Garbage Disposal DIY Maintenance

Garbage disposals are a convenient appliance found in most households but often, we take them for granted. Like any other appliance, garbage disposals require regular maintenance to avoid breaking. You never know how much you use it until it stops working. Follow these tips to ensure your disposal always performs at its best:

1. Inspect and Clean Regularly: Regularly check your disposal for obstructions like broken glass or utensils. Also make sure you are cleaning it regularly to prevent buildup of food particles and debris. You can use a disposal cleaning product or bleach-free cleaner to sanitize and deodorize the unit.

2. Use cold water: Always use cold water when using the garbage disposal, Cold water hardens fats and grease, making it easier for the disposal to break down and prevent clogs. Hot water melts fats and grease, causing them to cling to pipes.

3. Cut food into small pieces: Avoid putting large amounts of food down your disposal.  It is not a trash can. Always cut food waste into small, pea-sized pieces before putting them into the garbage disposal. This will also prevent damage from overworked motors.

4. Dodge the hard items: Garbage disposals are meant to handle soft food waste and small scraps. You may want to avoid putting hard items like bones, fruit pits, shells, or coffee grounds into the disposal, as these can damage the blades and cause clogs.

5. Use citrus peels and ice: To keep your garbage disposal smelling fresh, consider grinding citrus peels or ice cubes in the disposal. The oils in citrus rinds can help eliminate odors; while also sanitizing. Ice cubes can help clean the disposal blades and dislodges caked-on food around its edges.

6. Avoid fibrous and expandable foods: Celery, corn husks, and onion skins can wrap around the disposal blades causing clogs while starchy foods like rice, pasta and potatoes expands when wet, potentially backing up the disposal and causing clogged drains.

7. Run water before and after use: Running water before, during, and after using the garbage disposal, minimizes blockages and ensures proper drainage.

Staying vigilant about what you put down the garbage disposal is an important part of caring for you home's plumbing as a whole.