Here's How The Experts Banish Gross Kitchen Sink Odors Once And For All

So you think you've deep-cleaned your kitchen — the fridge is organized, the stove-top is spotless, and even that annoying space between your oven and countertop has been conquered. And yet, something still smells off. The culprit? Probably your sink and garbage disposal — both easy to overlook since they're out of sight. Fortunately, there's an incredibly easy fix. To learn more, Food Republic spoke to Ryan Knoll, cleaning expert and founder of Tidy Casa, a professional home cleaning service based in Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona. According to Knoll, "The usual suspect [of persistent kitchen sink odors] is gunk lurking just out of sight in the P-trap or garbage disposal, where food scraps and grease build up over time and become a smelly science experiment." Turns out, those food scraps you shoved down the garbage disposal instead of the trash come back to haunt you.

Luckily, Knoll has a go-to trick for an easy sink refresh using ingredients that are probably sitting in your pantry. "Boil water and pour it down the drain. Follow with half a cup of baking soda, then pour in a cup of white vinegar," the expert advised. "Let it fizz for [five] to [ten] minutes ... Flush with more boiling water." Not only will this method tackle odor, but it also helps create a cleaner, healthier kitchen — especially since kitchen drains rank third among household fixtures with the most illness-causing germs, according to one NSF study (formerly known as The National Sanitation Foundation).

While knowing how to clean your kitchen sink is important, it's just as helpful to prevent the odors in the first place. One of the easiest ways to keep your kitchen smelling fresh is to be mindful of what goes down the drain. Food particles can rot, breed bacteria, and even clog your pipes over time. To avoid that, scrape as much food as possible into the trash before washing dishes, and reserve the garbage disposal for the occasional food scraps. Just be sure to avoid rinsing foods that are particularly prone to clogging, such as coffee grounds, bread, or stringy fruits and vegetables.

But even garbage disposals aren't immune from bad odors. Ryan Knoll has a simple solution to clean your garbage disposal and actually make it smell good: "Toss in ice cubes and citrus peels and run the disposal with cold water," he explained. "This combo tackles both bacteria and residue naturally and effectively." Adding coarse salt can also help scrub the blades. Finally, make sink maintenance a habit, not just a reaction to bad smells. Ideally, you should rinse your sink with hot water and sprinkle baking soda around it weekly. Then, deep-clean it using Knoll's method monthly for optimal use and odor-control.