Can You Place Lemon Peels Down Your Garbage Disposal?

If your garbage disposal smells funky, you may be looking for ways to clean and/or freshen it up. When you are looking to freshen your disposal, you may consider placing citrus fruit or peels, such as oranges, lemons or limes in the disposal and grinding them up. This releases an immediate fresh scent that may help to hide the scents coming from your disposal, or eliminate the scent altogether.

However, while it is common to do this, you may find yourself wondering if it is a good idea to place these peels down your garbage disposal.

Why Do People Place Lemon Peels Down a Garbage Disposal? 

The number one reason why people attempt to place lemon peels, or other types of citrus fruits and peels, down their garbage disposal, is to get rid of a scent that may be coming from the disposal. This scent may be present for a number of reasons, including a clog in the drain line, leftover food or food particles in the garbage disposal, or water that did not drain away properly and is just sitting in the drain area. 

Can You Place Lemon Peels Down a Garbage Disposal? 

It is not a good idea to place lemon peels or any type of citrus down your garbage disposal. First off, a garbage disposal will chop peels up into smaller pieces, but it cannot break them down completely. As such, sending peels down the garbage disposal can lead to a clog in your drain line. Secondly, citrus fruits are acidic. Using them in a garbage disposal a few times will likely not cause much harm, but the acid can damage your garbage disposal and shorten its lifespan if acidic juices are repeatedly placed in the garbage disposal. 

What Can You Use Instead of Lemon Peels to Freshen Your Garbage Disposal? 

If you have scents coming from your garbage disposal, you should avoid using lemon peels, lime peels, orange peels or bleach. All of these items can be damaging to the garbage disposal. Instead, you should consider using vinegar, baking soda or dish soap to clean the garbage disposal and remove the scent. 

What Happens If You Cannot Get Rid of the Scent Coming From Your Garbage Disposal?    

If your garbage disposal smells and you are unable to get rid of the smell yourself, there is a good chance you have a clog in your drain line. Food, grease or other elements that may be stuck in the drain line may start to smell, and that smell starts to emanate from the drain in your sink. You may think it is your garbage disposal that stinks, when really, it is something stuck in your drain line.

When this happens, you will want to call in a plumbing company. They offer drain cleaning services, which can help to safely remove the clog, while also removing the scent. 

If you have used lemon peels in your garbage disposal and your garbage disposal is now not functioning properly, or you have a smell coming from your garbage disposal that you cannot get rid of, it is time to call in a professional. The plumbers at Pilot Plumbing can help you with both your garbage disposal or your drain. Contact us today to get started.