The items you send down your garbage disposal can leave unpleasant scents behind. If you smell something icky emitting from your garbage disposal, you may try to run water and the garbage disposal to get rid of the scent. If that does not do the trick, you may find yourself wondering how to proceed. Here are three different techniques you can use to get rid of any unpleasant smells coming from your garbage disposal. 

Baking Soda and Vinegar

One of the ways that you can remove icky smells from your garbage disposal is to use baking soda and vinegar. Pour one cup of baking soda down your garbage disposal. It is best if the disposal is dry and has not been used in a couple of hours. Once the baking soda has settled, pour one to two cups of white vinegar down the drain. The mixture will begin to fizzle, which helps to clean the garbage disposal. Once the fizzing action dies out, rinse your sink with water and the smell should be gone. 

Lemons, Oranges or Grapefruit

In some cases, the smell coming from the garbage disposal may be trapped on the disposal blades. One of the ways to remove this scent is to slice up any type of citrus, including lemons, limes, oranges or grapefruit, turn on cold water and turn on the garbage disposal. The chopped up citrus helps to remove any trapped food particles and the juice helps to remove icky scents and replace them with pleasant ones. 

Bleach

If a smell still is lingering in your garbage disposal, you can pour 1/2 to one cup of bleach down the drain. This will not only help to remove any smells from the garbage disposal but helps to remove scents from the pipes below the garbage disposal. Bleach can be damaging to your garbage disposal and pipes, so it should only be used sparingly and as a last resort for removing unwanted scents. 

If you have a smelly garbage disposal, you may not enjoy spending time in your kitchen. But, this is not the only reason you may not like to spend time in your kitchen. If your kitchen is too small or the layout does not work for you, the kitchen may not be the heart of your home. If you are in the market for apartments in Charlotte, North Carolina and are looking for a beautiful, open kitchen, check us out at Ashford Green. Stop by today to tour our complex.