Garbage disposals are the best. They’re basically the garbage can for your leftover food since they can grind up anything, right? In reality, your disposal isn’t invincible. If you want to avoid a clogged garbage disposal, expensive repairs, and unpleasant smells, it’s time to treat your disposal with some care.
How Garbage Disposals Actually Work
A garbage disposal doesn’t have blades like a blender. Instead, it uses impellers mounted on a spinning plate that force food waste against a stationary grind ring. This ring pulverizes the food into tiny particles, small enough to be flushed down the drain with water.
This system is specifically designed for soft food scraps. (That means it’s not designed for everything that’s left on your plate!)
The Worst Offenders: What You Should Never Put Down the Disposal
Keep your plumbing clear and avoid clogs and nightmares by making sure these items go into the trash, not down your garbage disposal.
Grease, Oil, and Fat
When hot grease, oil, or fat is poured down the drain, it cools and solidifies. This creates a thick, sticky coating on your pipes and disposal parts, which then traps food and creates a stubborn clog in your garbage disposal.
Fibrous Vegetables
Vegetables like celery, asparagus, corn husks, and artichokes have long, tough fibers. These strings can wrap around the disposal’s impellers and jam the motor. Your disposal might even stop working completely.
Starchy Foods
Foods high in starch, like pasta, rice, and potatoes, expand when they come into contact with water. Even after being ground up by your disposal, these starchy particles can swell into a dense, paste-like clog that blocks the water flow in your pipes.
Bones and Shells
While some disposals claim they can handle small bones, it’s best to avoid them altogether. Bones, shrimp shells, and oyster shells are too tough for most residential units to grind, causing them to jam or break.
Coffee Grounds
Coffee grounds may seem harmless, but they don’t get flushed away easily. Instead, they accumulate in your pipes and create a dense, sludgy sediment that can cause a significantly clogged garbage disposal.
Eggshells
The thin membrane inside an eggshell can wrap around a disposal’s moving parts. Additionally, the ground shells create tiny, granular particles that contribute to sediment buildup and clogs further down the drain line.
Fruit Pits and Seeds
Hard items, including peach pits, avocado seeds, and even large seeds from other fruits, are too dense for your disposal to handle. Trying to grind them can damage the impellers or burn out the motor.
Non-Food Items
Your garbage disposal is only meant for food waste. Never put items like paper towels, plastic wrappers, metal foil, or glass down the drain. Any other material can cause immediate and severe damage to the unit and your plumbing.
How to Properly Maintain Your Garbage Disposal
Proper care can extend the life of your disposal and prevent clogs. Here are a few simple maintenance tips to keep it running smoothly:
- Always run a strong flow of cold water while operating the disposal and for about 30 seconds after you turn it off.
- Clean and deodorize your disposal by grinding up a few citrus peels (like lemon or orange) with a small amount of dish soap.
- Flush the unit with a mixture of baking soda and vinegar to help break down grease and remove buildup.
- Consider scheduling professional drain cleaning once or twice a year to keep your pipes clear of major obstructions.
When to Call a Professional
Pay attention to your disposal’s performance. If you notice any of the following, you may need to call an expert.
- Your disposal hums but doesn’t grind
- Water backs up into other drains
- The unit leaks or makes unusual sounds
- The water drains very slowly or is backing up
- You frequently need to restart the unit
- You notice a persistent foul odor
A professional drain technician has the right tools to safely diagnose the problem, clear a clogged garbage disposal, and repair or replace the unit if needed.
Leave It to the Experts at Drain Tech
While DIY fixes might offer temporary relief, they rarely solve the root cause. The friendly, experienced technicians at Drain Tech specialize in drain issues and can get your clogged garbage disposal flowing properly again. Contact us today to wash your drain issues away for good!
