Garbage disposals can be great tools for your home and kitchen, but if misused, they can cause clogs and costly repairs. Knowing how to take care of your garbage disposal can help you keep it running well. Here are some tips from our Advanced Home Services technicians to help you properly maintain your garbage disposal:
- Dispose food only – it’s called a garbage disposal, but it isn’t really for all kinds of garbage; what it is for is to pulverize food waste. As such, putting items like glass, cans or paper will cause problems to develop with your disposal.
- Do not pour grease down the disposal – just as it’s bad to pour grease down your sink drain, it is just as bad to do it with a garbage disposal. While the grease may not affect the disposal very much, it will cling to the piping, and can eventually cause a blockage to develop.
- Use only cold water – it can seem counter-intuitive, but warm or hot water causes grease and food to liquefy and stick to the pipes, so it’s best to use cold water to wash food down into the disposal.
- Run water before and after using – it’s recommended that you run water for 20 seconds before and after using the disposal to help with optimal operation.
- Clean with ice cubes – it is recommended that once a month you use ice cubes to clean your disposal. Simply grind a few ice cubes while running cold water; this has a scouring action and can help clean out sticking debris.
- Be judicious with potato peels – potato peels can become pasty when they are wet; as such, putting an abundance of potato peels down your disposal can create a situation where the potato peels create a thick paste that can cause the blades to stick.
- Don’t put “expandable” foods into the disposal – foods like pasta and rice expand when left in water; the same thing will happen with the disposal and can cause clogs to develop.
- Don’t use drain cleaners – drain cleaners contain harsh chemicals that can erode both the piping and the components of your garbage disposal.
Your garbage disposal can help you manage your food waste, but only if you treat the device properly. If you are experiencing problems with your garbage disposal or any other type of plumbing issue, call us today. We professional service garbage disposals and offer a variety of plumbing services in the Rigby area.
