The Borax Hack To Cleaning Your Garbage Disposal

Tucked into the back of your grandmother's kitchen cabinet may be borax, also known as sodium tetraborate. It's a white, powder-like scrubbing agent often used to clean everything from pots and pans to mold and mildew. Borax is an all-purpose tool that provides impressive cleaning power in the laundry cycle and even helps to soften hard water. It may be the perfect tool for cleaning the garbage disposal as well. That's because it can cut through and break down just about any food particles left behind in the process. It can neutralize bacteria without damaging the working components of the disposal as well.

There are a few reasons to seek out borax, which is still readily available in many cleaning aisles at local retailers. It doesn't contain phosphates or chlorine in it, like many other cleaning products, which makes it a safer bet for a green home. When used according to manufacturer directions, this natural ingredient can be an excellent tool for scrubbing and soaking. It works to dissolve surface stains, and as it breaks down, it can power through materials like grease and buildup along the inside of drain pipes. Since your garbage disposal may have stuck-on food particles, grease, soap residue, and other contaminants lining the interior or clogging its drains, an effective cleaning agent like borax is essential. It's also simple to use with this hack.

Garbage disposals are safe harbors for bacteria to grow and flourish. A strong, musty odor coming from them is a clear indication that they need to be cleaned. It's also good preventative maintenance to keep your drains and disposal operating efficiently long term. Borax is a simple helping tool for the job.

All you need is about 3 tablespoons of borax scooped right into the drain on your skin. Allow it to sit there for a good 15 minutes to allow the borax to do the work. Once that happens, turn on the hot water to your sink, turn on the garbage disposal, and watch the debris flush away. Let it run for about 30 seconds before moving on. You can also use borax to clean the base of the sink, the drain plug, and any metal in the area. Just apply a small amount of borax to a scrubby that's damp and wipe it away. A bit of scrubbing power can help to remove some water stains as well. It will continue to help the drain and garbage disposal as it flushes away.

Instead of using a dangerous product like drain cleaner to remove clogs from the disposal or drain line, switch it up to use borax. Sometimes, even with routine cleaning of the disposal, a buildup of grease or organic material, like peels from veggies or a clump of meat, can get stuck. Always follow the manufacturer's instructions for removing these particles and cleaning your disposal. Often, though, borax can be a helpful solution. To use it to clear or loosen a clog, boil some water. Create a mixture of 1 cup of borax with 4 cups of water, or the same ratio. Then, pour it down the drain before allowing it to sit. Turn on the disposal and flush it with water.

You can also scoop a few tablespoons of borax into the drain opening and then let it sit before adding a few ice cubes to the drain. Turn on the water and the garbage disposal to allow the ice and cleaning agent mixture to dissolve stuck-on material and clogs. You can also mix borax with a few lemon or lime peels to enhance the fragrance while getting some grease-cutting benefits out of the process. Borax doesn't replace calling in a plumber or troubleshooting your garbage disposal if it's not working. You also don't want to shove anything into it if the blades won't spin.