Garbage Disposal Maintenance Tips

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Your garbage disposal is the workhorse of your kitchen sink, grinding food particles down to make them easier to flush through your plumbing. However, they are not meant to be a blender that liquefies everything you put down the drain. To ensure your garbage disposal doesn’t get overloaded, there are a few maintenance tips to follow that will extend the life of your disposal and keep plumbing problems at bay.

  • Clean your disposal. Food can get trapped in your garbage disposal and leave a foul odor after a few days. Clean your disposal weekly by either grinding up a cup of rock salt and ice cubes, or just use ice cubes made from vinegar. Chopped up lemons with warm water can also remove odors.
  • Keep these items out of the disposal. Fiber-heavy fruits and vegetable like banana peels, celery, potato skins and corn husks should not go down the disposal. Also keep other tough items like egg shells and coffee grounds out of the disposal, along with fats, to avoid clogged pipes.
  • Be careful when trying to unclog your disposal. If your disposal become entwined with fibers or clogged, turn the unit off and use pliers or tongs to dislodge items. Never use your fingers or try to unclog the unit with drain cleaner.

Keep in mind that the garbage disposal does not stop food from clogging drains, it only curtails it. Fats can congeal both in the disposal and in your pipes, causing major drain blockages. Also, even food that goes through the disposal can become lodged in your pipes. When you have a garbage disposal or kitchen drain that is clogged beyond your ability, call a professional plumber for assistance.

Posted on behalf of:
Bynum & Sons Plumbing, Inc.
2120 McDaniels Bridge Rd SW
Lilburn, GA 30047
(770) 736-8283

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