Garbage Disposal Don’ts: Never Put These Down the Sink
The kitchen sink is a vital part of meal preparation and cleanup. You need the sink to drain properly to keep things moving smoothly in your kitchen. While you can always pursue kitchen plumbing repair if the pipes become clogged or the disposal gets damaged, a few preventive measures can ward off future problems.
Here’s what not to put in a garbage disposal to keep the pipes flowing freely:
Grease
The biggest garbage disposal no-no is cooking grease, fat, and oil. It may be a liquid when you pour it in the sink, but a few feet down the line, grease solidifies into a goopy glob that can significantly clog your pipes. Plus, the smell of decomposing grease coming from your kitchen sink is enough to ruin your appetite! The best way to get rid of grease is to pour it into a can or jar and toss it in the trash.
Fibrous Foods
Any foods with long fibers have a tendency to wrap themselves around garbage disposal blades and cause the motor to burn out. Examples of fibrous foods include:
- Celery
- Artichokes
- Carrots
- Corn husks
- Potato peels
- Egg shells
- Onion skins
- Asparagus
It’s best to toss these foods into the trash, though you can dispose of small quantities down the sink if you run cold water before, during, and after turning on the disposal.
Starchy Foods
When you cook pasta, rice, potatoes, and beans, they swell and soften. When overcooked, they turn into a squishy paste. As you can imagine, foods with this consistency can clog your kitchen plumbing, so never dispose of them down the sink.
Hard Objects
While garbage disposal blades are powerful, they can’t break through very hard objects, such as bones and fruit pits. Keep these out of the garbage disposal to prevent damage.
Non-Food Items
The garbage disposal isn’t designed to handle non-food items, which include rubber bands, pull tabs, twist ties, string, hair, fabric, and plant clippings. These items can damage the blades and block the kitchen drain.
Now that you know what not to put in a garbage disposal, you can help your kitchen plumbing stay in good shape! If you require kitchen plumbing repair because you put something down the drain you shouldn’t have, contact Arctic Air Conditions to schedule an appointment.
