Thee do's and Don't of Garbage Disposals

The Do’s and Don’t of Garbage Disposals

The kitchen disposal has grown to be one of the most coveted appliances of the new millennium.
Your sink disposal helps keep your kitchen free of foul odour by reducing or often eliminating the food that piles up on the kitchen trash can. Not only do they keep your kitchen smelling fresh, the also cut down the amount of clean up at the end of a home-cooked meal. However, to keep your garbage disposal operating smoothly, there are some general rules to follow.

Good Practices

ALWAYS USE COLD WATER! When using your garbage disposal, running down with hot water can liquefy fat and grease, allowing the grease to adhere to the blades of the garburator and build up sludge that will inhibit your disposal from performing at its best.

Be sure to use an adequate amount of water when running your disposal. After the disposed food has been chopped, continue to run the water for an additional 15 seconds or so to allow all the food particles to wash out of the appliance and flush down the drain.

Avoid stuffing the appliance to max capacity and then turning on the blades… it is not a blender!

This can cause your system to jam. Instead, put the peelings or food into the disposal a bit at a time and allow the blades to grind away before adding more.

Do not leave food idling in the appliance - run your garbage disposal every time food has been added to prevent decaying and smelling.

Cut up large items - before yeeting a full banana peel into the garbage disposal, first cut it up into smaller, more manageable size pieces to prolong the life of your system.

Bad Practices

For the love of god, DO NOT put your hand down the disposal! Is you have a clogged or broken disposal, use a pair of tongs or long pliers to try remove the obstruction. Better yet - give RR Calgary a call! We do it so you don’t have to.

Make sure that you are only introducing biodegradable materials down into your garbage disposal system. Non-food items such as plastic, glass, or metal should not be put down the disposal. The appliance can’t chop up these things.

Even though they are biodegradable, some foods and other food products are tough on your blades/gears and should never be put in the garbage disposal.

It is best to avoid any kind of fibrous organic materials as they can get wrapped up in the blades and cause a world of problems. This includes:

  • Corn husks
  • Onion skins
  • Celery stalk
  • Artichokes
  • Egg shells

Another group of food waste to avoid are hard items. This can include popcorn kernels, pits from plums or peaches, apple seeds, bones, or nuts.

Maintenance

Having sludge and grime build up on your blades and the sides of the appliance over time is natural. An easy and quick method for an inside cleanup is to grind up a rock salt with some ice cubes and cold water. When cleaning, allow the water to run for an additional 30 seconds, the salt and ice will remove the unwanted grime.
If you feel like there may be a problem with your garbage disposal, or are still getting a foul odour, contact RR Calgary and we will take a look at your system and asses the problem and the necessary actions to get your system back up and running properly in no time!
Contact Us Today