There’s a wrong way to use a garbage disposal? YES! There are definite do’s and don’ts when using the kitchen’s power house appliance. From what to grind to how to clean, check out these tips for your garbage disposal.
Thank you, Arm & Hammer, for sponsoring this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
You put food in the sink & turn on the garbage disposal. That’s all it takes, right? NO! We learned the hard way that there’s a RIGHT way and a WRONG way to use your garbage disposal.
Garbage disposals don’t last forever, but should get you around 15 years of service. To ensure you get the most life out of your machine, follow these few tips.
How to Use Your Garbage Disposal Properly
Run Your Garbage Disposal Regularly
Like a car engine, regular use is important as a part of your regular garbage disposal maintenance. With a family of five, this is not a problem of mine! We use it daily!
Don’t Put These In Your Garbage Disposal
When you think of your garbage disposal as a gateway to your plumbing, it’s easier to determine if a food item can go down the disposal or not. You’ll want to avoid food items that will cause blockages in your plumbing or corrode the pipes.
Don’t Put These in Your Garbage Disposal
- Pasta and Rice – These foods sure are swell, but they swell! Pasta and rice expand with water and can clog your plumbing. Avoid yelling “Mama Mia!” when your sink backs up by throwing leftover pasta and rice in the trash.
- Potato Peels – The starchy peels can make a mess of your garbage disposal. If you’re mashing your spuds, make sure to ditch the peels in the trash.
- Egg Shells – I am totally guilty of this one! Rather than throwing the shells in the sink, try throwing them in your garden. The crushed shells are great for your plants, but may not be so good for your disposal.
- Shells and Bones – These tough items are hard to break down. Their build-up in your drain can cause a clog.
- Fibrous Foods – Your garbage disposal spins metal blades to destroy your dinner leftovers. Fibrous foods can get wound around your disposal’s blades. Skip fibrous foods like: celery, corn husks, and asparagus.
- Non-food Items – It should be obvious, but non-food items shouldn’t be sent into your garbage disposal. Kitchen towels, paper towels, broken glass, or other remnants of other household woes shouldn’t be grinded.
Don’t Overfill
Allow the garbage disposal room to work by not overfilling.
Run with Cold Water if Clogged
I wash the dishes with molten lava-temperature water. Because dishes don’t get clean unless you also blast off the skin off your hands, right?
Well, if you’re looking to break up foods in your garbage disposal and plumbing, consider running cold water. Hot water will heat up oils & fats and can make your clog even worse.
Plus, garbage disposals can overheat.
Keep It Clean
Did you know you should be regularly cleaning your garbage disposal? It both clean and deodorizes your appliance. Make it super simple with Garbage Disposal Cleaner from Arm & Hammer.
Arm & Hammer Garbage Disposal Cleaner
Harness the natural power of baking soda to clean and dodorize your garbage disposal with Arm & Hammer’s Garbage Disposal Cleaner.
Using the small orange tablets is simple! You run your disposal for a minute, turn it off & run a small stream of water, and then rerun your disposal.
You’ll be delighted to find stinky smells leftover from your dinner is replaced with a pleasant citrus scent. Want to refresh the scent? Run a splash of hot water in your sink.
Cleaning your garbage disposal is a quick & easy step to maintain your applicance. Using it incorrectly can cause clogs and costly repairs.
Have any other tips? Share them in the comments!
Tags:Cleaning
