Garbage Disposal Advice & Tips

There are many appliances in your kitchen that will help with food preparation and clean-up this fall, one of which is the garbage disposal. The garbage disposal is a great way to make preparing meals and cleaning up after them efficient and fast. However, nothing slows down your progress like a clog in your kitchen drain because something went down the garbage disposal that wasn’t supposed to.

Here are some food items that should not be put in the garbage disposal to make sure that your garbage disposal stays the important tool that you need, and not the stressful plumbing emergency that you don’t need:

• Starchy Foods: Things like rice, potatoes, or noodles should not be rinsed into the garbage disposal. While they won’t damage the blade they will absorb water and slowly expand in the drainpipe causing a restriction of water flow and eventually a clog.
• Stringy Foods: Vegetables like squash and celery should not be rinsed into the garbage disposal. The pulp of these foods is very stringy and will wrap around the blade of the garbage disposal. When this happens the blade will have to work much hard to grind the food and will eventually not be as efficient, leaving large chunks of food which can cause a clog.
• Pumpkin Innards: During the fall time of year many people are carving jack o’ lanterns and baking pumpkin pies and breads. With this comes piles of pumpkin innards, which are a huge no-no for putting down the garbage disposal. The seeds will damage the blade, and the stringy pulp will wrap around the mechanisms.
• Coffee Grounds: With all of the pumpkin spice latte recipes circulating around, making espresso or coffee at home on a cool fall day is a must. However, the used coffee ground should never go into the garbage disposal. While it might seem harmless, these grounds can turn into a nasty and sticky sludge when they mix with water and food residue in the garbage disposal. This sludge will stick to your pipes and cause a clog in the drain.

While your kitchen may have had a brief hiatus during the summer months, the cooler weather tells us it is time to move the cooking back indoors. Don’t let a clog in your garbage disposal put a damper on spending time doing the things that you enjoy! If you need more advice or information on how to properly maintain your garbage disposal, don’t hesitate to contact the experts at  Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Yavapai, Coconino and Maricopa Counties!

Read more plumbing tips in our blog or request a job estimate here.