Removing Garbage Disposal Odors

Sometimes, no matter what you try to do to prevent it, your garbage disposal breaks down. When that happens, if you don't fix it right away there is going to be such a horrendous smell that you soon aren't going to be able to think straight, let alone do any cleaning. Unfortunately, it is pretty common to not find out about a broken disposal unit till after you have put something down the drain. What do you do when this happens? There are actually a limited number of options that a person has in such situations.

The first choice that you have would be to do nothing. Simply put up with the smell and get along the best that you can. The second choice is to take some kind of measure to control the smell until you can fix the disposal. Personally, I would recommend the second, since it's the best of the available options.

• Check the stopper. When you are looking to remove garbage disposal odors, the very first thing that you should do is to check the black rubber stopper. This stopper is typically the best thing to use when you are looking to keep any foul odors from coming back up the drain. While you are looking at the stopper, you want to check to make sure that it is still in good condition, not damaged or corroded and that it will last for a good while longer. While this measure is only a stop gap measure, it will keep the smell down to a minimum.
• Clean the stopper. Surprisingly, one of the more simple things to help remove strange smells from your garbage disposal is to actually clean that rubber stopper. Examine the stopper to ensure that there is not any caked on gunk, and if there is then you need to scrub it off.
• Deodorize. There are many different ways that you can deodorize a garbage disposal unit, however most of the commercially available ones are going to cost you more money than you might want to spend. Another option that you can use that will provide results just as good, and much cheaper than any commercial product is simply a mixture of baking soda and a lemon. Use this method only if the disposal still works, as you will have to turn the disposal on so that you can dispose of the lemon. If the disposal doesn't work, then you should use some baking soda and a little white vinegar to eat up the odor-causing gunk.