Tip #1 Garbage disposals can smell bad due to decaying foodstuffs caught in the blades. To better clean your disposal, we recommend periodically making a “soap shake” in the disposal itself. To do this, empty a tray of ice into the unit, apply a little dish soap, then with the cold water running just slightly, turn the disposal on until the icy mixture disappears. Voila! A clean disposal. Also, if you don’t use the disposal often, it’s a good idea to turn it on occasionally with the water running at maximum flow – to wash away debris.
Tip #2 If there is a fixture in your home that you don’t use regularly, such as a guest shower, pour water down the drain once in a while; just a half gallon or so will do. This “primes the p-trap,” meaning it replaces evaporated water to the water seal below the fixture, which prevents sewer gases and bugs from entering the home.