Garbage Disposal Use, Care, and Cleaning

The garbage disposal has become one of the most favored kitchen plumbing appliances of today. It helps keep your kitchen smelling fresh by eliminating or reducing the amount of food filling up the garbage can. It also makes the chore of cleaning up after meals quick and simple. To keep your disposal running smoothly, plumbers recommend paying attention to what you do while using the disposal, things to avoid, and cleaning the disposal.

WHEN USING THE DISPOSAL

When you use your disposal, always use cold water. Hot water can liquefy fat and grease. This allows the grease to adhere to the blades and build up sludge.

Use plenty of water while you are running the disposal. After the food is chopped up, let the water continue to run for 10 to 20 seconds so all food particles will be washed out of the appliance and flushed down the drain.

Don’t stuff the appliance full and then turn on the blades. This can make your blades jam. Instead, put the peelings or food into the disposal a bit at a time and allow the blades to grind away before adding more.

Run the appliance every time that food is put down the drain to prevent the food from decaying and smelling.

HOW TO OPERATE THE DISPOSAL CORRECTLY

A very common way to operate a disposal is to push all the food into the small opening until no more will fit. Once the appliance is full the operator flips the switch to turn the appliance on. This method is very hard on a disposal. It can cause the blades to jam and make the disposal stop working. The following steps should be taken whenever you use the disposal:

1. Turn on the cold water with the food still in the sink.
2. Turn on the disposal.
3. Gently push the food into the opening. Be sure to keep your fingers out of the opening. The food should drop into the appliance with just a little push.
4. Leave the appliance running until you don't hear grinding noise anymore.
5. Turn off the appliance.
6. Leave the water running for up to 20 more seconds.

In addition to operating the appliance correctly, there are other things you should do in order to use it correctly. These include the following suggestions:

• Put large amounts of food scraps into the garbage can rather than the disposal.
• Avoid grinding up items such as potato peelings, egg shells, onion skins, nuts, seeds, popcorn kernels, metal, plastic, glass, etc.
• Never put grease down any drains in the house, including the garbage disposal.
• Clean blades with ice cubes or orange peels cut into small pieces.

THINGS TO AVOID

Some foods and items are very hard on the blades and gears and should never be put down the disposal. Don’t put down fibrous particles such as onion skins, celery stalks, artichokes, egg shells, or corn husks. The fiber from these things can wrap around the blades and make them jam.

Another group of things to avoid are hard items. This includes popcorn kernels, pits from plums or peaches, apple seeds, bones, or nuts. In addition, non-food items such as plastic, glass, or metal should not be put down the disposal. The appliance can’t chop these things. Moreover, the little bits, such as apple seeds can get wedged underneath the blades and make them jam.

Don’t put your hands down the disposal. If something is wedged, use pliers or tongs to get it loose or call a trusted plumber to fix your disposal for you.

Here’s a quick list of what you should avoid putting in the garbage disposal:

• Utensils: While this seems obvious, lots of garbage disposals become damaged due to a few forks or spoons falling in without notice. Before running the disposal, check for any non-food items. As always, unplug your disposal and shut the power off before reaching in to remove anything. Better yet, use pliers or tongs to grab items from the disposal.
• Grease: Unlike other liquids, grease can solidify inside your drain, forming a clog. The same goes for any oil or fat. All of these items should be thrown in the trash instead of your disposal.
• Fibrous Vegetables: Things like celery, asparagus, potato peelings and onion skins should be kept out of the disposal, as the fibers and strands can catch the blades of a disposal, causing clogs or further damage.
• Uncooked or Cooked Pasta and Rice: Pasta and rice expands when mixed with water. This means that the more pasta or rice that you put in your disposal, the greater the chance your pipes will get backed up with a big starchy gel-like clog.
• Coffee Grounds: These are another disposal don’t, as coffee grounds often get caught in the drain trap and form clogs. They can also jam a disposal.
• Bones: Whether it’s chicken or fish, bones are difficult for a disposal to handle and can easily damage or break your unit.
• Seeds, Cores and Pits: Any sort of fruit pit or apple core can be a challenge for even industrial-grade garbage disposals and are best left to the trash or better yet, the compost bin.

If you find yourself with lots of these items, and you’re not sure where to put them, consider starting a compost pile. If you have the room and the use for it, a compost pile can be beneficial for your yard and garden and provides an incentive for you to filter what you put in your disposal.

Follow this rule of thumb: If you aren't sure whether to put scraps in the disposal, just toss them in the trash or compost pile.
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COMMON MISTAKES YOU MAKE WHEN OPERATING YOUR GARBAGE DISPOSAL

Garbage disposals are not all created equal. Some are loud, undependable and barely do an adequate job. Others are quiet, reliable and built to pulverize bones and seeds. So for a plumbing repair company like Roto-Rooter, it can be challenging to create a set of do’s and don’ts for garbage disposals when their capabilities vary so greatly from model to model.

But when The Washington Post approached us recently for some garbage disposal tips for their helpful pre-Thanksgiving article titled “Six common mistakes you make when operating your garbage disposal,” we gave them solid advice based on the lowest common denominator, which is to say the least capable, builder-grade model since that’s the most common type of garbage disposal equipping American homes.

As the Post article points out, “your garbage disposal is headed into crunchtime” because of Thanksgiving. The heavy meal preparation associated with Thanksgiving celebrations will run most disposals through their paces. Some of these appliances will rise to the challenge but many cannot. Worse, an underperforming disposal often leads to clogged kitchen sink drains and sewers that a homeowner may not be able to fix with plunger and drain chemicals.

HOW TO MAINTAIN YOUR DISPOSAL

When the kitchen garbage disposal is running properly, it is a great appliance. It keeps your kitchen smelling fresh and clean. It makes cleaning up after dinner easy. It even reduces the amount of garbage in the landfills. But when the disposal isn’t working properly, the decaying food remaining in the appliance can make your kitchen or even your whole house stink. It is easy to avoid this problem by regularly following five easy tips recommended by plumbers.

1. Use plenty of water. Every time you run your disposal, turn on the cold water while the food is being chopped up. After you hear the grinding of the motor turn into a soft whir, turn off the device and let the water continue to run for about 10 to 20 seconds. The running water will carry any remaining particles out of the disposal and will more completely flush the pipes.
2. Use cold water. While hot water won’t damage the parts, cold water is better while running the disposal. Hot water will liquefy greases and fats. When they are in liquid form, grease adheres to the blades and will build up on them.
3. Avoid hard or fibrous foods. Disposals are for foods that grind into bits and pieces easily. Hard seeds, popcorn kernels, peach stones, apple seeds, or bones don’t grind very well, if at all. The smaller pieces can get wedged underneath the blades causing them to jam. Fibrous foods should be avoided, also, because the fibers tend to wrap themselves around the blades causing them to jam, too. Therefore, avoid onion skins, egg shells, celery stalks, corn husks, etc.
4. Clean the inside. Over time, it is natural for sludge to build up on the sides and blades of your appliance. It is best to avoid using harsh chemicals since they can damage the parts of your device. You can get a natural chemical reaction by putting baking soda down the drain and pouring vinegar on top of it. Another easy method is to combine the sharpening with the cleaning by putting about a cup of rock salt down the drain when you grind up your ice cubes. Yet another method is to use about a quarter cup of a safe, effective enzyme treatment once a month to help break down any food and grease in the pipes and to eliminate odors.
5. Don’t put your hands in the disposal. When wedged food is removed, the sudden release of tension can make the blades spring into action and cause injury. Try using pliers. If that doesn’t work, call a plumber to come and fix the appliance.