The BEST Foaming Garbage Disposal Cleaner on Amazon

A little known fact here is that this article will most likely only be relevant to a small chunk of our readers - our American friends! Were you aware that garbage disposals are distinctly American, and you can’t find them in most of the world? We weren't before writing this article!

Garbage disposals are great for those that have them in their homes. It’s so convenient to not have to worry about that tiny bit of food that you didn’t finish on your plate, and having the option to just get rid of it altogether so it isn't camping out and stinking up your trash can. Unfortunately, garbage disposals can also be a 1/10 experience (not fun at all) if you don’t keep them clean. The smell that comes out of them is something that no one should have to deal with.

If you use Home Depot’s home project guide, cleaning your garbage disposal should take under two hours. If you follow our guide, cleaning your garbage disposal should take under 10 minutes. 

To fix a gross scent, there are a ton of recommendations from places like This Old House and The Spruce that advise putting lemon or orange slices in your garbage disposal. There are also a ton of products on Amazon that are essentially tiny bouncy balls filled with (extremely pleasing) lemon or orange scent that give your garbage disposal a fresh scent. Both of these solutions are temporary. If you are just looking for a quick fix, these are great products and often extremely budget friendly. Unfortunately, they are not actually going to do anything as far as cleaning your garbage disposal goes.

If you want to truly clean your garbage disposal, a foaming cleaner is the way to go! That’s why we’ve gone ahead and found the top two foaming garbage disposal cleaners for you, and we've even narrowed it down to the clear winner that we would go with. Read on to find out!

Option 1: Glisten Garbage Disposal Cleaner

Photo Credit: Amazon

The Glisten Garbage Disposal Cleaner is impressive. Glisten claims that they are the #1 best selling brand disposal cleaner, and we see why they hold that prestigious position. This stuff really works, and it works quickly and easily. All you have to do is put the packet into your garbage disposal while running water, and then run your garbage disposal. Shortly after putting the cleaner in your disposal, you will see a blue foam come up and into your sink. The amount that comes up may vary, but as long as you see it, you know you did it right. 

While the Glisten Garbage Disposal Cleaner does not have the strongest scent itself (no, your whole home will not smell like lemons), it does an absolutely fantastic job at deodorizing. You shouldn’t have to worry about lingering smells for a while after using just one packet. It neutralizes and eliminates bad smells from the source. If you do want a bit of a stronger scent in your kitchen after using this product, just use an additional packet.

Glisten advises using their packets once a week, and can be found for about $1 per packet. $52 for a year full of good smells in your kitchen feels reasonable to us. Glisten Garbage Disposal Cleaner is available on Amazon, Home Depot, Lowes, and Walmart.

Option 2: Lemi Shine Disposal Cleaner

Photo Credit: Target

It's impossible to deny. The overall aesthetic of Lemi Shine is 100% better than Glisten. And we are a e s t h e t i c people. The little pods of Lemi Shine are much cuter than Glisten's packets. Unfortunately, that's about all of the pros we have for Lemi Shine over Glisten. We actually had to use two pods (one after the other) because we wanted to give Lemi Shine the benefit of the doubt. Alas, even two pods didn't have the cleaning power of one Glisten packet.

The garbage disposal smell was definitely improved, and the inside was cleaner overall, but the smell was not completely gone like it was with Glisten. It returned to being what we would consider unacceptable, smelly, and generally gross much faster. Glisten advertises that their packets should be used weekly, and Lemi Shine claims the same.

We feel that if you are going to use Lemi Shine instead of Glisten, you will end up using them roughly every three days in order to keep your garbage disposal smelling as fresh as we would want. Given that Lemi Shine are also about $1 per pod, it would add up to $121.67 a year if you used them every three days - much more expensive than Glisten, which only needs to be used once per week.

We do have to give Lemi Shine props for being an all-natural cleaner. If that is a primary concern for you, it's a fine product! We have not found a comparable natural garbage disposal cleaner. Lemi Shine Disposal Cleaner can be purchased at Amazon, Lowes, Target, and Walmart.

Does Glisten or Lemi Shine Clean your Garbage Disposal Better?

Glisten Garbage Disposal cleaner gives the better clean overall. It's what we would recommend if you are constantly dealing with unpleasant smells in your kitchen, or if you are looking to prevent bad smells from building up in the first place. 

How Often Should you Clean your Garbage Disposal?

Both Glisten and Lemi Shine recommend weekly use. As we mentioned above, we do think that weekly would be a great cadence for the Glisten garbage disposal cleaner. We sometimes even extend that time frame to every 2-3 weeks, depending on the amount of use our garbage disposal has been getting. Lemi Shine will need to be used more frequently than weekly if you want a truly fresh smelling garbage disposal. 

Looking for more ways to keep your home clean? You may enjoy our The BEST Robot Vacuum (that isn't a Roomba) Under $800 review as well.