Why Does My Garbage Disposal Smell?

One of the handiest gadgets in your kitchen is the garbage disposal. It can make cleaning up after meals simple and quick and help keep your kitchen sink clean. But when it starts having issues, it can have a huge impact on the functions of your kitchen. A lot goes down your garbage disposal, which means there are a lot of things that can leave behind a pretty stinky trail. Some smell is to be expected, but constant smells or overpowering ones are a problem.

There are a few different reasons your garbage disposal might smell. It all goes back to food not getting broken down and rotting, but the reasons the garbage disposal stops working are varied. While it can be tempting to try and get your garbage disposal up and running again on your own as quickly as possible, garbage disposals are incredibly dangerous and should only be looked at by a professional.

While garbage disposals can take a lot, there are some things that should never go down the garbage disposal. Oils and fats can clog the plumbing of your sink and disrupt the function of your garbage disposal. Meat — either cooked or uncooked — is also difficult to break down and often gets left behind in the disposal. Any fibrous vegetables like celery, onions and corn husks will also clog. Fruit peels — especially banana peels — can get lodged. You should also avoid putting eggshells down the garbage disposal.

While there are some fixes to getting food residue out of the garbage disposal — such as degreasing soap and ice cubes — sometimes food particles are just too big to clear out. If this happens, a professional will need to come in to do a professional cleaning and inspection of the appliance to see if the debris can be removed or if the appliance needs to be replaced because the clogs are too extensive. So if a few rounds of degreasing soap and ice cubes don't do the trick, call a professional to give it a look over.

Your garbage disposal simply may not be doing the job it used to be able to do. The blades can become worn, or the motor could lose functionality. Often this foul odor lingering in your garbage disposal can be the first sign that garbage disposal is nearing a need for repair or even replacement. If you do start to notice a lot of smells coming from the garbage disposal, you should have the appliance looked at by a professional to make sure nothing is functionally wrong with it.