My disposal stinks.

[Trekker4747]

Seriously, it smells like a bear threw-up in there and then a pig took a shit on it after someone ran some mystery-"loaf" from the fridge through there.

What can you do to clean/de-odorize a sink garbage disposal?

The terms of lease do not allow me to pour in chemicals down the drains because the plumbing is "delicate."

 

[backstept]

I think what's happened is that the garbage slurry that is made when the thing is running hasn't been fully washed out of the disposal and it's now rotting

try filling the sink with hot soapy water, a gallon or two, and quick remove the stopper and turn the disposal on
once you've got it all cleaned out, just remember to run the water and keep the thing running for a good deal longer than normal each time you put something through it . . . don't give the gunk a chance to build up again

 

[Major Chord]

I'm not sure if this qualifies as heavy chemicals, but you could try vinegar and baking soda. Let the two mix, and do their thing down the disposal. The vinegar should eat up and help remove the gunk, with the foaming action, while the baking soda de-oderizes. Then, I'd probably follow that with backstept's method.

 

[Kira's Mom]

^You beat me to it. I don't have a disposal, but the vinegar and baking soda works for any sink.

 

[Brent]

No chemicals? weird

They do have a disposal cleaning agent, you pour it in, it foams up, and you run the disposal and it cleans it out.

 

[Trekker4747]

No chemicals? weird.

Yeah. No Drain-O, Liquid Plumber or anything like that. They say the plumbing here is delicate or some nonsense. I suspect that it's because they just don't want moronic rubes pouring random crap down the drains and maybe causing problems so it's better to just say "no anything" than to selectively tell people they're too dumb to use a 1000 Flushes set.

I'll try the vinegar and baking soda thing.

 

[Kryton]

A good 10 years or more back I was trying to use chemicals to unblock a sink and ended up mixing two caustic ones together.

Seriously poisoned myself as the invisible gases rose up to envelop my face. Took a couple of weeks to feel "right" again after that. Oh, and I spent the money to have a pro come out after that...fuck DIY if it means you're going to kill yourself out of ignorance.

 

[DarkHelmet]

Try a lemon. Seriously. Whole lemon, no skin.

 

[DBR]

The baking soda/vinegar trick has worked for me too.

to elaborate on the_andorian: a generous amount of baking soda--say, a box--with just a few drops of water, enough to make it into a think slurry. Pour it down your sink, chase it with a lot of vinegar, and block the drain to force the explosive foaming bubble action down.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

Both the baking soda/vinegar and the lemon tricks work pretty well. I don't even peel the lemon, I just cut one in half and send the two halves through one at a time.

 

[Bloodwhiner]

just fill it with ice, then run. The chips will scrub the interior. If you still have issues, then toss a lemon or lime in (cut in half)

 

[Trekker4747]

A good 10 years or more back I was trying to use chemicals to unblock a sink and ended up mixing two caustic ones together.

Seriously poisoned myself as the invisible gases rose up to envelop my face. Took a couple of weeks to feel "right" again after that. Oh, and I spent the money to have a pro come out after that...fuck DIY if it means you're going to kill yourself out of ignorance.

You mixed bleach and ammonia didn't you?

You know there's warning label on both products not to do that and, well, everyone from grade-school is taught that.

just fill it with ice, then run. The chips will scrub the interior. If you still have issues, then toss a lemon or lime in (cut in half)

I've heard of this trick and I've done this a number of times and it seems to.... "help" but mostly hasn't done a lot. I'll have to try the soda/vinegar trick, though I need to get/buy a drain-lid as I don't have one. I just have the sieve one for the regular drain.

 

[All Seeing Eye]

1. Pour down boiling hot water from a kettle.
2. Pour down a bottle of Febreze. Trust me, it's not a chemical.

 

[K'Ehleyr]

Seriously, it smells like a bear threw-up in there and then a pig took a shit on it after someone ran some mystery-"loaf" from the fridge through there.

What can you do to clean/de-odorize a sink garbage disposal?

The terms of lease do not allow me to pour in chemicals down the drains because the plumbing is "delicate."

Maybe one of your neighbours is a serial killer and the stench of rotting human flesh is backing up. That's how Dennis Nilsen got caught
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/e...s-nilsen-revealed-25-years-on-86908-20897130/

 

[Bloodwhiner]

there is an elbow in the piping after the disposal outlet?

if not you could easily be getting sewer gas back up the line.

 

[Miss Chicken]

I don't think I have ever been into a house with a garbage disposal unit in my entire life.

Are they really needed at all?

 

[cultcross]

I don't think I have ever been into a house with a garbage disposal unit in my entire life.

Are they really needed at all?

To my knowledge, I haven't either - although I have been in plenty of American houses so I'm sure I have, I just didn't realise. I'm not even sure I'd know what to look for.

What's wrong with a bin, anyway?

 

[Kryton]

A good 10 years or more back I was trying to use chemicals to unblock a sink and ended up mixing two caustic ones together.

You mixed bleach and ammonia didn't you?

You know there's warning label on both products not to do that and, well, everyone from grade-school is taught that.

Actually, I THOUGHT I was using more of the SAME chemical the second time, but later found out (obviously) that it wasn't. Heat of the moment...easy (if costly) mistake to make.

And I'd never make it again.

 

[DanTheGrey]

Buy a lemon, shove half of it down there with lots of water, repeat an hour later.

Generally with garbage disposals if you're going to eliminate meat, you shouldn't do large quantities, or if you do run lots of hot water through once you've shut down the disposal. This will help keep any fats liquified for longer through the pipes and prevent it congealing (and possibly causing clogs) and stinking.

Lemon juice is okay, but buy a couple of lemons and get them down there.

 

[Trekker4747]

there is an elbow in the piping after the disposal outlet?

if not you could easily be getting sewer gas back up the line.

If the elbow trap wasn't there I would seriously question the capabilities of the plumbing company who worked on my building.