How to Properly Clean a Garbage Disposal so it Never Smells Nasty

You can find articles all over the Internet with ways on how to remove the smells from your garbage disposal. And, some of the recommended methods work very well. But, did you know that your disposal isn't supposed to smell bad in the first place? It's true! A garbage disposal is supposed to shred up your food scraps. The debris then fall on down the drain. Run a little water, and the debris moves farther down yet. After awhile, you'll likely notice a rotting smell coming from your drain telling you something is wrong down there. If you find this happening to you, read this informative article and learn how to properly clean a garbage disposal so it never smells nasty!

The Usual Way to Use a Garbage Disposal
I don't claim to be an expert on how to properly use a garbage disposal. I do it pretty much the same way everyone else I know does. You turn on the cold water faucet, then turn on the disposal. Place your food scraps into the mouth of the machine and let it do its thing. When you no longer hear the blades grinding anything, you assume the disposal is now clear. You then let the water run for fifteen to twenty seconds, and, finally, shut it off.

The problem is, if you keep doing that for awhile, pretty soon you're probably going to notice a terrible smell caused by rotted food scraps and residue that have collected, and are now decaying in your drain. This decomposition produces smelly gasses and odor-causing bacteria.

The Problem - A Lack of Water
Garbage disposals require a lot of water to operate efficiently. That is, they need a great amount of water run down them every time they are used. The water serves two purposes: 1) It helps move the shredded food scraps on down the drain and out. And, 2) The water helps remove the scraps, as well as the sludge, from the sides of your garbage disposal and your drain pipe.