Over time your garbage disposal may begin to wear down or start to smell. Because food scraps are dumped down your disposal, some particles may stick around and need to be removed. Working to deodorize your garbage disposal is easier than it sounds and can actually improve the function of your disposal as well. 

S&B Plumbing knows that your disposal is something that is used almost daily. Our plumbing team wants to help all of these plumbing mechanisms run smoothly during your daily activities. Here are our expert tips on how to clean and deodorize your garbage disposal. 

1- The Power Of Citrus

The peels of lemons or oranges are a great natural remedy for deodorizing. They help to refresh your sink and disposal with their strong scent and acidic properties. Before you put a large fruit in your garbage disposal, cut up pieces of the fruit or the peel into small pieces that your disposal can safely handle. Run cold water while the disposal runs and grinds the peels. 

2- Avoid Clogging Foods In Your Disposal

While your garbage disposal is meant for food scraps, there are some food items that should not be put down the drain or garbage disposal as it can lead to major clogs. Protecting clogs and leftover food gumming up will protect your garbage disposal from strong odors in the first place. 

Foods or particles like grease, coffee grounds, excessive rice or pasta, fibrous foods, and nonfood items. These items can expand or stick to the sides of your drain and pipes, causing backup and the need to deodorize your garbage disposal. 

3- Tried And True Home Remedies

Natural remedies have been used to clean homes for centuries. Some of these natural remedies like baking soda and vinegar are effective for cleaning multiple areas of your home. When it comes time to deodorize your garbage disposal, dump the baking soda in first and then pour the vinegar on top. The reaction will create a foam and deodorize at the same time. 

Leave the mixture for about five minutes before rinsing it down with hot water. This home remedy may not work for severely clogged pipes or strong smells. These should be handled by a professional plumber. 

4- Clean With Borax

Another common cleaner found in homes is Borax, which is commonly used to clean washing machines. This product can be used in a similar fashion as the baking soda cleaning method above. Sprinkle the Borax into the disposal and run cold water for about 30 seconds down the drain. 

5- Lemon And Herb Ice

If you have some extra time or are deep cleaning your home, you can create some citrus and herb ice cubes to help strengthen and deodorize your garbage disposal. Chop up some lemon and place it in an ice cube tray with some mint, rosemary, or thyme. Once the ice is frozen, dump it down the drain and turn on the disposal. This will add freshness to your sink and help sharpen the blades. 

6- Keep Non-Food Items Out

Some foods need to be kept out of your garbage disposal, but you also need to be conscious about keeping nonfood items out of your garbage disposal. Items like glass, plastic, cigarette butts, or anything combustible should not be run through your garbage disposal. 

When you deodorize your garbage disposal, none of these products should be used to help clean out the blades or remove food. These items could make your disposal stop working or damage the entire mechanism. If you want to keep your disposal in good working condition, only putting small food scraps into it will keep it from experiencing damage. 

Plumbing And Repair With S&B Plumbing

S&B Plumbing wants to help make your home functional and safe. Our professional plumbers can help fix problems with your garbage disposal, pipes, water heaters, gas lines, sewer systems, and more. Our team has been in business for over 25 years and continues to learn more about techniques to improve your home and make your plumbing system safe. 
S&B Plumbing offers 24/7 emergency services for your home as well. We travel quickly and complete a job efficiently to get your home back in proper order and give you peace of mind. Contact us to schedule your appointment today.

Rusty water can impact your drinking and washing water, which makes it difficult to feel healthy and comfortable inside your own home. If you are noticing brown or odd-colored water, this could be a sign of plumbing issues or rust inside your pipes. It is often fairly easy to remedy rust in your home and improve your water source. Keeping your pipes clean will make the water you use free of contaminants. If you are experiencing rusty water, here are some tips and common places that rusty water can come from. 

Signs Of Rust In Your Water

Looking for signs of rusty water is the first place to start improving your plumbing. When you have rust in pipes, tanks, or other sources you will start to notice a metallic taste in the water and a darker color when it comes out of the faucet. When you start to notice just slight signs in your water, there is no need to panic, but you will need to take measures to fully rid of the rust and fix any plumbing fixture that is necessary.

When you see brown or red colored water it can definitely be concerning, but rust is just extra iron that can be fixed and get you back to clear flowing water.

Common Sources That Could Contain Rust

Considering that most of your plumbing is hidden underneath your home or in your walls, it may seem hard to find the source of rusty water, but there are common places that cause rusty water. A professional plumber will be able to help you check for rust in pipes, water heaters, washers, and other areas that hold water. 

If you live in an older home, some of the old pipes may have started to develop rust inside. This is a common source in older homes, but newer homes may have rust in water heaters or their pipes have been contaminated with sediment from nearby construction. 

If you experience rusty water when you use hot water, the problem is most likely your water heater. If rusty water has appeared suddenly, the cause could be a break in your main water line or other local issues in the community lines. If you see rust with both cold and hot water your pipes are the culprit. 

Often rust leads to corrosion, so if your pipes are corroding you will need to replace them to keep the integrity of your plumbing. Water pressure and clean water are only possible with intact pipes.

Dealing With Rust In Your Water

Once you see rusty water in your home the solution is to replace the mechanism that contains the rust. Rust is hard to remove so replacing pipes or water heater is the best way to eliminate the problem entirely. When replacing elements, you should still look for signs of rust, because you may have more than one component contributing to the contaminated water. 

When money is tight or you are not sure what source the rust is coming from, there are some home solutions to test. Using an iron exchange water softener can also help remove rust particles from your water and make it healthier. Another method you can use is to add about a half gallon of bleach to your water supply. Let the bleach sit for 12 hours and then run the water so the bleach is completely out of the system. 

Plumbing Issues With S&B Plumbing

Plumbing problems in your home need to be handled by a professional plumber. Our team has been in the plumbing business for over 25 years and has learned a variety of ways to help improve residential and commercial plumbing. As a family owned company, we want to treat all of our customers like our own family. Working with our team gives you peace of mind about your home and the safety of your family.

S&B Plumbing is a full-service plumber that offers drain and sewer services and even plumbing for new construction. Contact us to improve your daily use of plumbing.