The blades in your kitchen garbage disposer are very sharp and may not be fully retracted, so be careful to avoid slicing open your finger. With your disposal off, feel around its inner walls. As soon as you dislodge whatever’s jammed your disposal, it’ll start working - even if your fingers are in there. If you’re starting this task because your kitchen garbage disposal stopped working, the switch may still be on. Make sure the switch to your garbage disposal is turned off. A bit of up-front deep cleaning and a minute of daily maintenance will help get those pests and kitchen odors under control. So, if you’ve been trying to get rid of fruit flies or haven’t had luck getting rid of cockroaches, this might be why. A Dirty Garbage Disposal Attracts Pestsĭirty disposals breed fruit flies and attract other household pests. So, as that matter builds up in your garbage disposal, it will cause unpleasant kitchen odors telling you - and anyone else who walks into your home - that your garbage disposal needs cleaning. The smell of rotting food is produced by microbes like bacteria, yeast, and mold.

That grease collects food particles and other debris, which all sit there rotting. Over time, greasy food residue can build up inside your garbage disposal unit. Why You Should Clean Your Garbage Disposal If you have a divided sink, the drain in the side without the garbage disposal may back up, too. The result? Your sink backs up with dirty, sludge-filled water. A poorly maintained garbage disposal drains slowly, and sometimes it stops draining at all.

Why You Should Clean Your Garbage DisposalĬleaning your kitchen sink disposer prevents clogs.

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