Stinky garbage disposal

Factual Questions
1

There’s a funny smell in my kitchen that must be coming from the garbage disposal because I can’t find any other possible source of the odor. It’s a nasty, nasty smell. I’ve tried pouring bleach, 409, and all manner of cleaners, soap suds, and the like down that drain to no avail. Yeah I know this isn’t Hints from Heloise, but this damn odor is really bugging me. Any ideas gang?

I am the user formerly known as puffington.

2

The classic, time-honored, hints-from-Heloise solution to a smelly garbage disposal is thus: stuff a tray of ice cubes and cut up lemon peels down there. Put in your sink stopper and fill up the sink with cold water, then unplug the drain and turn on the garbage disposal. Plus water from your faucet. Let it run a couple minutes. Maybe try it again a time or two. If your disposal is old, like 10 years, beware, I tried the ice cubes just before Christmas and the thing was so corroded it just exploded into fragments and had to be replaced, and what an awful job THAT turned out to be.

Good luck from the Garbage Disposal Queen of the Burbs.

3

Hmmm… I just usually squeeze a half a lemon or a lime, and throw the peel down there. Grind for a few minutes, and voila, no more stinky garbage disposal.

4

You know that opened box of baking soda that you should be keeping in your fridge? When you replace it, dump the contents of the old one down your sink.
I’ve also heard that pouring a pot of boiling water down your sink drain every once in a while has some benefit.

5

My suggestion is the same as Random’s, except that I usually do the baking soda at the same time as pouring the boiling water. That also keeps drains running well too.

“I only use 10% or less of what I study. It’s a waist. sined, Dropout” Up The Down Stair Case

6

I used to, back when I lived in a house with a garbage disposal, run hot water down the drain for a minute or so then crank up the disposal and throw a whole lemon into it. It smelled pretty good after that.

A committee is a lifeform with six or more legs and no brain.

7

For general odor maintenance, grind up those citrus peels when you have them regardless of condition of drain.

When the drain has already started to smell:

  1. Pour leftover (or new, hey, it’s not that expensive) baking soda down drain. Run disposal while flushing with cold water.

  2. Then add distilled white vinegar to the mix, keeping the disposal running. It may foam and sound scary, but will not explode.

  3. Finish running disposal with a cold water rinse.

  4. Note: Individually, either vinegar or baking soda will work but for the really tough jobs (or one thorough job) combine them.

  5. And they’re non-toxic.

8

Thanks for the ideas everyone. I’ll try them all. It’s getting to the point where it’s stinking up the whole apartment. Yuck.

I am the user formerly known as puffington.

9

handy the plumber here. I’ve worked on those things. What you probably have is a food clog in the pipe under the disposal. You know the pipe which pipes the stuff from the disposal to the drain.

If using all that stuff above doesn’t do it, assuming it does not explode either, after you mix all that stuff into it, youlll have to open those pipes & clean them.