Garbage Disposal Maintenance

Ways You Can Help Keep Your Disposal and the Planet Cleaner

Eco-Friendly Garbage Disposals

It’s the little things that make a big difference, right? Help keep our environment safe by using garbage disposals. Insinkerator and Pride Plumbing are hoping to help reduce the amount of food waste emptied out at landfills by installing these models of disposals. For more information on how you can have a huge impact on the environment, check out our video center page for our videos on the Insinkerator models!

What You Can Put Down the Garbage Disposal

  • The majority of fruits and vegetables (except for onion skins, celery stalks, asparagus, banana peels and corn husks)

  • Soft food and liquids

  • Meat scraps as long as they are not chunky or too large in size

What You Can’t Put Down the Garbage Disposal

  • Hard foods like seeds, kernels and bones

  • Fibrous foods: these can cause major disposal jams

  • Grease, oil and fats: these can solidify and cause drain blockages

  • Pasta and Rice: these will expand and can swell up and clog your drains

  • Potato peels: these can cause the blades to stick together causing a jam

For a list of more foods that you should keep away from your drain, check out our blog post here!

Garbage Disposal Care & Maintenance

You’ll want to keep your garbage disposal in good condition. Luckily, there’s not too much you’ll have to do to keep your disposal in tip top shape. Check out the bullet points below on the easy ways you can maintain your disposal:

  • Always use cold water when pushing food scraps down the drain. Using hot water could liquefy the fats and greases which will create build up near the blades

  • Always turn the water on first, then turn on the disposal. Keep the water running until AFTER you turn off the garbage disposal. By using the “water first, water last” method, you will help push the food particles down the drain which will help flush out the pipes

  • Keep away from putting hard or fibrous foods down your garbage disposal. This could cause major garbage disposal jams

  • To clean the disposal, pour baking soda and vinegar down the drain. Stay away from harsh chemicals or cleaners as this could end up damaging the garbage disposal

  • Never put your hands down the disposal! Accidents happen. So if something gets stuck and you cannot safely remove it, call your Pride Plumbing of Rochester plumbers for help!