The kitchen in our new house is quite out-dated — it IS 120 years old!
However, one nice thing about our kitchen is we now have a garbage disposal {yup, we’re easy to please!}
We didn’t have a garbage disposal in our first house and even though I had one growing up, it’s been about 8 years since I used one. So I did a little online research to learn the “do’s and don’ts” of garbage disposal life.
Here’s what I found…
Proper Use:
- Always use a strong stream of cold water when running the disposal. Hot water can make things all mushy and cause more gunk to stick to the blades.
- Run the disposal for a few seconds after the grinding noises stop to assure everything is really ground up.
- Continue to run the water for several seconds after you turn the disposal off. The water will flush any remaining particles down the drain.
- Never stick your hand into the disposal — even if it’s turned off. {I know this might sound obvious, but hey, I’m just reporting what I learned!}
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What NOT to put down the disposal:
There are a few things {besides your fingers} that you should NOT put in your garbage disposal.
- Bones, fruit pits, very hard seeds, or anything else that might be too hard to grind up
- Grease, meat fat, oily residue, or any other really greasy foods — it will clog up the disposal
- Corn husks, celery stalks, and artichokes — apparently the fibers from these items could get tangled in the blades and jam the motor.
- Glass, plastic, metal, or paper — again, super obvious, but I’m just being thorough!
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Getting Rid of Odors:
I use the following method to get rid of odors — and it really work!
1. Run the disposal before cleaning and thoroughly rinse with water.
2. Turn off the disposal and water.
3. Pour 1 – 2 cups of ice cubes into the garbage disposal — the bigger ice cubes the better!
4. Pour 2 T. of baking soda on top of the ice.
5. Start running cold water into the disposal and turn it on.
6. Allow it to grind until you can no longer hear the ice in the disposal.
7. Cut a lemon, lime, tangerine, or orange in half and put into the disposal.
8. Run cold water over the fruit and run the disposal for a few more seconds.
You should immediately smell the difference!
If your disposal continues to smell, you might want to clean the black rubber cover around the disposal opening by removing it and washing it with warm soapy water.
Also, any time we eat an orange or cook with lemons, we put the peelings into the disposal. Then the next time we turn it on, the kitchen smells clean and fresh.
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Care & Maintenance:
- Run your disposal often — it prevents it from rusting
- Run eggshells and ice cubes through to keep the blades sharp
- Remove excess debris from the blade with Ice cubes and rock salt. Fill the disposal with ice cubes and pour rock salt over the cubes. Then run cold water and the garbage disposal for at least 10 seconds.
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Purchasing the best disposal:
We obviously didn’t get to choose our disposal, but if you’re in the market, here are few things to look for.
- Choose a disposal with stainless steel blades or metal parts made of some other corrosion-proof material
- Continuous feed models {the kind with an on-off switch} are easier and more convenient than batch-feed models.
- An InSinkErator garbage disposal is one of the best-selling brands and is known for its easy installation.
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Fixing a Garbage Disposal:
Garbage disposal motors are generally reliable so the only problem you’re likely to encounter is a clog — which can be fixed pretty easily. {but don’t take my word for it — call a plumber if you don’t want to attempt this on your own!}
If you DO want to attempt this project, here are a few things to think about.
- Before attempting to fix a broken garbage disposal, make sure you turn off the power.
- Never reach into a disposal to clear a jam, even if the power is off. The blades can spring into action when the tension is released.
- Most garbage disposals have a manual turn on the bottom to deal with jams. A specialized wrench should be included with your disposal; if you can’t find it, an allen wrench from the hardware store will often do the job.
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So that’s everything I learned about garbage disposals over the last couple of week — and I’m happy to report that our garbage disposal is working wonderfully and smelling great!
Did I miss anything?
Do you have other great garbage disposal tips?
Rob Wane says
Be sure to read and follow the manufacturer’s instructions when installing your new disposer. For more installation tips please visit our Installing a Garbage Disposer project guide.
