Did you know that cleaning your food macerator helps to extend its life, eliminate odours and keep plumbing fixtures clean? Most people take the food macerator for granted and rarely pay attention to it until it breaks.
If you neglect your food macerator, it becomes clogged, and things get nasty. You should take every measure to prevent this from happening.
Luckily, there are many ways to clean and deodorise your food macerator without breaking the bank. The information below is your first lesson on this topic. But first, here are a few warning signs to look out for.
How to Know Your Disposal Has Issues
Before cleaning and deodorising your food macerator, you should check that it is functioning correctly to prevent injuries. Here are signs that it is faulty.
- Odour. A disposal that smells like rotten eggs or stronger may indicate a problem.
- Clogs. A clogged drain may be the cause of frequent disposal clogging. There may be something stuck in your pipes. It could also be that the blades are dull or broken and are not cutting through food scraps as they should.
- Leaks. If you notice leaking under your sink, especially one that drips constantly, there may be damage to the seal between your sink and the food macerator unit.
- Jamming. The blades of your disposal become stuck in the drain. It is likely due to debris or grease blocking the blades from moving freely.
- Unlimited grinding. If your food macerator grinds continuously despite you turning it off, then it is faulty and dangerous.
Effective Ways To Clean Your Food Macerator
Cleaning and deodorising your food macerator is a simple process that helps keep your kitchen smelling fresh and clean. Here are simple ways to clean the food macerator:
Use Ice Cubes, Rock Salt, and Lemon Slices
This is a common but effective method of cleaning a food macerator. Place two or three ice cubes into the disposal, sprinkle rock salt, and follow up with one or two sliced lemons. Turn on the cold water and let the ice clear.
The acid in the lemon juice helps to dissolve food particles and gives it a pleasant smell. The ice cubes and rock salt will scrub the blades clean and help clear out residue in the disposal.
Baking Soda and Vinegar
These two ingredients work together to form carbon dioxide gas, which bubbles up through the water in the sink to create foam that helps dislodge leftover food particles from your disposal. Pour baking soda and white (or apple cider) vinegar into the disposal, then let it sit for ten minutes before flushing with cold water.
Baking soda is a good scrubbing agent that will not damage the system. Vinegar has a strong smell that will remove unpleasant odours from your food macerator. But if the scent is too strong, add a little lemon juice.
Use Dish Soap and Hot Water
Dish soap works as a cleaner for your food macerator as it creates a foam that helps loosen clogs in your drain pipes.
Pour dish soap into your kitchen sink full of warm water, then turn on your food macerator for about 30 seconds before shutting it off and flushing the water. The solution will help with disinfection, odours and lingering particles.
Use Cola
Homeowners would be surprised to know that a bottle of cola down the food macerator will do wonders for your drain and kitchen.
It sounds crazy, but cola has phosphoric acid that helps to clear some clogs and freshen the drain. Phosphoric acid is present in many foods, so it will not harm your health but effectively remove particles stuck in your drain.
You need to pour a 2-litre bottle of cola (room temperature) down the drain, then let it sit for an hour or two. If you have clogs, you can go up to 24 hours. Then, you can flush with hot water, and your drain will be clean, with a pleasant smell.
Use Borax
Borax is an abrasive powder that will help scrub gunk from your food macerator. It is safe for the environment and does not harm pipes or septic systems.
Sprinkle borax into your food macerator and run it with hot water. The borax-water combination helps dislodge clogs, remove odours, and sanitise the system.
Commercial Cleaners
There are several commercial cleaners available at stores that remove stubborn stains from inside your food macerator.
These products are formulated for use inside a food macerator. So, they will not cause any damage to other parts of your plumbing system if you follow the directions on the packaging.
It is good to note that some commercial cleaning products contain harsh chemicals such as sodium hydroxide and lye which could damage rubber seals around drain pipes.
Therefore, it will be good to seek a plumber’s opinion before purchasing chemical cleaners.
Also Read: Why you must get plumbing inspection before buying a home
How to Maintain a Clean Food Macerator
It is not enough to clean and deodorise your kitchen disposal. You should observe measures that cause blogs and odour in your food macerator.
- Ensure you always run water while using the disposal. This helps to prevent food from clogging up the pipes.
- Never pour grease or oil down your sink drain. It will clog up the pipes, and you must call a plumber to fix it.
- Always use cold water when running the disposal. Hot water causes grease to liquefy and flow through the pipes faster than cold water. It leads to clogs and eventually damage.
- Do not put or pour anything in the food macerator that cannot be broken down by the water and blades, such as glass, metal or plastic.
- If you have hard water, you should occasionally run an ice cube down the drain after using your food macerator, so it does not clog up with calcium deposits from hard water.
Professional Help
Does your food macerator smell bad, make funny noises or leak? Even the best food macerators eventually need work. You cannot keep them running perfectly, year after year, without issues developing. To clean and deodorise your disposal, follow the highlighted steps to keep it in optimum functionality and prevent future problems. But when facing other issues, call us to deal with them effectively.