Tips from Young Living

Ever wonder what that funky smell is coming from your kitchen sink? We’re not exactly sure what it is either, but we do have the solution—DIY garbage disposal fresheners!

This easy DIY takes less than an hour, including cleanup! It’s all natural and completely safe for the environment, and the fresheners will make your disposal smell as fresh and clean as a meadow of daisies!

Supplies:

• 1 cup baking soda
• ¾ cup liquid Castile soap
• ½ cup salt
• 30 drops essential oil
• ¼ cup water
• Measuring spoon (we used a tablespoon)

Yield: approx. thirty 1-inch fresheners

Directions:

1. Combine baking soda and salt in a bowl.

2. Add Castile soap and essential oils. See our scent ideas below!

3. Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the mixture reaches the texture of wet sand.

YL tip: If you add too much water, the mixture won’t pack together or dry properly. Add more baking soda and salt to get the texture of wet sand.

4. Pack the mixture into the measuring spoon.

YL tip: To get your freshener out of the measuring spoon, tap the spoon lightly on the counter until the contents slide out. Be careful! The mixture hasn’t dried yet, so it might be fragile.

5. Let the fresheners dry for about 24 hours.

6. Store in a sealed glass jar, and keep dry.

To use:

Put 1-3 fresheners in your garbage disposal. Turn the faucet on a steady cold stream, and run the disposal for up to one minute.

Four tips for keeping your garbage disposal fresh:

• Run it often, even when there’s nothing in it, to keep all its parts moving.
• Always use cold water—hot water can melt grease, which causes clogs.
• Avoid putting certain things down there, like grease, bones, large fruit pits, and foods that expand when wet, like rice or pasta.
• Grind small pieces of food thoroughly by running the disposal for longer than you think—a few seconds doesn’t cut it.

Want other ways to make your home smell fresh and clean? Check out 5 reasons to keep Lemon handy in the kitchen and how to freshen up your home! For more DIY cleaning ideas, read  DIY Thieves cleaning fizzies.