How to clean a garbage disposal, according to experts

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If you’re lucky enough to have a kitchen sink with a garbage disposal, then you know how useful they are when it comes to getting rid of food residue after doing dishes. The only downside is that the inside of a garbage disposal often gets soiled with rotting food and foul smells. That’s why learning how to clean your garbage disposal on a regular basis is key to maintaining a clean and odor-free kitchen.

To learn more about the best way to clean a garbage disposal, I spoke with multiple cleaning experts for their guidance and product recommendations. Below, I walk through the step-by-step process.

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Cleaning a garbage disposal is easy, but there are a few important aspects to consider when choosing the best cleaning product to help sanitize and deodorize your disposal. Here’s what our experts recommend keeping in mind:

• Tough on grime: Since a garbage disposal’s main purpose is to grind and dispose of small residual food particles leftover from washing dishes, the pipes are bound to accumulate debris. Depending on the effectiveness of your disposal not all food will wash away on its own. This is why I made sure to include cleaning products that are tough on food buildup and stuck-on grime.
• Odor elimination: I also made sure to include products that will help eliminate odors that come from rotting food stuck in the garbage disposal. All of the products on this list help get rid of unpleasant smells. Some of them are also scented with fruit based fragrances. For more basic ingredients, you could also use baking soda, ice cubes, lemon wedges and vinegar, according to Kadi Dulude, founder of cleaning company Wizards of Home.

• Safe on septic systems: I also included cleaning products that won’t damage your home septic system and drain pipes, unlike certain harsh chemicals, such as bleach. This ultimately helps keep your overall system running smoothly and prevents you from having to pay for costly repairs.

The products below are either direct recommendations from our experts or have at least a 4-star average rating from 500 or more reviews on Amazon.

Active Garbage Disposal Cleaner Tablets

What we like

• Tough on grime
• Deodorizes
• Foaming

The Active garbage disposal cleaning tablets, which have a 4.3-star average rating from 4,596 reviews on Amazon, are effective on grime caused by food buildup. They help eliminate odors coming from the disposal and they’re safe for your septic system, according to the brand. The tablets are around the size of a sandwich cookie and all you have to do is drop them into the disposal and run hot water over it. They start to bubble up and foam, so you can instantly see them start to clean the inside of the disposal. They also emit and leave behind a pleasant citrus scent.

Glisten Sink Disposal Odor Eliminator

Will Cotter, the owner of cleaning company FreshSpace Cleaning, recommends the brand Glisten. These sink disposal tablets come in the form of a small yellow capsule, similar in size and shape to a marble. All you have to do is run hot water over your sink, away from the drain, and drop the tablet into the garbage disposal. While these don’t foam like the ones from Active, they are effective at cleaning the disposal and it leaves behind a fresh lemon scent. The scent is long lasting and you can smell it each time you run hot water over the disposal, according to the brand. The tablets, which have a 4.5-star average rating from 13,218 reviews on Amazon, are also safe on septic systems and drain pipes, according to the brand.

Glisten Garbage Disposal Cleaner Packets

What we like

• Foaming
• Dissolvable packet

Something to note

• Nothing to note at this time

While Glisten’s tablets above come in small capsules, these packets come in the form of a cleaning powder that you pour into the garbage disposal. Labeled as a bleach alternative by the brand, these lemon-scented packets have a 4.5-star average rating from 46,444 reviews on Amazon. Similar to Active’s cleaning tablets, they use foam to help clean the disposal. The unique thing about them is that you place the entire (unopened) packet into the garbage disposal and run hot water over it to allow it to clean the disposal. The packet and cleaning solution start to dissolve and create a blue foam.

Affresh Garbage Disposal Cleaner

Something to note

• Nothing to note at this time

Cotter also recommends the brand Affresh for cleaning your garbage disposal. The Affresh garbage disposal cleaning tablets, which have a 4.6-star average rating from 18,015 reviews on Amazon, come in the form of a small white tablet that looks similar to Alka-seltzer tablets. To use them, all you have to do is run hot water over the sink, add the tablets and turn on the garbage disposal for around 15 seconds. They act as an abrasive cleaner to help clean away food and grime buildup.

Mrs. Meyer’s Probiotic Drain Maintenance Liquid

If you prefer to use a liquid garbage disposal cleaner instead of a foaming tablet, this one from Mrs. Meyers could be a good option. Available in either a lemon or lavender scent, the liquid cleaner helps get rid of buildup of grime from food residue while leaving a fresh scent. You simply pour the liquid into the drain and run hot water over it to start the cleaning process.

Here how our experts recommend cleaning a garbage disposal to get rid of food buildup, grime and strong odors.

1. Clean any dishes that are in the sink. This will help create a clear path for the water to run into the drain of the garbage disposal. Use dish soap, water and a scrub brush to clean on, around and under the rubber flap that’s on top of the garbage disposal. Rinse with water.
2. Lightly run hot water from your sink and move the faucet spout so that it’s running over a corner of the sink and not directly over the garbage disposal. Turn on the garbage disposal (unless the instructions say otherwise).
3. Drop or pour in a garbage disposal cleaning tablet or liquid cleaner of your choice, following the manufacturer’s instructions. Depending on how dirty the garbage disposal is, you may have to use more than one tablet.
4. Continue running water over the garbage disposal as it runs until the foam fades away.

1. Follow step one described above.
2. Add a few handfuls of ice cubes, a juice from a lemon wedge and a few tablespoons of baking soda to the garbage disposal.
3. Turn on the garbage disposal. While it’s running, pour in a few cups of distilled white vinegar and wait for it to foam and bubble up.
4. Lastly, run hot water over the garbage disposal until all of the ice is melted and the baking soda has dissolved.

1. Follow step one described above.
2. Plug the sink and fill with hot soapy water. Once full, turn on the garbage disposal and let drain as it runs.
3. Once drained, let it run with plain hot water for a few seconds.

At NBC Select, we work with experts who have specialized knowledge and authority based on relevant training and/or experience. We also take steps to ensure all expert advice and recommendations are made independently and without undisclosed financial conflicts of interest.

• Will Cotter is founder of home cleaning services companies FreshSpace Cleaning and Deluxe Maid.

• Kadi Dulude is the founder of home cleaning services company Wizard of Homes, which has over 100 trained cleaning professionals.

I’m a commerce editor at NBC Select, where I regularly write about cleaning topics, such as the best way to clean hardwood floors, how to clean grout and the best dishwasher detergent tablets. I spoke with two cleaning experts and business owners for this story.