Hello, my name is Darby Aldrich. I would like to talk to you about the importance of maintaining your air conditioning system. When I moved to a hot climate, I did not realize how vital having a running air conditioner was for living comfortably. When the unit just stopped working one day, the temperature inside the house rivaled the piping hot weather outdoors. We had to go to the community center to keep the kids from feeling sick. While we were gone, we had a local HVAC contractor fix the unit. She let us know that some simple maintenance tasks would prevent that situation in the future. I will use this site to closely explore those tasks in great detail. I hope you can use the information to keep your air conditioner running like new. Thanks.
It's hard to imagine your kitchen without its garbage disposal. It's an extraordinarily convenient device that helps simplify many of the things you do in your kitchen. But all of that convenience comes at an eventual cost - a garbage disposal that sometimes emanates foul odors.
To keep unwanted smells out of your kitchen, you'll have to give your garbage disposal a good deodorizing. Fortunately, you already have most of the tools you'll need right in your pantry. The following shows how you can put those items to good use for cleaning and deodorizing your garbage disposal.
Baking Soda and Vinegar
Just about every household has a box of baking soda and a bottle of white vinegar in the pantry. Combined together, this exceptional combination becomes a powerful cleanser that can cut away at even the toughest of grime and odors.
Start by sprinkling a half-cup of baking soda into the garbage disposal, followed by a cup of vinegar. Allow this concoction to sit for about 5 to 10 minutes. As it sits, the reaction between the baking soda and vinegar will eat away at almost any leftover food particles and other deposits.
Afterwards, flush the concoction with hot water and repeat as necessary. When flushing, you can turn the disposal on to help agitate the solution as it goes through the drain. Be careful as you repeat the process, as the acidic vinegar can eat away at any rubber components found inside the disposal.
Just Add a Little Citrus
Believe it or not, citrus oils make for an excellent natural deodorizer. If you love lemons, grapefruits, limes and other citrus fruits, it's a win-win scenario: you get to enjoy your favorite fruits and your garbage disposal enjoys a refreshing and relatively simple deodorizing.
After flushing the sink drain with cold water for a few seconds, drop a few citrus peels into the garbage disposal. Turn on the garbage disposal and, at the same time, turn on the cold water. As the garbage disposal does its job, the citrus oils within the peels will help neutralize most odors. As a side benefit, the rough peels will also help dislodge grime and residue stuck on the blades.
Sharpening Things Up with Ice Cubes
Ice is useful for more than just keeping your drinks cold. Along with salt, ice is also useful for getting rid of stubborn sludge and grime in your garbage disposal. Simply drop a couple of cubes of ice into the garbage disposal while it's on, followed by a cup of rock salt. Make sure there's cold water running from the faucet as you grind the ice.
Grinding this combination of salt and ice not only helps dislodge any unwanted sludge and grime, but it also sharpens the blades to an extent, leaving your disposal ready for the next round of food items.
An extra tip: Instead of freezing water for your ice, try freezing a few cubes of vinegar. Not only do you get to sharpen the blades, your disposal will also benefit from vinegar's disinfecting and odor-neutralizing properties.
Using Professional Cleaners
Garbage disposals normally respond well to natural remedies like baking soda and vinegar. However, there are plenty of cases where even the strongest natural cleaner can't cut through the source of the odor. This is where professional cleaning products come into play.
There are plenty of products out there designed specifically for degreasing, cleaning and deodorizing disposals. It's preferable to use a product that is biodegradable and relatively straightforward to use.
If you've tried all of these methods and there is still a strange odor coming from your disposal, it may be time to contact a local plumbing company like CampbellCare Plumbing Heating & Air.
Share6 April 2015
