With so much more time at home and so many more people in their home kitchens, we thought it would be a good idea to provide a refresher on what can and cannot go into your garbage disposal.

There are many misconceptions about this kitchen appliance that lead to headaches and repair costs. With garbage disposals, an ounce of prevention beats a gallon of cure for your health and your wallet.

Here are the dos and don’ts of garbage disposals.

Good Habits Avoid Costly Repairs

Proper maintenance and operating your garbage disposals correctly will prevent major breakdowns and clogged pipes. Treating your disposal well and following a maintenance plan will help you avoid costly repairs.

Garbage Disposal Do’s

• Keep it clean! Add some dish soap to your garbage disposal and run it with cold water for a minute before doing the dishes or any other project in the sink
• Run it regularly. As with any piece of machinery, the more it sits idle the more chance of breakdown. Using your disposals every day prevents corrosion, rust, and prevents the accumulation of obstructions
• Always use cold water when running the disposal. Why? Because greasy food waste, as much as you try not to put it down there, gets into the garbage disposal. Cold water makes the fats solid so they’ll be chopped up by the disposal before entering the trap and prevent them from getting stuck in there
• Grind hard materials every so often. Things like eggshells, smaller bones from fish or chicken, and small fruit pits are a good option. These things provide a scouring effect, cleaning the disposal walls, and sharpening the blades of the disposal
• Cut things into small pieces before sending them down the disposal. This means the machine doesn’t have to work as hard to grind them up

Garbage Disposal Don’ts

• Do NOT put anything in the disposal that isn’t food. It’s not a second trashcan, it’s only for food scraps inadvertently left in the sink
• Don’t grind plastic, metal, or paper
• Don’t grind fibrous non-food items like cigarette butts or cotton balls
• Don’t purposely pour oil or grease down your disposal. Avoid oil in the disposal to avoid additional wear and tear on the machine
• Don’t use hot water during the grinding
• Don’t grind fibrous food items like celery, onion skin, corn husks, artichoke, etc. The fibers can jam the motor by wrapping themselves around the mechanism
• Keep the water running while the motor is on and don’t stop it until all the grinding is complete. After grinding, turn off the disposal and let the water continue to run into it for 30 seconds for additional flushing
• Don’t put potato peels into the garbage disposal. These can become a thick mashed potato paste and jam the motor
• Don’t put anything that expands in water, down the disposal. Things like pasta, rice, oats, etc will expand and cause potential pipe issues
• Don’t put coffee grounds into the garbage disposal. They have a tendency to accumulate in the trap and pipes and can cause clogs
• Don’t use drain cleaner or other harsh chemicals like bleach in the disposal. Use natural cleaners whenever possible to avoid damaging the blades and pipes connected to the disposal

How To Keep Your Garbage Disposal Running Strong Day After Day

Treat your disposal like any other appliance in your home. Keep it clean and maintained often. Once a week or so throw a few ice cubes into the disposal and grind them up.

To avoid odors, toss in a sliced lemon or other citrus fruit into the disposal every now and again. You can also use frozen vinegar cubes and grind those to eliminate odors and clean up the inside of the mechanism.

Use baking soda or Borax for stronger odors that won’t go away after these other tips have been tried.

What To Do If Your Garbage Disposal Isn’t Working

Make sure you turn off the disposal once figuring out it’s not working. Then try and locate a clog or item that is jamming the blades.

Once it’s free of any debris or jams find the reset button on the unit. This is usually red or black. You can push it and it will reset the motor. Try and run the unit again.

If it’s still not working check for a tripped circuit or blown fuse to the power in the kitchen. If that’s not the case it’s time to call in a professional.

Contact us at Gulf Coast Appliances and we will be happy to come to take a look at it for you.