Everybody loves that little piece of assurance nestled in our sinks that takes care of those loads of food waste that would otherwise stink up our kitchens. Garbage disposals are a convenience we could live without, but here are a few maintenance tips to keep everything running smoothly so you never have to.
These things should never be put into your disposal:
- Grease/oil – can cause blockages as they accumulate on the sides of your pipes leading to a very costly problem to fix
- Veggie peels – these can cause clogs in your pipes because they are too thick to be dissected by the blades
- Egg shells – the mucus membranes of the shells can cause clogging in your pipes, and the shell itself will only be ground down into a fine dust which will not degrade
- Coffee grounds – in mass quantities can clog your drains but disposal of these in the sink has also been linked to septic system failure
- Pits/seeds – pits and seeds from fruits and vegetables are too big and hard to be ground by the disposal and will cause blockages in your pipes.
- Bones – small bones seem to be fine, larger bones however, will not be able to be
- Garbage/non-food items – cigarette butts, rubber bands, twist ties, sponges, plant clippings
- Rice/pasta – expands with water and will clog the disposal
- Food in bulk – the disposal is meant for small amounts of waste, therefore large amounts are likely to clog the drain and decrease the efficiency of the blades, if the food ever makes it that far. If you have large amounts of waste that you need to dispose of, you may want to consider throwing it away in a separate bag to contain smell, or chop the waste into smaller pieces and dispose of it in stages.
- Stringy veggies – the strings of these can get caught in the blades and decrease rotation speed or stop rotation altogether.
- Glass, plastic, metal or paper – all of these items can harm your disposal by causing clogs and lead to complications in almost every area of your disposal, including issues with your sewage.
- Harsh chemicals like bleach – can damage the blades and pipes, leading to malfunctions.
These are good habits to form:
- Grind food with flowing cold water to solidify any oils and to help ease flow of materials down the drain
- Grind citrus
peels like lemon or orange to improve smell. Do not use whole orange rinds or lemon peels, cut them into smaller slices beforehand. - Use your garbage disposal regularly to maintain the system. This will prevent the system from rusting and help you to identify problems quickly and efficiently if they do arise.
