From Spotlight: How to Get Rid of the Grossest Stuff in Your House

Here’s a Great Way to Clean a Smelly Disposal

Forget lemons and costly cleaners. Super cheap salt works the best.

Closeup of a garbage disposal in a kitchen sink
Image: Liz Foreman for HouseLogic

We’ve tried everything to make our kitchen garbage disposal clean and sweet-smelling, but the best of the best is ... salt. Yep, salt. 

Here’s how it works:

  • it a stopper into the sink, and fill with hot water and a squirt of dish detergent.
  • Turn on the disposal and let the soapy water drain, pushing gunk down the drain with it.
  • Throw 3 or 4 ice cubes and a handful of large-grain salt, such as Kosher, down the drain and run the disposal.
  • Flush with water, and you’ve got a clean disposal. 

Voila! A fresh-smelling drain!

Related: 8 Popular Tips That Are Just Dead Wrong (Like Putting Lemons Down Your Disposal)

Housing And Real Estate Expert Lisa Kaplan-Gordon
Lisa Kaplan Gordon

Lisa Kaplan Gordon is an award-winning, Pulitzer Prize-nominated writer who contributes to real estate and home improvement sites. In her spare time (yeah, right!), she gardens, manages three dogs, and plots to get her 21-year-old out of her basement.