# Garbage Disposal—Ugh! **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 16, 2001, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/garbage-disposal-ugh/62157 "2001-04-16T14:25:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2001, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/garbage-disposal-ugh/62157/1 "2001-04-16T14:25:41Z")
I need a “Hint from Heloise.” Recently, my garbage disposal acquired a nasty odor. It’s kinda musty and fusty and frowzy. I haven’t stuck any dead mice down there for over a year, so it can’t be puréed rodent. In fact, I rarely use the thing, probably less than once a month, except when the diswasher (which also has a garbage disposal in it) pumps it’s waste water through that drain. I’ve tried ice cubes and baking soda, the methods my sister suggested, but she’s not much of a housekeeper. You don’t want to hear those stories; trust me, they’re worse than dead rodents. Anybody have any suggestions to permanently, or semi-permanently, eradicate this reeking redolence, short of removing the disposal entirely? ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2001, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/garbage-disposal-ugh/62157/2 "2001-04-16T14:34:19Z")
I haven’t tried it myself, but am told that lemon rind is good for this problem. I would put in a good bit of ice with it, just to give the gears something to work with. ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2001, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/garbage-disposal-ugh/62157/3 "2001-04-16T14:49:53Z")
I clean my disposal in the same way I clean a toilet. I get one of those big-bristled brushes where the brush head is long enough to let you scrub the inside of the disposal (including the upper insides where things tend to get stuck and the shredder plate never reaches them). My choice of chemicals is something strong like Mr. Clean with amonia and when I’m done scrubbing the bujezus out of the thing I just let it sit there, bathed in Mr. Clean for an hour or so. Also that little rubber flap thingy seems to get slimy very easily. Give that a good scrubbing too. Every time I’ve had a strange smell from my disposal this seems to do the trick. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2001, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/garbage-disposal-ugh/62157/4 "2001-04-16T15:15:00Z")
For odors I always use bleach. Pour it around the sink but cut it with water fifty fifty first just in case. You got bacteria in there & bleach is the cure. Or its what I would use. ---
**Author:** ![beagledave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6de8d8/32.png) [@beagledave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beagledave)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2001, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/garbage-disposal-ugh/62157/5 "2001-04-16T15:21:12Z")
Vinegar Ice Cubes [http://www.tipking.com/kitchen/Kit0074.htm](http://www.tipking.com/kitchen/Kit0074.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2001, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/garbage-disposal-ugh/62157/6 "2001-04-16T21:45:27Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by beagledave_: > > Vinegar Ice Cubes I feel a practical joke coming on… ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2001, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/garbage-disposal-ugh/62157/7 "2001-04-16T21:52:00Z")
_wonders if the “in over a year” means that Uncle Beer HAS stuck dead mice down the disposal…_ Where’s the barfing smiley when you need one? Have you looked at the Martha Stewart page? Or maybe Heloise has an online help site? ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2001, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/garbage-disposal-ugh/62157/8 "2001-04-16T22:17:12Z")
1: Gloves and old clothes 2: (new )toilet brush or large bottle brush 3: Several containers of 1 to 4 parts bleach to warm/hot water solution. One gallon of water boiling on stove. 4: Pour solution down sink and scrub throat and rubber flange of disposal again and again and again and again. 5: Stand back bit and pour gallon of boiling water into sink at once to rinse out bleach. If smell survives this procedure DARPA’s microbial projects lab would like to speak with you. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2001, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/garbage-disposal-ugh/62157/9 "2001-04-16T22:18:22Z")
1: Gloves and old clothes 2: (new )toilet brush or large bottle brush 3: Several containers of 1 to 4 parts bleach to warm/hot water solution. One gallon of water boiling on stove. 4: Pour solution down sink and scrub throat and rubber flange of disposal again and again and again and again. 5: Stand back a bit and pour gallon of boiling water into sink at once to rinse out bleach. If smell survives this procedure DARPA’s microbial projects lab would like to speak with you. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2001, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/garbage-disposal-ugh/62157/10 "2001-04-16T22:18:22Z")
1: Gloves and old clothes 2: (new )toilet brush or large bottle brush 3: Several containers of 1 to 4 parts bleach to warm/hot water solution. One gallon of water boiling on stove. 4: Pour solution down sink and scrub throat and rubber flange of disposal again and again and again and again. 5: Stand back a bit and pour gallon of boiling water into sink at once to rinse out bleach. If smell survives this procedure DARPA’s microbial projects lab would like to speak with you. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2001, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/garbage-disposal-ugh/62157/11 "2001-04-16T22:24:28Z")
Well… I guess I just can’t say it enough!! Sorry! Would a mod please clip the extras. ##%\*&&^%$$ slow server. ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2001, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/garbage-disposal-ugh/62157/12 "2001-04-16T22:54:55Z")
So, you’re saying **astro** , I should do that three times? And yes, I’ve ground up a mouse in the disposal; he fell out of the trap and down the sink. I couldn’t get my hand down there, so … I’ll try these suggestions until one of them works. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2001, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/garbage-disposal-ugh/62157/13 "2001-06-07T14:06:49Z")
I know I’m asking to be banned ressurecting such an old thread, but I was just wondering, **UncleBeer** , how’d it turn out? What did the trick, if anything?