can the odor of mold coming out of my garbage disposer make me sick?
it sure smells bad..
i've tried everything to get rid of the mold odor but nothing works.
i've tried clorox, those packets, cleaners, etc., everything and nothing works.
i have to keep the lid on all the time or else it is really bad.
i don't think i should be breathing this either. it's no place else in the house, just the kitchen sink.
Posted by sammy (Member # 13952) on :
I've never had the mold smell. Have you tried running several ice cube and a lemon through the garbage disposal? This usually helps clear up any stink.
Posted by kam (Member # 3410) on :
thanks sammy. I have a stinky sink drain too and had forgotten I used lemon in the past to help.
Posted by apljack (Member # 14233) on :
Try vinegar. Around $3 for a gallon.
Posted by map1131 (Member # 2022) on :
I pull out the black rubber piece and scrub it with baking soda every couple weeks. I also scrub down and around the hole where the rubber piece fits. Nasty area.
Throw a cup of baking soda down the drain with very little water(just enough to dampen) once a week. It's a great air freshner.
Pam
Posted by dmc (Member # 5102) on :
just remove the black rubber...it is not needed...just a harbor of bacteria and scum.
Posted by randibear (Member # 11290) on :
i've tried the vinegar and lemon, didn't touch it.
i'll try the baking soda.
anything to get rid of this. even my husband, with his nose, can smell it.
Posted by just don (Member # 1129) on :
you could 'try' taking out the black rubber, and water stopper in,,,then filling whole sink with water and ice cubes combined.
fill another bucket or two with water.
turn on disposal, then pull plug in bottom of sink and pour buckets of water right in to add to volume,,,drown the gunk so to speak,,,lots of gunk stays inside,,not enough volume to get gone.
other idea is to take hose off bottom,,,plug drain,,,fill plum full of vinegar and let set overnight
only reason for black rubber is to keep your fingers out of it,,,take it out and soak in vinegar,,,,put it back in ONLY if you cant keep digits out while hitting the switch.
replacing that rubber hose underneath may help also,,,gunk and rubber produce stink,,,stainless steel doesnt.
Even somebody handicapped can change that hose,,maybe it is plugged. ( even that nerd that claims husband status there)
Posted by momlyme (Member # 27775) on :
Be careful mixing bleach with anything that may contain ammonia this can make a gaseous poison that is much like mustard gas... and can kill you!!!! (many dish washing detergents contain ammonia)
Have you ever tried Orange Guard, also known as TKO Orange in concentrate form? Orange Guard can be found at hardware stores and TKO Orange can be ordered - one site is www.organicorangetkocal.com - I have no financial connections -
It generally gets rid of smells and mold. Just put a little in a spray bottle and spray away. Takes about a half hour to air out of a room.
Posted by HorseHelper (Member # 30255) on :
randi, sometimes after bleach, the lemon etc..... to make it smell good I poor Mr. Clean or Lysol in there and just let it set.
Nasty, isn't it HHH
Posted by arkiehinny (Member # 26546) on :
Dump a load of baking soda down the drain and pour in a half a jug of vinegar. That'll make it a volcano and clean it out. It'll foam up good, too.
Posted by LIQUIDNAIL (Member # 30454) on :
if all else fails pull the p-trap on drain and clean it out
Posted by HorseHelper (Member # 30255) on :
I think this is a very good excuse to purchase a whole new sink!!!!!
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
I HATE cleaning that rubber guard!! It's so nasty! I thought it was not only for safety but for keeping the "spray" from the disposal from going everywhere.
Posted by HorseHelper (Member # 30255) on :
Lyme,
When I pull that NASTY guard out, I immediately spray with bleach and get the toothbrush (my husbands, ha ha!) and scrub.
Wow, when it's clean, it smells pretty darn good! Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
ugh... I need to take care of it...
ps.. hubby is gone...hmmmm Posted by Nutmeg (Member # 7250) on :
One more thought, in addition to all the other great ideas of scrubbing the black flaps and inside the disposal unit, using citrus peels, ice cubes, etc.....
A plumber told us to fill the sink with hot water once a month. Then pull the plug and turn on the disposal until the water runs out.
If you have a double sink, fill both. Doing this monthly helps keep the drainpipe flushed out.
One other thing he told us was to not use the garbage disposal for much of anything. He said it's really just for the debris from rinsing or scraping the plates, not really for disposal of a lot of food waste, peelings, banana skins, eggshells and stuff like that.
We had called the plumber that day because the drainpipe broke where it goes into the wall under the sink.
When he pulled the piece out, we could see that the inside of the pipe was caked with sludge that hadn't gotten rinsed away over the years.
Granted, it was old, but I had no idea there would be so much residue in it.
Good luck! Nutmeg
Posted by onlyflippin (Member # 32260) on :
Nutmeg you are correct, You can dump anything you want down the drain, it will just cover it up. Bleach will kill the mold so you dont have to worry about that. but any drain pipe before the ptrap can and will harbor food gunk, that is more than likely what you are smelling. Other than taking the pipes apart, you could try liquid plumber foaming, it may help. but first clean your disposal then check the pipes. I have seen pipes clog from the residue build up. And it smells like hell.
Posted by missing (Member # 22437) on :
vinegar,
I love combining vinegar and baking soda
What fun!
it works to get stains out of carpets!
Posted by missing (Member # 22437) on :
oh, but be careful,
it makes your carpet crunchy
Posted by onlyflippin (Member # 32260) on :
randi if you do it yourself i can give you some tips and talk you through it
Posted by anonymiss (Member # 32018) on :
Lysol disinfectant spray is the best thing I have found for killing mold AND getting rid of the smell. We had some horrible humidity issues in our house several years back and ended up with mold growing everywhere - on the walls, floors.. it was really bad.
Bleach will get rid of the smell and lighten the mold, but it doesn't always kill it the first time so you end up bleaching over and over and over and that's a pain in the butt.
Lysol disinfectant spray. Best stuff in the world!
Posted by HopesAlive (Member # 29774) on :
I get this. I use baking soda and vinegar (makes a little volcano, lol.
Put lemon peels down the disposal and grind them up for a fresh smell after you let the baking soda and vinegar sit a while. Bleach is the only thing, that I know of, that will actually kill the mold.
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HHH
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