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You are going to love this easy homemade garbage disposal cleaner recipe!

There are dozens of options and recipes online for cleaning garbage disposals, and I have been making different types over the last few years.

There is a store-bought option I always keep on hand because it works very well, and it uniquely cleans and foams inside the disposal while also helping with clogs.

I use both of these options and it keeps the garbage disposal super cleaner and running well.

After the recipe, be sure to scroll down to where I explain the reasoning and science behind this simple recipe.

Homemade Garbage Disposal Cleaner

Head to instagram to see a video of these. You can also view items for making this recipe on my Amazon Shop List. 

Ingredients:

• 1/2  cup of distilled white vinegar
• 1 /2 cup of lemon juice (freshly squeezed or from a bottle if you have that)
• 1 tbsp of lemon zest
• Citrus essential oil (optional)
• Ice cube tray (I like the silicone ones, also the same ones I use for toilet cleaning bombs)

Directions:

1. Mix the vinegar, lemon juice, lemon zest and essential oil in a bowl.  Alternatively, mix up all the ingredients except for the lemon zest. Then, just top each cube with zest before freezing. This can help it be evenly distributed, but either method is fine. 
2. Pour the mixture into the ice cube trays.
3. Let it freeze overnight or about 8 hours.

How To Use This Homemade Garbage Disposal Cleaner Recipe:

1. Depending on the size of your ice cubes, drop one to three cubes inside the disposal WHEN IT IS OFF! Do not add the ice cubes when the disposal is on. The ice cube tray I use makes pretty small cubes, so I am using two. 
2. Turn your faucet on a slow stream of warm water (not too hot), then turn on the garbage disposal and run until ice cubes are crushed. I always allow the warm water to run a few seconds to start melting the ice cube, this helps it crush up better.
3. Next, and this is optional, while the water is running warm and the disposal is still running, pour 2 tbsp of concentrated dish soap. This will foam up and clean other areas of the disposal. I don’t add dish soap into the ice cubes because it can alter the acidity and doesn’t freeze well.

How Do These Ingredients Work For Cleaning A Garbage Disposal?

When we got a new garbage disposal a few. years ago, they recommended cleaning the blades with ice cubes. Ice cubes not only help clean the blades, but keep them sharp. By freezing the solution you are getting the added benefits of the ice. Make sure the ice cubes aren’t large, and always run warm water down the disposal at the same time.

Vinegar

Vinegar can be a helpful ingredient in cleaning your garbage disposal for a couple of reasons:

• Deodorizing: Vinegar is a mild acid that helps neutralize unpleasant odors coming from the disposal. It can cut through grease and grime that trap odor-causing bacteria.

• Dissolving buildup: Acetic acid, vinegar, can help break down food particles and grease that can accumulate in the disposal over time. This can help prevent clogs and keep the blades functioning properly.

Be sure to read our great in-depth post on vinegar here. 

Lemon Juice

Lemon juice and lemon zest can be a natural and effective way to clean your garbage disposal in two key ways:

• Deodorizing: Just like vinegar, the citric acid in lemon juice helps neutralize unpleasant odors. It also tackles greasy buildup that traps odor-causing bacteria, and it leaves your disposal smelling fresh.

• Cleaning the blades: The texture of the lemon zest acts as a natural scrub for the disposal blades. As you grind the lemon peels, the zest helps loosen and remove food particles clinging to the blades, promoting better grinding performance.

While lemon zest helps with scrubbing, large chunks can potentially get lodged and cause clogs. It’s best to use them in small quantities and never use the actual peel. 

Is essential oil necessary?

Not at all, but it is fantastic for an added scent that lingers. I love using citrus essential oils for kitchen cleaning. The scent lingers for several hours which I love.

Why Is The Dish Soap Added Separately?

There are two reasons I add the dish soap as a separate, and optional, step. First, dish soap doesn’t freeze well in this. Second, the pH of dish soap is on the basic side of the pH scale and it can alter the acidity of the vinegar and lemon juice. We have many great cleaners that utilize vinegar and dish soap in the right proportions so you can get the benefit of both, but for this recipe, it works best when you doing it as a separate step. It is an optional step too, but I love the foaming action of dish soap for extra cleaning.

Is it necessary to add lemon juice AND lemon zest?

To me, it is. You can different benefits with both. The zest is simply for extra scrubbing power. I have used the zest for decades in my disposal and it works good. The lemon juice has the best acidity for cleaning, but also makes helps the vinegar work better too.

Is it necessary to have both lemon juice and vinegar in this?

I made this recipe with just vinegar, and I didn’t like it as well. The lemon juice helps with odors, but also balances out the actual smell of the vinegar. Also, these acids work so well together for cleaning all types of build-up. So, for the best success, use both the lemon and vinegar 🙂

Is vinegar better than citric acid for homemade garbage disposal cleaner?

If you have read Chemistry Cachet for a while, you know I use citric acid a lot in cleaners. I think it works so well for cleaning certain things, perhaps even better than vinegar for many surfaces. With that being said, I like the way the vinegar mixed with water in this solution. I had more success using vinegar in this recipe. DIY cleaners are tricky because there are so many ways to make things, dozens of different ingredients and ratios, and it really takes testing to get the best recipe down. This is what I like to do for readers, try and test all different methods before sharing my recipes with you.

 

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