When your garbage disposal is working properly, it is the best appliance in your kitchen. The ability to get rid of small pieces of food without putting them in your trash can to smell bad later is a dream. This magical appliance needs to be properly maintained to keep it working flawlessly though. The Original $49.95 Plumber is here to share some usage tips and maintenance tips that will keep your garbage disposal working.
Run Garbage Disposal with Plenty of Water
Your garbage disposal is not meant to be used without plenty of water in the process. Once your garbage disposal has grinded the food up, you will be able to hear the smooth sound of the disposal. At that time, you will shut the disposal off and let the food continue down the drain. Don’t shut water offer before your garbage disposal ever. Letting the water run for 10-20 seconds once the disposal is off will flush everything in it down the drain.
Running Cold Water Through Garbage Disposal is Best
It may sound like hot water would be the water of choice in your garbage disposal when in fact, cold water is better. Hot water will melt the greases and fats that are put through the garbage disposal and when the cold water hits them, they solidify again. When they are melted, they will coat the gears in your disposal and gum it up.
Worst Foods for Garbage Disposals
Your garbage disposal is meant to grind up food and the water flushes it down the drain. When you put hard to grind foods in there like bones, eggshells, popcorn or seeds & nuts, it can cause damage to your disposal. You should also avoid fibrous foods like potato skins, onion peels, celery stalks and corn husks as these can bind up your blades and cause them to start jamming.
Clean Garbage Disposal Trap & Rubber Flange
When you put foods through your garbage disposal, it is natural for sludge to build up over time. This will start to smell bad and cause problems if it isn’t removed from your disposal. There are several ways to clean this sludge including a toilet brush, garbage disposal cleaners and a combination of baking soda and vinegar. These can be helpful in making the job much easier; as this isn’t a fun job to do! If you are looking for a way to sharpen the blades and clean them at the same time, you can put a cup of rock salt down the disposal and turn it on. This will kill two birds with one stone.
Never Reach Inside Garbage Disposal
This may sound like common sense, but you shouldn’t ever reach inside your garbage disposal for any reason. Even if you don’t turn it on and are just trying to remove food from the disposal blades, they may spring into action when the food is removed and cause injury.
Cleaning & Unclogging Drain Pipes & Sewer Lines in Staten Island, Maspeth, Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Yonkers, Queens, NYC Boroughs, New York City NY
If you have a clogged sink because your garbage disposal isn’t working properly, you can count on The Original $49.95 Plumber to fix it. Call us today!
