The garbage disposal in your kitchen is one of the hardest working appliances in your home. Shredding and breaking down food scraps is a tough job, so it’s important to take care of your garbage disposal! Without proper maintenance, the garbage disposal can easily clog, and a clogged garbage disposal is an inconvenience most would rather avoid.
Keep clogs to a minimum with these tips from the experts at Affordable Service Plumbing and HVAC:
Don’t feed food scraps in too quickly. Give the appliance time to shred food before you force more down the drain. Feeding it small amounts of food scraps at a time helps prevent jamming.
Be conscious of what you put down the drain. Although your garbage disposal is powerful, it can’t handle everything! Avoid clogging, don’t throw fibrous vegetables, chicken or fish bones, or fruit pits down the drain. The fibrous strings in artichokes, banana peels or celery can easily wrap around the blades and slow down your garbage disposal. Chicken or fish bones dull the blades and should be thrown in the trash, not down the sink.
Make sure you run plenty of water while it is grinding food, and for a few seconds afterward as well to flush away food particles. Occasionally, you can grind up pieces of lemon peel to keep your garbage disposal clean and fresh. Never use chemical drainers. These can often be corrosive and damage plastic or rubber parts.
By being careful about what you dispose of down the sink, keeping it clean, and not overwhelming your garbage disposal with too much waste all at once, you can keep it in good working order. If your sink is clogged, try some of the DIY tips from our blog, or give us a call. Affordable Service is available 24/7 to serve your plumbing and HVAC needs.
Copyright: snyfer / 123RF Stock Photo
