How do you maintain a garbage disposal?
Updated August 2026
A disposal stays healthy on a monthly grind of ice and a handful of rock salt to scour the impellers, a cold-water-and-citrus flush for odor, and a firm rule against pouring grease down it. When it hums but will not turn, the fix is almost always the red reset button on the bottom, not a service call. Treat it right and a unit lasts 8 to 12 years; jams and leaks are the two failures that end most of them early.
| Task | Interval | Effort |
|---|---|---|
| Grind a tray of ice cubes with a handful of rock salt | Monthly | 5 min · DIY |
| Run citrus peels with cold water to cut odor | Monthly | 3 min · DIY |
| Task | Interval | Effort |
|---|---|---|
| Run cold water before, during, and 15 seconds after grinding | Every use | Habit · DIY |
| Feed scraps in a little at a time, not all at once | Every use | Habit · DIY |
| Task | Interval | Effort |
|---|---|---|
| Press the red reset button on the bottom if it hums or stalls | When it hums | 1 min · DIY |
| Free a jam with the hex wrench in the base slot (power off) | When jammed | 5 min · DIY |
| Check under the unit for drips at the flange and drain | Yearly | 5 min · DIY |
| Task | Interval | Effort |
|---|---|---|
| Replace when it leaks from the shell or will not reset | 8–12 years | $100–250 unit |
What neglect costs
Grease, starchy scraps, and fibrous peels are what kill disposals: they build a paste that jams the impellers and packs the trap below, so the sink backs up. A motor left running against a jam overheats and trips, and repeated jams burn out the unit for good. The other failure is a slow leak at the sink flange or drain connection that rots the cabinet base while you never look. One safety rule outranks all of it: never put a hand down the disposal, even when the power is off; use tongs or the hex wrench.
Leave these to a pro
Most disposal care is DIY, and even clearing a jam with the base hex wrench is a five-minute job. Where a pro earns the fee is replacement and leaks: swapping a unit means disconnecting the drain and, on hardwired models, the electrical, so a plumber charges roughly $100 to $200 in labor on top of the $100 to $250 unit. A leak at the flange that keeps returning after you re-seat it, or a drain that backs up past the disposal, points to plumbing beyond the appliance and is worth a call.
This whole checklist ships as reminders in OnOtto: every task above, on the right schedule for your home, snooze-proof.
Load this checklist as remindersFrequently asked questions
What should you never put down a garbage disposal?
Keep out grease and oil, which congeal and clog; fibrous items like celery, corn husks, and onion skins that wrap the impellers; starchy foods like pasta, rice, and potato peels that swell into paste; and hard items like bones and fruit pits. Coffee grounds and eggshells build sludge in the trap over time. When in doubt, compost or trash it and run plenty of cold water for the scraps you do grind.
My disposal just hums, how do I fix it?
A hum with no spin means the motor has power but the flywheel is jammed. Turn the switch off first. Press the red reset button on the underside of the unit, then use the hex wrench that came with it in the slot on the bottom center, working it back and forth to free the jam. Fish out whatever is stuck with tongs, never your hand, restore power, and test. If it still only hums, the motor may be shot.
How do you get rid of garbage disposal smell?
Odor comes from food film on the grinding chamber and the rubber splash guard, not from deep in the drain. Grind ice with a handful of rock salt or a cup of baking soda to scour the walls, then run citrus peels with cold water to freshen it. Scrub the underside of the splash guard by hand, since that flap traps the most gunk. Doing this once a month keeps the smell from ever setting in.