We love our kitchens and when we cook regularly we make use of all the appliances around the room consistently. One of the ones that takes a regular beating is our garbage disposal. At Metro-Flow Plumbing, our friendly and certified plumbers are happy to service your garbage disposals if they’re not running properly or even replace them. Give us a call today at 214-328-7371 and we’ll help you with all of your plumbing needs.
Although garbage disposals have become sturdier over the years and in turn more durable, they (like all appliances around the home that aren’t taken care of), can break. Today we’re going to share ways to keep your garbage disposal in top shape.
Upkeep of all appliances is important to prevent quick wear and tear. The first thing to remember when using a garbage disposal is that despite what its name implies you should only insert food in there and not waste. Waste includes paper, glass, plastics, and metal. The blades and the drain in a garbage disposal were designed to only handle food and even then only certain kinds. Please refer to this blog for the do’s and don’ts of what foods to put in the garbage disposal. Food is okay to put down there but many will harm your garbage disposal and your drainage system.
What do we mean by that? Oils, grease and specially thick fats are a big no-no as they can’t be properly broken down by the blades and can solidify, clogging up your garbage disposal and your sinks drainage over time. You can use an eco-friendly degreaser from time to time to keep grease from building up and also have your drainage pipe snaked by a professional every two years (or more often depending on use).
Water comes into play. When using your garbage disposal only use cold water as warm/hot water will cause things like fats to solidify. Leave the cold water running when disposing of anything for at least 15 seconds to make sure everything was properly processed. You can even use ice cubes to clean out any small chunks of food that may be stuck in there by putting them in the disposal and turning it on for a short period of time. When doing this we recommend putting the lid over your garbage disposal opening to keep ice from flying out in all directions.
Another way of cleaning your garbage disposal when too much slimy gunk forms around the entrance is baking soda and vinegar. Sprinkle in a half-cup of baking soda into the opening of the garbage disposal. Pour in a cup of white vinegar and allow it to sit for 10 minutes. Turn on the garbage disposal and allow the hot water to rinse away the baking soda mixture. The chemical reaction will break up any leftover grease and give your garbage disposal a clean shine.
To combat any unwanted smells coming out of your garbage disposal use citrus grinds. The grinds are easy to break up for your garbage disposal blades and the citrus smells eliminates any harsh and unwanted odors.
One last tip you should consider. The garbage disposal wasn’t made to be completely filled up and turned on. Give the disposal a break and gradually pour food waste in there while the cold water is running. This gives the garbage disposal time to grind up all the food and not get clogged up. Have patience with your garbage disposal now and you will be rewarded with a great performing garbage disposal for the foreseeable future.
