Ask Any Hour: Garbage Disposal Woes

Any Hour Answer:

Your garbage disposal shouldn’t be treated as a hole that makes things magically go away. Don’t try and put everything possible down there that you can just to get rid of it. Disposals are the greatest thing as long as they’re used properly. Throw away most of your food into the garbage - scrape the plates into the garbage and only use the disposal for the bits that are left behind. Just doing that simple step can make your life less stressful by not having to deal with a backed up sink or a jammed disposal.

Here are some other tips to help you use your garbage disposal properly:

Some of the major disposal and drain issues happen from far less known items including banana peels, celery, raw onions, lettuce, egg shells, coffee grounds, potatoes (peels too), rice, poultry skins, and noodles/pasta. These foods don't break down easily and can either expand causing build up in the drains or get jammed in the disposal blades causing it to stop functioning properly. Also, it’s important to avoid having non-food items make their way down the disposal such as bones, paper, plastic and metal.

Another big no-no is to put oil or grease down the disposal. Just don’t do it. Oil and grease quickly harden (congeal) and stick to the sides of the drains and the buildup can cause blocked drain nightmares that only a plumber can fix. Don’t be impatient when it comes to properly disposing of oil and grease. First, allow time for the oil or grease to cool and solidify in the pan or another heat-resistant container. Once grease is cooled, you can either scrape it into the garbage (using a paper towel to wipe as much off as possible before washing). Once oil is cooled, you can pour it back into the original container for reuse or you can toss it into the garbage fully contained.

Make sure to run cold water (not hot) when using the disposal and also, turn the disposal on (always with water running) before you start to put food down into it.