Keri M. says
Even though I adore my garbage disposal, I’ve been using it less and less because most things that can be put down a disposal can be composted. Composting saves the water and electricity that the disposal would use. Plus it makes great fertilizer for the garden later. Seems win-win to me 🙂
Sonja says
I did not grow up with a garbage disposal. Instead an uncle who worked for a plumbing company and therefore, with all his horror stories, NOTHING went down the drain. I still don’t understand why we would want to gunk up our pipes with food that will inevitably clog somewhere along the line, but nonetheless, my house came with a disposal so I’ve been very keen on using it “right”. My biggest problem is little baby/toddler cutlery and bottle accessories slipping down the drain. Also our silverware and my Pampered Chef Nylon Pan Scrubbers. I was constantly putting my hand down the drain to check – not good. The final straw came when my husband did NOT check and wrangled my son’s sterling silver baby spoon. My mom, who gave us the spoon, gave me this for Christmas, and I LOVE IT! http://www.disposalgenie.com/ Her plumber recommended it to her and I’m pretty sure she found it in a store versus online.
Andrea says
Thanks for sharing the link to the Disposal Genie — looks like a great too!
We haven’t had any thing other than food go down our disposal…yet, but I might just have to purchase the “genie”
Thanks Sonja!
Becca says
These are great reminders…thanks! A drain guy told me one time to NOT put pasta or rice down the disposal, which was probably why he was there 🙂
Phoebe @ GettingFreedom says
I have a ridiculous unfounded fear of garbage disposals, but my husband insisted on installing one when we did our home addition/remodel project. This is very helpful! I’ve been too afraid to use it!
Mandi @ Life Your Way says
With a septic system, it’s actually better NOT to use a garbage disposal because it means emptying your tank more often and the larger pieces of food can affect its “performance”. I think most people with septic systems still have them, but I’ve been known to overuse a garbage disposal or two, so we opted not to put one in at all when we built our home, LOL!
Andrea says
Good point Mandi,
Even though we live in an old farmhouse, we’re still in the “city” so we have city water and sewer. I’m definitely not an expert on septic tanks so thanks for bringing that up!
Dee Jarvis says
I’d love to know what info you come up with about the coffee grounds and egg shells. I had a plumber tell me the 2 things actually ball up down the line, but I had previously heard they were ok. I have actually quit using my disposal altogether because of older sewer lines in my neighborhood being a problem in general. If you compost all your wet garbage, you don’t need it anyway 🙂
Kim says
Potato peels and whole beans are HUGE no-no. However I’ve never had any problems with egg shells or coffee grounds (as previous reader said, I do them all the time). But I wouldn’t dare put anything doughy down the grinder like a failed bread dough (never tried, never will, just doesn’t sound like it would work).
Dee Jarvis says
coffee grounds and egg shells are also no-nos!
Andrea says
Hmmm, I actually read that egg shells are some of the best things you can put down a garbage disposal. They help to sharpen the blades.
We stick egg shells down our disposal all the time and haven’t had a problem yet. I guess I’ll have to do a bit more research!
Megan Camp says
Never put potato peels or banana peels in your disposal. They will also clog it up.
I’ve rented at two places while I was in college where the dishwasher drained through the airrater into the sink. It SHOULD NOT be draining here. When a garbage disposal is installed as well as a dishwasher, there is a little plastic plug on the garbage disposal that needs to be removed manually. The dishwasher hose is attached to this spot and will drain into the garbage disposal rather than into the sink through the airrater (sorry, I don’t know how to spell that). If your dishwasher drains at the wrong place, loosen up the hose from the dishwasher (have a bucket ready and hold your breath because the water that drains is really GROSS). Take a hammer and nail and pound out the little plastic plug on the side of the disposal and then re-attach your dishwasher drain. It’ll work great from here on out. I did this in two different places I lived because whoever installed the garbage disposal hadn’t done it. My dad, an appliance repairman, walked me through the process.
Andrea says
Thanks Megan, I forgot to mention potato and banana peels!