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AVOIDING THE DINGY GRIND

How can you keep your garbage disposal clean and fresh?

First, it is important to understand that the kitchen sink is the most germ-laden spot in the entire house. That's right. Salmonella, E.Coli and other germs like the kitchen sink (particularly the drain) even better than the tub or toilet.

Never eat anything that falls into the sink, even if you just cleaned it.

Having said that, here is how to keep your disposal fresh and stink-free:

First, never allow food to build up inside the disposal. Run the motor every time you dump anything down there. Turn the tap on before you switch on the disposal. Don't shut the disposal or tap off until machine runs smooth.

CLEANING ACCESSORIES

If you have a rubber plug cover, you can scrub it well and run it through the dishwasher. These are usually hard plastic, so they must go on the top rack.

The pie-like drain cap can easily become slimy and stinky. If yours is removable, pull it out, and scrub it. This can go in the dishwasher too (top rack again). If it's not removable, you can still clean it quite well (and quite often). Lift up each flap, and scrub it with dish soap.

DEODORIZING THE DISPOSAL

You can choose several methods of keeping this clean. All involve dropping something into the empty disposal, while it is running.

baking soda
coffee grounds
ice
lemon wedges
orange slices

Believe it or not, to keep blades clean and running smoothly, I like to toss a very old, wimpy SOS scouring pad into the disposal. (It must be quite soft and falling apart on its own before I do this.)

If you wish, you can purchase a cleaning product called Disposer Care. This comes in small packets. You pour one packet into the disposal and run it. The foamy blue cleanser bubbles up and cleans your disposal.

Although I love my home remedies, I do purchase Disposer Care every couple of months, just to keep my disposal running well.

NO-NO's

Never put stringy vegetables, such as rhubarb and celery down the disposal. Keep potato and carrot peels out as well. These can get stuck in the mechanism and jam up the device.

Learn more about this author, Linda Ann Nickerson.
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