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Start by putting a bucket under the drain and then
disconnect the pipe that goes from the disposal to your
drain. Seal the disposal drain with the test cap so that
water can't run through into the bucket below (it's
there just in case you don't get the clamp on tightly
enough). Fill the sink with hot water from the tap until
the disposal is full and the water comes up to the top
of the sink strainer, then add a half a cup of powdered
oxygen—not chlorine—bleach to the disposal. This is very
important—if you add chlorine bleach, you can damage the
disposal and even yourself. Oxygen bleach is safe for
use, even if you're on a septic system. The bleach will
break down the junk on the sides of the disposal and
drain. Leave it sitting for an hour to work. At the
end of the hour, open the test cap and let the water
from the disposal pour into the bucket. Next, reconnect
the disposal, and once it's in working order, stop up
the sink, fill it up with warm water and some dish
detergent, and turn on the disposal. That will finish
washing out any remaining gunk and effectively clean out
the disposal.
Preventing Disposal Stench by Regular Maintenance
The best way to prevent a stinky garbage disposal is to
use plenty of water when running it, and then to follow
up the garbage grinding with a serious dose of soapy
water. When you're done running the disposal, stop up
the sink and fill it 2/3rds with warm water and a good
splash of dish soap. Take out the stopper and turn on
the disposal, letting the soapy water whirl through the
machine. Washing out the disposal like this on a daily
basis will keep slime from building up on its walls and
hardening into something permanently smelly. The other
plus side to washing out your garbage disposal is the
way it flushes out kitchen drains with hot, soapy water,
preventing clogs from bacon grease, bits of eggshells,
coffee grounds and the other various things that find
their way into the drains on a daily basis.
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