What Should I Avoid Putting in My Garbage Disposal?

Here’s what you should avoid putting in the garbage disposal:

• Utensils: While this seems obvious, lots of garbage disposals become damaged due to 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 a pliers or tongs to grab items from the disposal.

• Cooking Oils and Grease: Unlike other liquids, cooking oils can solidify into grease when it cools, forming a clog. This includes fats. Cooking oils should be discarded in the trash can into of down the drain.

• Fibrous Vegetables: Foods like celery, asparagus, and onion skins should be kept out of the disposal because the fibers and strands can wind around the moving parts of a disposal, preventing operation and allowing clogs to form in the drain.

• Uncooked or Cooked Pasta and Rice: Pasta and rice break down into a starchy goo after spending time inside a wet disposal and drainpipe. This means that the more pasta and rice you put down your disposal the greater the chance of a big starchy, gel-like clog forming inside your drainpipe.

• 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.

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.