Garbage disposals are a critical element in your kitchen, however, they often get neglected from proper maintenance. Small appliances, like your garage disposal, can become quite hassle when it breaks down or starts working improperly. By avoiding certain foods and the right proper care, your disposal can work efficiently and effectively. Read below to learn other garbage disposal maintenance tips.
5 Garbage Disposal Maintenance Tips
1. What Not To Put In Your Garbage Disposal: There’s a long laundry list of things not to put down your garbage disposal, but it’s important to know. A good rule of thumb to remember is if you can’t eat it, it probably shouldn’t go down the disposal. Clogs are hard to avoid, sometimes you may need to contact a professional. But in the meantime, avoid these foods:
- Pasta: If you don’t finish all your pasta at dinner, it’s usually best to dump that in the trash. Pasta and rice tend to expand into even larger clumps, creating a higher chance of a clog.
- Hard Objects: Avoid any fruit pits, bones, or anything hard that could potentially damage the blade.
- Vegetables: Vegetables like asparagus and celery are stringy and can wrap around the blade of the disposal. Onion skins can cause back up, as well.
- Fruit: Avoid any fruit stems, peels, and whole fruit in general.
2. What You Can Put In Your Garbage Disposal: When your done eating dinner and there are a few little scraps of chicken, it’s okay to put that down your garbage disposal. Other foods that tend to go down the disposal include bread, veggies, meat, eggshells, and ice.
3. Garbage Disposal Maintenace: Overall maintenance on your garbage disposal isn’t too complicated. Here are a few things that you can do to maintain your garbage disposal:
- Run Cold Water: Run cold water a little longer after putting food down the disposal
- Clean Drain: Get your drainage pipe snaked every 1-2 years
- Avoid Chemicals: Avoid using harsh chemicals to clean your disposal, it could cause damage
4. How To Clean Your Garbage Disposal: There are numerous ways to keep your disposal clean and working properly. Place ice and salt down the drain to let the blades crush off any leftover over debris. If that doesn’t do the trick, use a degreaser to minimize odors and decrease any grease build-up
5. Minimizing Odor: As stated above, degreaser can minimize odor, but sometimes that just isn’t enough. Slice off the peels of a lemon, lime, or orange. Don’t put the entire peel in disposal, but grind up the peels and use them as a natural cleanser for your disposal. The acidity from the fruit will fight bacteria growth as a bonus! Another trip you might’ve learned from your grandma is using a half cup of vinegar and a few handfuls of baking soda while your disposal is off can help remove unwanted odors.
Homeowners always have something to do; there is rarely a moment of rest when it comes to upkeep your home’s appearance and it’s operating systems. But Donofrio Mechanicals and Plumbing Masters Inc. wants to make your life easier, and take care of ensuring that your HVAC system is working correctly. We would be honored if we can cross that off your to-do list. Donofrio Mechanicals and Plumbing Masters Inc. prides itself on providing exemplary customer services. Visit our website or call us at 855-296-8719 to learn more today! Like us on Facebook to stay up to date on the latest events, tips, and specials.
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Sources:
https://www.plumbingsupply.com/garbage-disposal-care.html
https://www.thespruce.com/garbage-disposal-maintenance-4125831