Maintaining Your Garbage Disposal

Overconfidence and neglect are the main reason for so many homeowners dealing with garbage disposal problems. Unfortunately, many think their garbage disposals are extremely strong and can handle anything. That’s a false belief and the main reason behind most garbage disposal problems. In this article, we will go over some of the things you can do to maintain the functionality of your garbage disposal and things that you should avoid. Let’s go.

How To Perform Regular Maintenance?

The word regular maintenance scares a lot of homeowners because it sounds like it’s a lot of work and takes a lot of time. While that may be true in some cases, luckily, it’s not for garbage disposals. Cleaning and sharpening the blades must be done regularly, but they’re very easy. The first thing to remember is to avoid pouring down chemicals to clean the unit; instead, opt for more home-remedy solutions like vinegar and hot water when cleaning. You can put ice down the drain to sharpen the blades, crush them, and then run cold water.

Run The Garbage Disposal Even When You Don’t Need To

Unfortunately, rusting the garbage disposal from the lack of use is another problem. Therefore, even if you don’t need to use the disposal to grind up food, you should run it while letting cold water run as well.

Be Careful While Using It

Remember that garbage disposal is risky and must be handled without hazard. So, during maintenance, always turn off the garbage disposal. Additionally, if any other items fall into the sink, don’t try to grab them with your bare hands; instead, use pliers or tongs to grab the item that fell down the disposal.

Avoid Certain Food Types

Grease, Fat, or Oils – Don’t pour oil down your drains. When you pour these down, they are liquid; however, inside the pipes, they harden and eventually clog your drains. Avoid them.
Starch Including Food- This food group does seem quite innocent. However, food like bread, pasta, and dough has the potential to absorb water and grow inside the drains and, once again, cause clogs.
Fibrous Foods: Yes, garbage disposal is specifically invented to grind up food; however, this doesn’t mean any food. Any fibrous food has the potential to twist around the blades of the disposal and damage them, so don’t grind these.
Garbage: Once again, even if the name suggests that it’s a "garbage disposal," this doesn’t mean you can put garbage down it. Remember, nothing other than food goes down the disposal.

Reliable Plumbing Service In Your Area

As we said before, maintaining and caring for garbage disposal is the key to its functionality and lifespan. However, it’s only natural if certain things don’t go as planned, and just like other home appliances, your garbage disposal may also have issues and needs to be repaired. If you need garbage disposal repair, the reliable plumbers of Texas Rooter are more than happy to help you. We are a plumbing repair service that takes care of various plumbing issues and performs garbage disposal installation and repair. Call us today to learn more about us and to schedule your appointment.