Can You Clean a Garbage Disposal With Ice? The Answer May Surprise You

If you’ve seen a video on social media highlighting how you can clean your garbage disposal with nothing more than hot water and ice, you’re not alone. But does this viral “hack” actually work, or is it just another piece of social media trickery?

While it might seem surprising, you can absolutely clean a garbage disposal with ice! The ice will help push off stubborn gunk on the garbage disposal, making it one of the most effective cleaning options.

But how does it work and how can you do it? We break it all down for you here.

Can You Clean a Garbage Disposal With Ice?

Yes! While this might seem like a fake TikTok “hack,” it actually works! But while most videos show all the gunk working its way up and out of the sink, that’s the wrong way to do it.

All that gunk should be sent to the sewer, but that wouldn’t make for an entertaining video because you wouldn’t see anything! Still, the videos do highlight just how the ice works.

Ice has a clean but hard surface that the garbage disposal can grind against. The hard ice pushes up against grime and gunk stuck on the disposal, working it off. Since the ice won’t stick to the disposal, you don’t have to worry about it making more of a mess as it cleans!

How to Clean a Garbage Disposal With Ice

The truth is that cleaning a garbage disposal with ice is simpler than many people make it seem, yet it’s more complicated than just cramming ice down the sink.

The best way to clean a garbage disposal with ice is to first put a cup or two of ice into the sink with a mild cleaning agent, such as baking soda, citrus peels, or even lemon wedges.

Next, turn on the hot water. Ensure that all the ice cubes and scent/cleaning boosters make it down into the garbage disposal, then turn on the disposal. Let the garbage disposal run until it breaks up all the ice.

After the disposal breaks up all the ice and cleaning agents, let the hot water run for at least 30 seconds. This will push all the gunk down to the sewer, leaving you with clean, fresh-smelling garbage disposal and sink!

Even better, since you’re not overflowing the garbage disposal, you don’t have to worry about cleaning the junk out of the sink afterward!

Final Thoughts

Now that you know that you can clean your garbage disposal with ice, try it out for yourself! In fact, it’s so easy and cost-effective, that we highly recommend cleaning your garbage disposal with ice at least once a month.

You’ll have a fresh and clean garbage disposal that will break up stubborn pieces of food before they have a chance to stick to the parts in the disposal.

Featured Image Credit: Ed Pal, Shutterstock