WHAT NOT TO PUT DOWN YOUR GARBAGE DISPOSALS by Ron Giles of PRS

WHAT NOT TO PUT DOWN YOUR GARBAGE DISPOSALS

by Ron Giles of PRS

After many uses, garbage disposal blades need sharping. Just a hand full of ice can do the job. Another tip is put the drain plug in the garbage disposal. Fill the kitchen sink full of water. Turn on the garbage disposal and pull the plug.

1. Grease or oil. Just because it is out of sight does not mean the garbage disposal “disposed” of it. Usually, it solidifies and begins to build up in your pipes. Not good.
2. Vegetable peels. You might get away with it from time to time, but odds are, eventually this one will catch up with you–and leave you a soupy backfilled mess in your sink. Garbage disposals do not do too many peels–they’ll spit them up like an unhappy infant.
3. Egg shells. Believe or not, the membrane on the inside of the egg can wrap around the blades and wreak havoc. Better just to compost them.
4. Coffee Grounds. These seem like they go down fine, but over time, the little grounds build up like sediment in the pipes, causing all sorts of trouble.
5. Pits or seeds. Think: peach pits, avocado pits, cherries, etc. I am sure this one goes without mentioning, but it will basically rattle around in there like a pinball of destruction.
6. Bones. I know, again, duh.
7. Anything in bulk. Feed your disposal small meals, let it grind it up, then add more.
8. Garbage. Think: cigarette butts or paper. It is not really designed for those sorts of things and will get testy.
9. Rice and pasta. I did not know this. Basically, every time you turn the water on, the pasta and rice will continue to expand–even after your supposedly ground it up.
10. Stringy veggies. Think: celery, artichokes, carrots, corn husks, or even some types of lettuce. The stringy parts can wrap around the blades, causing resistance on the blades.
11. Potato Peels. These suckers can cause a soupy mess in your disposal down the road—even if you think you can get away with dumping them down the drain from time to time. The same goes for other starchy vegetables and beans.
12. Harsh Chemicals. Do not mistake your kitchen sink for a chemistry laboratory. The grinding components of most garbage disposals are made of galvanized steel which can corrode when contacted with strong chemicals like bleaching powder and such cleaning agents.
13. Onion Skins. The onion skin can get caught in the blades, but the worst thing is the will cause clogs down the pipes.
14. Pumpkins. Anyone who carved a pumpkin for Halloween knows how sticky they are. When thrown down a garbage disposal though they are juicy and slimy they will stick on to the grinding blades and form a clog. The only way to get rid of a pumpkin clog is by dismantling the pipes and cleaning it.
15. Corn Husk. Corn husks are some of the most fibrous items you can find in a kitchen. They are extremely difficult to grind and should never ever end up in a disposal.
16. Seafood. While you may feel confident that seafood like shrimp can be disposed of safely in a garbage disposal that’s not the case. Instead of going down the pipes they will form a white little ball that will clog the disposal. No matter what magical remedies you try dismantling the pipes is the only option that will work.