Using a Garbage Disposal Responsibly

Your garbage disposal is a pretty handy appliance. It allows you to dispose of small amounts of food waste down the drain, but unfortunately, many homeowners don’t really understand that key word “small.” There’s an inclination to shove anything and everything in large quantities into the disposal, and then homeowners are surprised when the appliance breaks or the drain becomes clogged.

Despite the convenience these appliances offer, they have their limitations. A number of food substances are off limits, as are harsh cleaning chemicals. Food should always be disposed of in small amounts and washed down with cool water. Allow the water to run about 15 seconds after you turn off the motor.

If you’d like to keep your garbage disposal in good shape, keep these tips in mind and follow the advice below.

Don’t Put This in the Disposal

You may be surprised at some of these forbidden substances:

1. No grease or oil. You probably knew that, but you may have tried to get around the first commandment of disposal care: no oily, greasy substances, even when washed down with warm water. Ever. The oil or grease will congeal when it cools and form a clot in the plumbing.
2. No starchy foods. This is a surprise to many people, but you should never put starchy foods such as cooked rice, beans, potatoes or pasta into the disposal. When water is added, the starch forms a paste that hardens into a clump.
3. No bones or fruit pits. This should a no-brainer. Bones and other hard objects will break the impeller blades.
4. No fibrous foods or peelings. Dispose of banana peels, potato peelings, artichokes, corn husks, celery, asparagus, lettuce and onion skins in the garbage or compost pile. These will catch on the impeller blades, which can burn out the motor.
5. No coffee grounds. Coffee grounds look as if they are going down easily in the garbage disposal, but they will form a clump further down the line.

To learn more about caring for your garbage disposal, contact Rinaldi’s Energy Solutions. We serve Orlando and the surrounding area.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Orlando, Florida and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).