Wait! Instead Of Tossing Lemon Peels In The Garbage, Use Them In Your Sink

If you are a fan of adding lemon twists to your French 75s or cooking with this citrusy ingredient, chances are you have a lot of lemon peels hanging around. Aside from culinary uses — like candying them or adding them to lemony treats — you can also use leftover lemon peels for many cleaning pursuits. This citrus is the secret ingredient for a cleaner kitchen, and one place that it comes in handy specifically is for cleaning your garbage disposal.  

We spoke to expert and investigative chemist Alexis Rochester, founder of Chemistry Cachet, for tips on how to combat the smells that can waft from a garbage disposal. She has a technical explanation for why using leftover peels to clean the disposal works, saying, "Just like vinegar (acetic acid), the citric acid in lemon helps neutralize unpleasant odors. It also tackles greasy buildup that traps odor-causing bacteria, and it leaves your disposal smelling fresh." In theory, you can put chopped-up peels right down the disposal and process them as you would normal food items. "The lemon peel texture acts as a natural scrub for the disposal blades," she says. 

Although this trick might sound relatively easy to implement at home, there are important things to know before trying it. The first is that plumbers recommend using caution with this technique, as using large peels or doing it too often can cause clogged pipes or buildup along the pipes. Luckily, Alexis Rochester has a solution: Use just lemon zest instead. "You still get some of the texture for cleaning without risking damage to your garbage disposal," she says. 

Rochester also cautions that lemon zest alone is not enough to clean your garbage disposal. "I make a DIY garbage disposal cleaner that combines lemon juice, vinegar, and lemon zest to utilize the power of acids to clean and neutralize [the] disposal," she says. You can freeze these ingredients in an ice cube tray, then add a few cubes to the disposal when it's turned off. Run lukewarm water in the disposal so that the cubes melt slowly and crush more easily. You can finish this process off by adding a bit of dish soap to your disposal; just don't add the soap to the cubes, as it shouldn't be frozen and it can neutralize the acidic components of your cleaner, rendering it ineffective.