposer and fill the sink as full as possible with hot water. Pull out the stopper, and turn on the disposer and with any luck, all that hot water pushing though at once will unclog things. If that doesn’t do it, you have a decision - call a plumber or try further unclogging in the form of taking the trap off and cleaning it out.
Using drain cleaner in a disposer is possible, but can be more dangerous than usual. Check the bottle for specifics.
Just had to deal with something like this the other weekend. First thing I’d say is to stay away from chemical drain cleaners, if they don’t do the trick right off the bat then you may have a pipe full of caustic chemicals to worry about while you’re fixing your drain. Save them for the absolute last resort, trust me.
Do you have a double-basin sink? If so is the stink ONLY in the disposal side or is it also in the side where the regular drain is?
If it’s only in the disposal side then probably a buildup of stinky crap in the disposal. Dunno how to clean them out if ice cubes, lemon wedges and baking soda don’t do the trick, might need to dismount it and clean it out. You can try pouring boiling water down (be careful!) and see if that dissolves any “stuff”.
If you run lots of water down the disposal does it backup into the disposal basin? If so then there’s probably a clog in the little pipe connecting the disposal to the drain and it’ll need to be cleared out.
If the stink comes out of both basins or is really noticeable from the “regular” basin then it’s probably coming from the main kitchen sink drain.
If you run lots of water down the drain does it back up at all? If not then you don’t have a major clog. If it does then you need to clear out the drain.
Either way here’s what I’d try. Get yourself a bucket, some old towels, a pipe wrench or channelock pliers and if you don’t like this kind of work find a friend/spouse who does (beer makes a nice bribe).
Clear out all of the bottles and whatnot from under the sink and put the bucket under the J-shaped trap (that’s the bent piece of pipe that holds some standing water which prevents odors from coming up out of the drain and into your sink). If that trap is leaking (run water and watch it for a minute) then that’s the trouble - if the trap doesn’t hold water then nothing blocks the stinks. You’ll need to tighten the bolts or replace the trap or otherwise fix the leak as appropriate.
If everything looks good put the bucket under the trap to catch any water when you remove the trap. Carefully undo the bolts holding the trap in place (I’ve had to use a wrench before, othertimes I could do it barehanded) and remove it. Empty the water out and then check the trap to make sure it isn’t coated with crud. If it is clean it out (bent coathanger should make a good pipecleaner), flush it clean and reinstall, see if that takes care of the problem. If there’s no trap down there then you need to get one installed, pretty simple task for a plumber.
If that still doesn’t do it then there may be a buildup of nasty stuff further down the drain. This can be cleared out with a plumber’s snake which is a very cheap item down at the hardware store or you can have a plumber do it. I’m not sure how a bad smell from downstream of the trap could get back past a clean and properly-functioning trap but who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of the plumbing…
I’m not a plumber but that should get you started and give minimal chance of biblical flooding in your kitchen. 
Worst that you have to do is put the trap back in place and call a plumber.
First, is there a “J” trap in the drain line? If not that is most likely the problem. If there is a trap, read on.
Do you have a dishwasher that empties into the disposer? If so check the DW drain line and make sure that it has a loop that is higher than the inlet to the disposer. If the line droops from the disposer, garbage can flow down the line toward the DW and start to stink. If there is no loop use a tie-wrap, or piece of wire or string and suspend it. If there is no DW, check and see if the DW plug has been removed from the disposer, and if it has a short piece of hose with a plug. Crud could be in there and stinking. If it has this, it should be held on with a hose clamp and be easy to remove and clean out.
Next, check the trap. Put a pan or pail under the trap to catch any water inside. Some “J” traps have a threaded plug in the bottom that can be removed to clean them. If your’s doesn’t have a plug, the trap is easy to remove by undoing the two nuts at the top and bottom. If the trap is clean, on to the disposer.
If you have only a one tub sink, the problem should be one of the above.
If you have a double sink it is very easy to remove the drain tube from the disposal to the drain. There should be two screws attaching the tube to the disposer and a large nut and washer attaching the tube to the drain. Remove it and check for sludge build-up and clean as necessary.
Good luck.
Minor nitpick. The trap is a “p-trap”. The piece going from the p-trap to the wall is the “j-bend”. I’m guessing you have a double sink. Is the disposal on a separate trap? If not, then the trap isn’t the cause of the problem or the smell would also come up through the sink without the disposal.
I don’t know much about kitchen repair, but if it’s just an odor and not a pipe problem, I second the suggestion to pour a box of baking soda in and let it sit.
I tried the baking soda.
Worked pretty well to remove the stink.
It seems that some of it comes from the dishwasher, which drains into the disposal line. Ran the washer with lemon juice and that also helped.
BUT, I am keeping the fixit tips at hand. The disposal is loud and grindy. Drainage comes and goes. It probably need to be taken apart and given a thorough cleaning or it needs to be replaced. IIRC, it was installed about 7 years ago.
Oh, completely forgetting her manners…
Thank you!