Your garbage disposal is one of those things that you take for granted until it suddenly doesn’t work anymore. Yet, it’s an incredibly important part of managing food waste efficiently. It’s incredibly convenient, makes cleaning up so much easier—not to mention it reduces kitchen odors. Yet, like any appliance, it needs a little bit of care to keep running smoothly for years to come.
The good news is that you don’t need a lot of technical knowledge to avoid clogging your garbage disposal—or even a toolbox, for that matter. It’s all about knowing a few simple habits and keeping up with routine maintenance. Here are some essential tips that you’ll want to know to keep your garbage disposal working at its best.
Run It Regularly
One of the most overlooked methods for maintaining your garbage disposal is running it regularly. Like any mechanical device, its moving parts can start to corrode or even seize up when it’s left idle for too long. You want to run it for a few seconds every couple of days, even with just plain water and no food.
This helps keep the parts moving and prevents buildup like rust from forming. Not to mention, it means you’ll clear out any leftover debris by flushing it through, rather than letting it sit in the drain and build up bacteria and unnecessary odors.
Use Cold Water
When you run your garbage disposal, you want to make sure you use cold water. While it might seem like hot water is the best choice for breaking down food, it actually causes fats and greases to melt and coat the interior of your disposal. However, when you use cool water, you keep the oil and grease in a more solid state, reducing the risk of these fats solidifying and creating blockages. Cold water also keeps the motor from overheating during extended use, which will add an even stronger layer of protection over the years.
Know the List of No-Nos
Despite what the name might suggest—“dispose all”—this is hardly the case. Garbage disposals are not meant to handle all types of garbage, as certain materials can cause serious havoc. That’s why it’s so important to know the “no-no list.” You want to avoid anything that can cause strain to the motor or dull the blades.
One of the best rules of thumb for remembering the no-no list is: if you wouldn’t chew it easily yourself, your disposal probably won’t be able to do much better.
Avoid putting things like corn husks or asparagus down the disposal as these are stringy and can tangle, and avoid bones or shells. Coffee grounds form sludge, and remember—grease, fats, and oils may go down the drain easily; however, they solidify later and can block up your drains.