Y'all. I've always sworn by the baking soda, ice cubes, white vinegar, and hot water hack to deodorize my kitchen sink, but it just wasn't cutting it this week. Honestly, my garbage disposal has been smelling like an alleyway garbage can, so I had to buy something much stronger than baking soda. I turned to Glisten garbage disposal cleaner, and I'm not disappointed.
Don't get me wrong, I believe that citrus peels, a cup of vinegar, and dish soap can tackle many foul odors, but sometimes we dump food down the sink that causes a putrid smell. (I'm assuming it was leftover salsa.) If you have a stinky garbage disposal, it may be time to invest in some cleaning products with chemicals made to tackle drain pipes.
Best Garbage Disposal Cleaners
I bought this 2-pack for $9.99 through Amazon, and I'll definitely buy it again! The foaming cleaner has a bleach alternative that is made for tough cleaning and deodorizing. It cleans and disinfects the sidewalls, disposal blades, splash guard, flywheel, and hopper chambers. Thankfully, this deodorizer is made with natural ingredients, which means it's safe for your septic system.
Using the cleaner packs is easy! The instructions were simple. All I had to do was run hot water (not cold water, not warm water) but hot water for a minute. I guess this helps remove small pieces of food stuck in the disposal.
Allison Johnson
After that, I changed the water stream to a trickle and placed the packet inside the drain. Be sure not to open the packet! It's biodegradable. Lastly, I turned the disposal on for about two minutes. Within that time, the smell was gone.
Of course, we think just because food particles and grime aren't visible, our sinks are squeaky clean. However, build-up and gunk can be hiding in disposal blades. I know some people may scrub their sink stoppers and blades with a toothbrush or dig into the sink with tongs, but I'm not really up for a tiresome cleaning method. These garbage disposals cleaner packs are enough for me!
The fresh scent isn't overpowering, which is nice. There wasn't much of a strong clean smell, but I'll take that over a bad one! I love these packets, and I hope they work for you too. If they don't, you might need to consider calling a plumber to fix a bad clog.
Here are a few other disposal cleaners that will do the job as well.
Plink is another top-rated brand for disposal cleaners. This cleaner unclogs disposals and deodorizes without bleach and scrubbing. The biodegradable pods are safe for plumbing and septic systems.
A customer gave them five stars and wrote, "I love using these once a month in my garbage disposal. They are easy to use and you can smell the difference in a few seconds after putting them in the garbage disposal."
Affresh's cleaners are recommended by Whirpool and KitchenAid. The cleaners are typically used monthly, but use them when needed. The powerful foaming action will keep your disposal clean of odor-causing residues.
Ryan wrote, "My disposals did not smell but I wanted something that could clean the inside of them and this worked well for me. All kinds of nasty black gunk came up with the foam. Instructions are easy to follow. Price isn't bad either."
