Cleaning the coffee grinder

My husband loves coffee and when we got married, my sister introduced him to grinding his own. Thanks sis. Now we have even bigger messes. Coffee grounds all over the counter. I'm not a big coffee drinker - an occasional cup from 7-11 in which I blend fake French Vanilla with Hot Chocolate. Mmmm.
So when my husband said his coffee tasted funny, I didn't know why. It was fresh - I only buy enough beans to last for a week or two. The coffee pot gets cleaned. I know how to clean it - ice and salt does wonders. But I was still puzzled as to why his coffee might be tasting odd. Today, I discovered it probably is the grinder. I've never cleaned it. But how do you clean an electric gadget that doesn't come apart. I contemplated tossing it in the trash - it only cost $10 and Ken has used it every day for almost 3 years. But it still works well. Today, I learned something new - how to clean the coffee grinder. Uncooked rice. Empty out the grinder the best you can, add rice and grind. The rice will absorb the odors and oils leaving the grinder looking like new and odor-free