Garbage Disposal Dos & Donts
A common mistake for any home dweller is overuse of the garbage disposal, which is in fact, NOT for garbage - despite its name! Using it for cooking grease, or relying on it to clear the fridge of leftovers can result in clogged pipes. We thought it would be helpful to compile a short list of disposal dos and donts, to clear up any misconception that the garbage disposal can be used for any and everything. Referring to this list when in doubt will save you time and money on a plumber!
1. Don’t add anything starchy
This might come as a surprise, but pasta, rice, potato peels, even mashed potatoes, should not go down the disposal unless it’s just a small amount from rinsing your already-scraped plate. Starches are notorious for clumping together and forming a “goo” in your pipes, ick!
2. Don’t add anything stringy or hard
Disposals aren’t made of actual blades, so they’re not going to be able to handle hard things like bones and corn cobs. And stringy things (like celery and rhubarb) will just clog things up. Things will get moved around, but because garbage disposals don’t actually have blades, they don’t do a good job cutting food up. Instead, things will just get twisted and get caught.
3. Do keep it clean
Your garbage disposal is bound to get a coating of gunk from time to time. And that gunk can interfere with how well the disposal does its job at grinding. It also can make it smelly. The best way to clean the disposal is to run it with a cup of ice cubes and some dish soap. The ice will knock the gunk off. White vinegar is also a good product to use, and some baking soda for foaming action. That’ll add some freshness and do some cleaning as well.
4. Do keep granular bits out of it
Avoid seeds, coffee grounds, eggshells, popcorn kernels, and, of course, bits of glass or plastic. These things can get between the shredder ring and the wall of the disposal, they get caught in there and then it can’t move and trips the breaker. You’ll flip the switch and it’ll buzz and nothing happens.
5. Don’t stress over running hot or cold water
Some experts say to run the disposal with hot water, which will liquefy any residual fats and let it flow away. Others swear by cold because it’ll solidify the fats and let it be carried away with the water. The consensus - it doesn't really matter!
