April 3, 2024, 8:09 PM UTC

By Madison Clark

As I'm sure many can relate, I recently let two bananas get overripe on my counter. Naturally, I had these tiny gnats showing up in my kitchen afterward. But as time passed, it seemed like they were everywhere, and no amount of cleaning could get them to go away.

Research taught me that these gnats may be spawning inside of my sink drains (which is super gross, let’s be clear) so I focused my cleaning frenzy on my kitchen sink. Over the last six months, I’ve tried more garbage disposal cleaning methods than I can even remember. I finally settled on using the more traditional, DIY approach of baking soda and white vinegar — even though this meant I was going through white vinegar by the literal half gallon.

While I did finally get rid of those pests, I’ve remained on the hunt for a garbage disposal cleaning method that is A.) bleach-free for the sake of both me and my cat, B.) easy to use on a regular basis, and C.) more affordable than all of the baking soda and white vinegar I’ve been buying. This Garbage Disposer Cleaner and Freshener from Glisten meets all of those criteria and has officially earned a spot in my kitchen cleaning routine.

Glisten Garbage Disposer Cleaner and Freshener

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Garbage Disposer Cleaner and Freshener

$3.78

$5.29

$3.78

What is the Glisten Garbage Disposer Cleaner and Freshener?

To put it simply, this is a quick cleaning trick for removing build-up and odor in your sink. But even if you’re hyper independent like me, make sure you read the directions thoroughly before you use this product. (Yes, seriously.)

The best results come from following the instructions exactly. Thankfully, there are only three steps to the directions, so this is pretty easy to do.

In preparation for the packet, you want to fully empty your sink of any dishes. Before you even think about turning on the garbage disposal, you need to run hot water into the side of your sink that has the disposer in it. Do not run this water straight into the drain, but instead into the sink itself so it goes down the drain less forcefully. After a minute of this, you reduce the hot water, but keep it running.

This is the step that first made me hesitate, but I promise the instructions aren’t lying to you: You then insert a full packet into the disposal. You do not open the packet, you do not remove it from its paper, or disturb it in any way. You simply get one packet out of the pack of four, place that into the garbage disposal — with that trickle of hot water still going — and then move onto the final step.

Turn on your garbage disposal. There’s a good chance that you’ll see what Glisten calls “blue cleaning foam” come up out of the drain as your disposal is working. I have a double sink, with a garbage disposal on only one side, but the foam always rises up on both sides of my sink. This foam is actually an indicator for when you can turn off the disposal and trust that the cleaning is finished, because you want to wait until the foam disappears from the disposal side of your sink.

Why I like this product

It has simplified my cleaning routine

The ease of dropping a single packet into my garbage disposal is unmatched — especially because I’m comparing it to measuring out baking soda and vinegar, and running ice through my disposal. The first time I used this, I was hesitant to drop a full paper packet into my disposal. But the packet materials are biodegradable and all of its contents are disposer, drain, and septic safe, so my hesitations were unfounded!

The packets also contain a bleach alternative, with all of the chemicals contained within the small paper pouch, so I’m less concerned about exposing myself (or my cat) to anything potentially dangerous.

The instructions say to use these weekly, but I’ve been using them every other week instead and I haven’t had any issues. Note: I am only cooking for myself, so the amount of food that ends up in my drain is much more limited than someone who’s cooking in larger amounts or ending up with more food waste.

What to consider

If you’re looking to unclog a drain, or if you want your home to be chemical free, this is not the product for you; but if you’re looking for a simple and effective solution for cleaning your garbage disposal, then I highly recommend starting here. And the reviews can back up its effectiveness (there are over 30,000 five-star ratings, for instance!).

I believe that this product is for anyone looking for an easy way to keep kitchen smells at bay, maintain a consistently clean sink — and make sure little gnats don’t infiltrate your home, too. You get four cleaning packets for under four dollars, which makes this especially appealing to those of us on a budget!