Some people don't know, but there is a garbage disposal cleaner that should be used at least monthly to rid odors. It is a small paper package, that when inserted into the disposal with a trickle of water, it produces a blue foam with cleans the pipes, and if you have two sinks, will come up and clean the second system pipes too. My husband cleans fresh fish a lot, and this seems to help odors.
Yes, The baking soda (1 cup) and followed by a cup of white vinegar cover the opening and let the disposal run for a minute then flush it down with hot water. Also the tablespoon of dish detergent with a light stream of water does very well also. You can use a good smelling detergent to keep it smelling fresh.
I must say that Marys answer is correct. The one about when you have a septic system, do not try to add anything to "help" the system. It should take care of itself as long as excessive amounts of detergents, bleach, etc. are not used. .
I would be careful about using straight baking soda down any drains. My friend did that for years and eventually when she had problems with her septic system, she was told there was a white hard build-up in her pipes. She doesn't have hard water so they figured it was the baking soda that didn't dissolve and built up in the pipes. It was hard like cement.
I was told by a state inspector that when you have a septic system, do not try to add anything to "help" the system. It should take care of itself as long as excessive amounts of detergents, bleach, etc. are not used.
Has anyone tried good ole vinegar and baking soda? I use this about once a month to clean out my drains. I use vinegar and baking soda to clean many things in my home. I use the vinegar to clean out the coffee pot too. We have a septic tank and I put baking soda down the toilet once a month. In addition to many books on the subject, there are some good tips and hints about using vinegar and baking soda.
I grind my orange peels and lemon slices down my food disposal to give a good smell. I also grind ice cubes with cold water. A plumber gave me this advise.
Years ago, when I used a garbage disposal it would smell really bad after awhile. I tried different cleaners and brushes and nothing seemed to help. I then realized that the ground up food gets build up under and around the perimeter of the gasket inside the garbage disposal. Food actually rots in the disposal. My husband turned off the electrical breaker to the disposal and I would put my hand into the disposal and clean under and around the gasket. I think that's the problem with most odors coming from a garbage disposal. I did this periodically and never had an odor problem again. Also, using a garbage disposal uses a lot of water. You should run it before, during and after. When ours broke, we never replaced it because of the water usage.
I once had an apartment maintenance man tell me to use liquid dish detergen with a trickle of water about once a month. I try to remember it and it helps with the garbagy odor.
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