How much vinegar and baking soda you need depends on the size of your sink, but most sinks, according to Pleshek, only need one cup of baking soda and two cups of vinegar. Pour baking soda and vinegar into the disposal.
Pleshek recommends this optional step because "the ice and salt help break down that first layer of dirt and grime." Continue to run the water until the ice finishes grinding. With water running, turn on the garbage disposal. Fill your garbage disposal with ice and then a quarter cup of salt. When you've completed this step, plug in the disposal. For any food products that may be causing a clog, use tongs or pliers - never your fingers - to remove the debris. Unclog the chamber of any visible debris.If your gasket isn't removable, carefully use a kitchen sponge or long-handled brush,to scrub down the flaps of the seal. Take the gasket out and let it soak in vinegar while you clean your disposal. Most garbage disposals have a removable gasket - the rubber seal that covers your drain. Follow the cord to its source, which usually ends at an outlet box, and unplug it. To find your garbage disposal's power source, look underneath your sink for the power cord coming from the unit. While cleaning products exist for sink cleaning, baking soda and vinegar is a tried-and-true solution. Then use a long implement to reach inside - never use your fingers. Important: If you need to reach into your disposal for cleaning or unclogging, cut the power first.
Brandon Pleshek, the third-generation janitor and self-described certified clean freak behind Clean That Up, says at the least, "If it's starting to stink, then it's probably time to clean your sink." Once a month is a good baseline for how often to clean your garbage disposal, but heavy usage calls for more frequent cleaning. A place that's regularly damp or wet with a variety of foods being flushed down it, garbage disposals are prime spots for bacteria growth, which is smelly at best and a health risk at worst. While garbage disposals can make food scraps an out-of-sight, out-of-mind part of your kitchen sink, that doesn't mean you can forget about your disposal during your kitchen cleaning routine.