Why it Happens

• Your garbage disposal sees a lot of grime. When you rinse off your plate after dinner and flush all the scraps down the disposal, they often get trapped in the blades and along the sides of the disposal even after you run it. When this food and grime build up in the disposal, they leave a foul smell.
  
  

Citrus Fruits

• Cutting up a few slices of citrus fruit such as lemons or limes is a quick way to get rid of odor in your garbage disposal. Citrus is a natural deodorizer, so the acid from the fruit will banish the odors. Toss in a few slices of lemon or lime, the leftover part of a squeezed citrus fruit or even just the rind. Run warm water and turn the disposal on for a minute to process the fruit.
  
  

Baking Soda

• This common household staple is ideal for deodorizing. Pour ½ cup baking soda into the garbage disposal. Amp up the cleaning and deodorizing by pouring a cup of white vinegar down the disposal after the baking soda. Turn on the water and let it run freely for a few seconds. Then turn on the disposal for a minute. Flush plenty of hot water down the disposal to clear out the baking soda.
  
  

Vinegar Ice Cubes

• Vinegar is known for its cleaning powers, but it's also an effective deodorizer. Fill an ice tray with white vinegar. Put the tray in the freezer until the vinegar freezes. Put two or three of the cubes into the disposal. Turn on the cold water and then the disposal. Let the disposal run until you can hear that all the ice has been processed. The hardness of the ice helps loosen grime from the blades and sides of the disposal while the vinegar works to deodorize.
  
  

Salt and Ice

• Put ½ cup rock salt into the garbage disposal. Toss a few ice cubes in the disposal, and then run cold water. Turn on the disposal until you can hear that all the ice and salt has been processed.
  
  

Chlorine Bleach

• Mix together a gallon of water with a tablespoon of bleach. Pour it down the disposal and let it sit for 10 minutes. Turn on the cold water and then run the garbage disposal for a minute. The bleach will remove the odors and kill any bacteria or mildew growth inside of the disposal, which may be causing odors.
  
  

Dish Soap

• If the odor in the disposal isn't too bad, plain dish soap might do the trick. Put dish soap onto a curved bottle brush, then use it to scrub the inside of the disposal, as well as the blades. Once you've scrubbed for a minute or two, flush hot water down the disposal to rinse away the grime. The bottle brush works well to clean buildup along the hard-to-reach walls of the disposal, as well as in between the blades, where odor often lingers.