How to Clean Garbage Disposal in 3 Easy Steps

Run hot water from your faucet, then turn on the garbage disposal until the mixture and food particles have washed away. Ontario, Canada–based Ahmed Mezil, CEO of Hellamaid, recommends “citrus peels refresh” by adding freshly halved lemons, limes, or oranges to this step. “Let the natural oils and fresh scent eliminate odors,” Mezil says. As the blades break up the citrus, not only do you get a fresh aroma, but the acid in the fruit will give your garbage disposal a disinfecting boost.

How to Clean Garbage Disposal With Ice Cubes

Ice cubes and dish soap are probably the easiest garbage disposal cleaning hack you can do at anytime.

Step 1: Sanitize the rubber splash guard

Before you get to the inside of your garbage disposal, what about the wide opening that leads to the chamber? You’ll notice that the black circular fan-like piece, also called the rubber splash guard, which is inside the sink flange, is probably covered in greenish-brown plaque. Spray it down with an all-purpose cleaner like the grapefruit-scented Method All-Purpose cleaner concentrate. Use an old toothbrush or a designated scrub brush to clean away the grime. Rinse with warm water. If your splash guard has seen better days, replace it.

Step 2: Fill the garbage disposal with ice cubes

Fill the entire garbage disposal with ice cubes. You will likely need at least two to three cups of ice. Use tongs, not fingers, to push down the ice cube to fill the chamber.

Step 3: Add dish soap

More likely than not the blades are coated with gunk, grease, and other uninviting residue. To wash it away, squirt grease-cutting dish soap, like Dawn Platinum EZ-Squeeze, over ice.

EZ-Squeeze Dawn Dishwashing Liquid

Step 4: Turn on the garbage disposal

This is the fun part. Turn on the water and run the garbage disposal until the ice cubes become the consistency of a slushy. You’ll likely see that the white ice is now a brownish color. You may want to add another two cups of ice cubes for a deep clean.

Step 5: Rinse the garbage disposal

To rinse away all the residue, you can put in a stopper and then fill up the kitchen sink with water. Then remove the stopper and run the disposal again to create a powerful whirlpool that will remove any leftover debris. Alternatively, use a kettle and pour boiling water down the drain.

How to Clean Garbage Disposal With Rock Salt

Want to step up the ice cube cleaning routine with an extra deep clean? Add rock salt. The combination of rock salt and ice works twice as hard at dislodging food particles.

Step 1: Add ice cubes and rock salt

The rock salt to ice ratio varies. For a deep clean, you can do a two-to-one ratio of ice cubes to rock salt. This means you will have two cups of ice cubes and one cup of rock salt. Use tongs to make sure the combo is evenly mixed.