Get Rid of the Gunk: How to Properly Clean Your Garbage Disposal

Water draining into clean garbage disposal

One of the worst things to find when walking into your kitchen is a rancid odor. Many times those unpleasant odors are coming from one of the most convenient tools in your home — your garbage disposal. Even though the design of these fixtures is to pulverize and remove kitchen waste, food particles can become trapped underneath the blades, on the sides of the machine and in the drainpipe. People often spend hours and money trying to get rid of the stench… yet they are often unsuccessful. Here’s three tips to get rid of the smelly gunk in your disposal using everyday household items.

  1. Cleaning Visible Areas
    Of course, using dishwashing soap and some kind of scrubber to clean the visible part of the disposal helps. Unfortunately, that usually isn’t enough. Getting to the source of the smell usually requires going a bit deeper.
  2. Dislodging the Gunk
    Fill a large cup or medium size bowl with ice cubes. Then, switch the disposal on while pouring the cubes into it. You can also try pouring the cubes into the disposal and adding a half-cup of salt as you turn on the disposal. This should grind away the slimy odor-causing residue.
  3. Citrus Fruits
    Fruits like lemons, limes, and oranges will help your drain stay clean and act as a deodorizer. You can throw a few peels — or even the entire fruit — into the grinder and fill your kitchen with a fresh citrus scent. Not only will this help your kitchen smell better, but the rough peels can also help clean the blades and disposal wall.

If the smell persists, and the blades still aren’t cutting well, it’s probably time to call the professionals. Victory Plumbing would be glad to help you get your kitchen running smoothly and smelling fresh again. Call (501) 313-9920 for an inspection and estimate.

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They were able to come out within just a few hours of my call. I was having an issue with my water heater, and they quickly diagnosed and resolved the problem. They even crawled into a hot attic to troubleshoot it and didn't charge me a service call—something that's unheard of these days. They could have easily told me I needed a new water heater, but instead they were honest and saved me the cost of an unnecessary replacement. It's refreshing to find a company that values honesty and integrity. I highly recommend them!
Sheryll
Sorry for the late comment, However, we used Victory Plumbing for the first time in January 2026. They recognized the issue of a leak immediately. Another company had been out here three times and failed to find the problem! Their next recommendation was to tear into the wall. Victory immediately saw the problem was the incorrect installation of the toilet itself by yet another company There was never a need to tear into the wall. Also, their pricing was reasonable. Also they installed a garbage disposal at the time of that visit,
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I had a service call yesterday, and Simon and Cody arrived on time, were professional, pleasant, efficient, and last, but not least, tidied up after themselves. It was a great experience, that I appreciate very much!

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