infographic showing the steps to clean your garbage disposal

Garbage disposals can quickly get smelly and dirty as they pulverize all types of food scraps that go down your drain. Our infographic above describes three easy steps to keep your disposal clean and smelling fresh using just ice, citrus and water.

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Recently, TikTok user @ChefNancyG went viral with a “hack” to clean the disposal that involved filling the disposal with ice and running it. Benjamin Franklin Plumbing doesn’t recommend this approach because large amounts of ice can damage your garbage disposal, even breaking the blades.

Instead, try these simple steps to clean your garbage disposal:

  1. Put just a small handful of ice in the drain and run the disposal. Do NOT overstuff the disposal. This small amount of ice helps sharpen the blades.
  1. Cut a few wedges of citrus fruit and add to the drain.
  1. Run cool water as the disposal grinds up the fruit.

With these simple steps, your disposal can be good as new! And, if you have trouble with your disposal, or want one for your kitchen, be sure to call the experts at Benjamin Franklin Plumbing at 1-877-BEN-1776.