Garbage disposals are a useful addition to our kitchens. It’s a great way to dispose off garbage quickly and properly. However, if you use your disposal as a catchall in the kitchen, you’re probably shortening the life of this useful appliance!
Looking after your garbage disposal entitles you should avoid dumping food particles that can clog the drainage system, overfilling the chamber, or adding destructive items that will damage the blades.
Let’s have a look at how to use and maintain your garbage disposals properly to keep them in top shape for a long.
Clean The Blades
Garbage disposals often start giving off a weird pungent smell after some time. It’s because of the waste particles that get stuck in the blades when you dispose of them. This facilitates the growth of bad-smelling bacteria, resulting in a foul stench in your sink.
Citrus is one of the top things to clean out your garbage disposal. Dump a few slices of finely sliced lemons down the drain. The acidity of the lemon peel and inside will aid in cleaning the blades as the disposal grinds the peel. It also freshens your sink with a fresh and pleasant lemon aroma throughout your kitchen.
If the lemon trick isn’t sufficient enough, you can also hunt down various over-the-counter sanitizing solutions available for garbage disposals in the market. Just run them down your drain, and you’re good to go.
Use Coldwater
You might have often heard that hot water is good at taking out tough and greasy stains, but this isn’t the case if you want to keep your garbage disposal clean.
Garbage disposals attempt to grind the food you’re throwing away. Food will melt in hot water, causing waste to stick to the sides. On the other hand, food hardens in cold water. This makes it easier for the garbage disposal to do its job and crush the waste before flushing it down the drain.
Avoid Dumping Damaging Materials In Your Garbage Disposals
Your garbage disposal’s sole duty is to grind food scraps. Metal objects, plastic, glass, oil, fat, grease, and large bones should not be disposed of in garbage disposals.
You should also avoid disposing of items that expand down the drain, such as rice and spaghetti since they might clog the pipes. You must also always break down larger particles into smaller parts before adding them to the garbage disposal. You can also ground them separately if they’re too large.
Keep An Eye Out For Warning Signals
If you take care of your garbage disposal, you’ll notice minimal issues with your unit. However, you must always keep a watch and be alert for signals of impending trouble.
If your garbage disposal sounds like it’s no longer running at the usual speed, there are high chances the motor may be failing. This indicates that you need to repair or replace your disposal unit. Similarly, if water leaks from your garbage disposal under your kitchen sink, it’s a warning sign that something has broken or cracked. A skilled plumber will need to either repair or replace your garbage disposal. Don’t dismiss little details as they might worsen if not paid attention to at the right time.
Don’t Keep Your Garbage Disposals Out Of Use For Long
If you don’t use the garbage disposal for a long, clogs, rust, corrosion, and rust are more likely to occur. Therefore it’s advised to run your garbage disposals even if you don’t have anything to dispose of every few days to keep it in good health.
Run cold water down the drain to prevent the blade from rusting. You can also grind lemon slices to keep the garbage disposal active and smelling fresh. This will also ensure any food waste that might have stuck to the sides of the blade is washed off, leaving the garbage disposal clean and tidy.
Keep Your Blades Sharp
It’s also significant to ensure that the blades in your garbage disposals are sharp enough to perform well. Dull blades will have trouble shredding food waste into smaller bits and will not be that effective.
This will limit the amount of food waste disposed of by your disposal in one use. Blunt blades also increase the risk of blockages in the sewer lines as they might be unable to grind food scraps properly and discharge larger pieces of food waste down the drains, which is not optimal.
You can run cold water over the blades to sharpen them. Dump a handful of ice with some rock salt to knock off anything stuck to the disposal blades. This will also help sharpen the disposal blades as your garbage disposal cuts through the salt and ice.
There are numerous other DIY tips to serve the purpose, such as you can use eggshells. However, it’s the least preferred method as eggshells can clog the sewage pipes.
Deep Clean Your Garbage Disposals At Least Once A Month
No matter how much cleaning you do daily, it’s significant to give your garbage disposals a thorough cleaning once a month.
Cleaning capsules with surfactants are commonly available in the market. These surfactants help dissolve any sticky food particles or stains that might otherwise remain after regular cleaning.
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You can trust us with all makes, models, and types of appliances in your home or kitchen. We make every effort to deliver thorough, trustworthy, and cost-effective appliance repairs, allowing you to avoid having to replace your appliances.
We provide economical services for dishwashers, dryers, refrigerators, garbage disposals, and more, putting our clients’ comfort first!
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