Garbage disposals are one of those appliances you just assume will work every time. Shove debris in there, flip the switch, grind it up and make it go bye-bye! And indeed, that’s exactly how it should work. But like any other home appliance, things can go wrong. You can preserve your disposal and give it a long life by giving it proper care and maintenance.
- What not to put in the disposal
First up, don’t assume it can chew up anything you put down it. The grinding blades are capable of tearing up many things, but they can get overloaded. As a general rule, avoid putting fruits and vegetables down the drain. Artichokes, pits, banana peels, apple peels and especially celery can block up the disposal, slide through to form a clog or wrap around the blades and keep them from working. Stay area from stringy foods, such as pasta, as well as rice, potatoes and beans. They swell up with water and can cause a clog. Greases, fats and oils will create film on the teeth, making them less effective, and can cause an unpleasant odor. And enough grease will eventually clog a drain.
Eggshells are also a bad idea, despite what you may have heard about sharpening blades. The stringy membrane can bind them up.
Never put any kind of non-food item down the drain. The disposal can’t break them down enough to wash them down the drain.
