Garbage Disposal
Tips and Tricks
Pride Plumbing of Rochester Is Sharing Garbage Disposal Tips & Tricks
A garbage disposal is a great, helpful appliance to have within your home. It makes cleaning up the kitchen easier, reduces the amount of garbage in landfills, and keeps your kitchen smelling fresh and clean. However, when your disposal is not running properly or if you have a clogged garbage disposal drain, it can make your kitchen—and even your whole house—smell. Today, we are going to share how to maintain your garbage disposal, what you can and cannot put down your drain, and the benefits of having a garbage disposal.
Garbage Disposal Tips & Maintenance
Use a lot of water: After you hear that the garbage disposal is done grinding, let the water run for 10-20 seconds. By doing this, you are letting the water carry any remaining particles out of the disposal.
Use cold water: Hot water will liquefy greases and fats. When they are in liquid form, grease adheres to the blades and will build up on them. Cold water is always safer to use.
Clean the inside: It is natural for sludge to build up on your garbage disposal. Do not use harmful chemicals to clean it, as it could do more harm than good. You can clean the garbage disposal naturally by putting baking soda down the drain and pouring vinegar on top of it. Many people think that putting lemons or coffee grounds down the disposal will help with the bacteria and improve the smell of the kitchen. Doing this may improve the smell, but it could cause damage to your disposal and drainage system. The citric acid in lemons corrodes the metal components that make up your disposal. Coffee grounds appear to drain just fine, but they could get stuck in the trap of the garbage disposal. As the coffee grounds build up, they will eventually disable the disposal and cause unwanted damage.
Don’t put your hands down the disposal! If your garbage disposal is clogged or not working, do not put your hands in there to try to remove it! When wedged food is removed, the sudden release of tension can make the blades active again and cause a painful injury. Instead, try using pliers. If that does not work, call your neighborhood plumber, Pride Plumbing at 585-271-7150, or schedule an appointment online. We would be happy to fix your garbage disposal!
What NOT to Put Down the Disposal
Hard foods: This includes hard seeds, nuts, popcorn kernels, peach stones, apple seeds, and bones. The smaller pieces can get wedged underneath the blades which could cause them to jam.
Fibrous foods: This includes Onion skins, eggshells, celery stalks, asparagus, banana peels and corn husks. The fibers tend to wrap themselves around the blades which could cause them to jam.
Grease, Oil, and Fat: As we have learned, grease adheres to the blades. Even though grease and oil might flow out of the pan, it will solidify quickly and create a sticky trap for other debris. Over time, this could cause a blockage or slow the drain.
Pasta and Rice: Starchy foods can get tangled in your garbage disposal blades. When pasta and rice come in contact with water, they expand in size. If you have pasta and rice down your drain, they could swell up and clog your pipes.
Potato Peels: The starches from the potato peels create a thick, gluey paste and can cause the disposal’s blades to stick or create a jam.
What You CAN Put in the Disposal
You can put the majority of fruits and vegetables down the drain, besides the few exceptions above.
Liquids and soft foods. Generally, if a baby can eat it, the garbage disposal can too!
Scraps of cooked meat are fine as long as they are not too large or chunky.
What Are the Benefits to Having a Garbage Disposal?
Saves time: The disposal of kitchen waste becomes a faster process. Instead of you having to break up food, the garbage disposal does it for you!
Less trash: There is much less food waste to throw out, which reduces the amount of work and trash.
Reduced kitchen odor: Rather than throwing out your fruits and veggies and having them rot in the garbage, you can safely dispose of them in the garbage disposal, which would not leave any odor at all.
Fewer clogged pipes: Food scraps are ground up, which means there is less of a chance for whole pieces of food to get stuck in the pipe and cause a clog.
Saves money: Garbage disposals help improve drainage and protect your pipes, which saves you money in the long run. It also lessens your spendings on garbage bags and reduces utilizing single-use plastic.
Long-lasting: Garbage disposals generally last 8-15 years.
Helps the environment: When you dispose of your own food waste, it cuts down on greenhouse gases emitted by garbage trucks and less methane produced at landfills.
Don’t have a garbage disposal but want one or need a disposal upgrade? Call your neighborhood plumber, Pride Plumbing at, 585-271-7150 or schedule an appointment online for a garbage disposal installation.
