Using a garbage disposal seems pretty straight forward; put food down the drain, turn on the grinder and presto, everything goes down the drain. But is that really all there is to it? Not if you want to keep your plumbing free of clogs and extend the life of your garbage disposal. There are correct ways to use a garbage disposal that will protect your plumbing and help maintain your disposal. Here are a few tips:
- Keep fibrous items out of the disposal. Most vegetable and fruit peelings should be thrown away or put into your compost, not put down the drain. Not only are they tough on your garbage disposal, they don’t breakdown and can cause large clogs in your plumbing.
- Coffee grounds shouldn’t be put down the drain. Even though coffee is already ‘ground’ it is still a hard bean that can get stuck in the gears of your disposal and cling to fat in your pipes. Don’t dump coffee grounds in your kitchen sink!
- Keep your disposal clean. If your garbage disposal gets food trapped in the blades, the rotting smell can stink up your whole kitchen. Carefully wipe the blades clean with a cloth, obviously with the disposal completely off. Chopping up a few small ice cubes can also help remove food particles.
Just because it is called a ‘garbage’ disposal, doesn’t really mean garbage should be put down your drain. This device is just meant for pulverizing soft food into smaller pieces to ensure it can go down the drain without clogging your plumbing. Keep all items like egg shells, nuts, bones and other hard materials out of your disposal to reduce wear and clogs in your plumbing.
Is your garbage disposal not working right or making a strange sound? Call your local plumber to have them inspect your device and see if it is time for a new disposal.
Posted on behalf of:
Seagraves Plumbing Sewer & Septic
4980 Plant Atkinson Rd SE
Smyrna, GA 30080
(494) 792-2221
