A smelly garbage disposal is usually food waste rotting in the grind chamber. Here is how Suffolk homeowners can freshen it.
Why it smells
Food particles and grease cling to the disposal's interior and the underside of the rubber splash guard, where they decompose and stink.
The ice and salt clean
Drop a tray of ice cubes and some coarse salt into the disposal, run cold water, and turn it on. The ice scours the chamber clean.
The citrus freshener
Grinding lemon or lime peels with ice leaves a fresh scent. Vinegar frozen into cubes works too.
Clean the guard
The rubber splash guard collects grime on its underside — scrub it or pull it out and soak it. hard water is common across the region, and older neighborhoods still have galvanized supply lines In Suffolk, this is the part most people miss.
Fresh again
A clean disposal should not smell. Call 888-217-3585 and Suffolk Plumbing Helpers will match you with a Suffolk pro if the odor will not go.
Plumbing in Suffolk: what to know
In Suffolk, hard water is common across the region, and older neighborhoods still have galvanized supply lines. Pros in our network know the local quirks and bring the right parts on the first visit.
Across Suffolk city County — from Franklin, Chesapeake and Portsmouth to ZIP codes like 23434, 23438, 23437 — homeowners deal with the same kinds of issues. The tips above apply locally, and when a job goes beyond a quick fix, a vetted local pro is only a call away.
Need a hand in Suffolk?
If a plumbing issue is beyond a quick fix, don't wait for it to get worse. Call 888-217-3585 and Suffolk Plumbing Helpers will match you with a vetted local pro — usually within minutes. Learn more about plumbing help in Suffolk.