How to get rid of garbage disposal "dirt" smell?
Kirsten Krebs Thomson
We just moved into an older apartment. The first time I dumped some hot
water down the drain (it has a garbage disposal) I noticed an
unmistakable smell of dirt (like actual soil). I have run the disposal
while pouring boiling water, salt, baking soda, dishwashing detergent,
bleach, and pretty much any other cleaning product you can think of down
there. The smell always returns after a few days. Any ideas what is
causing this and what I can do to get rid of it for good?
Thanks in advance for any help you can give...
Kirsten
--
Kirsten Krebs Thomson, Ph.D.
Department of Psychiatry
University of California, San Diego
9500 Gilman Drive
La Jolla, CA 92093-0804
(619) 543-3582
(619) 543-2493 FAX
kir...@mag.ucsd.edu
http://mag.ucsd.edu/~kirsten/kkt.htm
Robert Gracie
Hello Kristen,
You should **never ever** run hot water, much less 212F water through a
running disposal. You could easily rupture the armature seal that way.
Try cleaning the trap, grinding up lemons, oranges 1/4 slices, grind up a
pound of ice for a cleaning action.
--
Robert Gracie
Come Visit Us!
http://home1.gte.net/rgracie
Kirsten Krebs Thomson wrote in message <351FD638...@rat.ucsd.edu>...
Robert Gracie
Yup that works..
--
Robert Gracie
Come Visit Us!
http://home1.gte.net/rgracie
5Mews wrote in message <6fpnnj$1bqs$1...@node17.cwnet.frontiernet.net>...
>Had the same problem a couple of months ago...drove me crazy...I tried
>lemons, hot water, baking soda soaks...then someone suggested
>"enzymes"...went to the local Home Depot and got some stuff to specifically
>clean the disposal with enzymes...the name escapes me now...but......it
>worked like a charm...!
>
>CJV
>
>Robert Gracie wrote in message <6fp0mm$95i$1...@nw003t.infi.net>...
danh...@millcomm.com
In <351FD638...@rat.ucsd.edu>, Kirsten Krebs Thomson <kir...@rat.ucsd.edu> writes:
>We just moved into an older apartment. The first time I dumped some hot
>water down the drain (it has a garbage disposal) I noticed an
>unmistakable smell of dirt (like actual soil). I have run the disposal
>while pouring boiling water, salt, baking soda, dishwashing detergent,
>bleach, and pretty much any other cleaning product you can think of down
>there. The smell always returns after a few days. Any ideas what is
>causing this and what I can do to get rid of it for good?
>Thanks in advance for any help you can give...
>Kirsten
Grit your teeth, stick your hand in there (with the power switch taped in
the OFF position), and clean the gunk out that sits just below the rubber
gasket. It will be on the back side of the rubber gasket and on the
upper portion of the chamber sidewalls. There can easly be a half-inch of
buildup there.
Once the worst of it is cleaned up there are commercial product such as
"Disposer Care" that help keep the unit clean.
Dan Hicks
Hey!! My advice is free -- take it for what it's worth!
http://www.millcomm.com/~danhicks
5Mews
Had the same problem a couple of months ago...drove me crazy...I tried
lemons, hot water, baking soda soaks...then someone suggested
"enzymes"...went to the local Home Depot and got some stuff to specifically
clean the disposal with enzymes...the name escapes me now...but......it
worked like a charm...!
CJV
Robert Gracie wrote in message <6fp0mm$95i$1...@nw003t.infi.net>...
>Hello Kristen,
> You should **never ever** run hot water, much less 212F water through a
>running disposal. You could easily rupture the armature seal that way.
>
> Try cleaning the trap, grinding up lemons, oranges 1/4 slices, grind up a
>pound of ice for a cleaning action.
>
>--
>
>Robert Gracie
>Come Visit Us!
>http://home1.gte.net/rgracie
>Kirsten Krebs Thomson wrote in message <351FD638...@rat.ucsd.edu>...
>>We just moved into an older apartment. The first time I dumped some hot
>>water down the drain (it has a garbage disposal) I noticed an
>>unmistakable smell of dirt (like actual soil). I have run the disposal
>>while pouring boiling water, salt, baking soda, dishwashing detergent,
>>bleach, and pretty much any other cleaning product you can think of down
>>there. The smell always returns after a few days. Any ideas what is
>>causing this and what I can do to get rid of it for good?
>>Thanks in advance for any help you can give...
>>Kirsten
>>
kaare...@gmail.com
> We just moved into an older apartment. The first time I dumped some hot
> water down the drain (it has a garbage disposal) I noticed an
> unmistakable smell of dirt (like actual soil). I have run the disposal
> while pouring boiling water, salt, baking soda, dishwashing detergent,
> bleach, and pretty much any other cleaning product you can think of down
> there. The smell always returns after a few days. Any ideas what is
> causing this and what I can do to get rid of it for good?
> Thanks in advance for any help you can give...
> Kirsten
>
> --
> Kirsten Krebs Thomson, Ph.D.
> Department of Psychiatry
> University of California, San Diego
> 9500 Gilman Drive
> La Jolla, CA 92093-0804
> (619) 543-3582
> (619) 543-2493 FAX
> kir...@mag.ucsd.edu
> http://mag.ucsd.edu/~kirsten/kkt.htm
On Monday, March 30, 1998 at 1:00:00 AM UTC-7, Kirsten Krebs Thomson wrote:
> We just moved into an older apartment. The first time I dumped some hot
> water down the drain (it has a garbage disposal) I noticed an
> unmistakable smell of dirt (like actual soil). I have run the disposal
> while pouring boiling water, salt, baking soda, dishwashing detergent,
> bleach, and pretty much any other cleaning product you can think of down
> there. The smell always returns after a few days. Any ideas what is
> causing this and what I can do to get rid of it for good?
> Thanks in advance for any help you can give...
> Kirsten
>
> --
> Kirsten Krebs Thomson, Ph.D.
> Department of Psychiatry
> University of California, San Diego
> 9500 Gilman Drive
> La Jolla, CA 92093-0804
> (619) 543-3582
> (619) 543-2493 FAX
> kir...@mag.ucsd.edu
> http://mag.ucsd.edu/~kirsten/kkt.htm
John Somerset
> On Monday, March 30, 1998 at 1:00:00 AM UTC-7, Kirsten Krebs Thomson
> wrote:
>> We just moved into an older apartment. The first time I dumped some
>> hot water down the drain (it has a garbage disposal) I noticed an
>> unmistakable smell of dirt (like actual soil). I have run the
>> disposal while pouring boiling water, salt, baking soda,
>> dishwashing detergent, bleach, and pretty much any other cleaning
>> product you can think of down there. The smell always returns after
>> a few days. Any ideas what is causing this and what I can do to get
>> rid of it for good? Thanks in advance for any help you can give...
>> Kirsten
>>
>> -- Kirsten Krebs Thomson, Ph.D. Department of Psychiatry University
>> of California, San Diego 9500 Gilman Drive La Jolla, CA
>> 92093-0804 (619) 543-3582 (619) 543-2493 FAX kir...@mag.ucsd.edu
>> http://mag.ucsd.edu/~kirsten/kkt.htm
>
> I'm having the same issue. Just started about two weeks ago. I
> tried this blue foaming packet that you put in the disposal with the
> hot water trickling into. It sure enough foamed up but did nothing
> about the smell. It's a very earthy smell. Think I have a broken
> pipe under the house?
>
>