How Do I Maintain My Garbage Disposal?

Many people don’t realize that garbage disposals require maintenance to keep them in good working order. Garbage disposals require regular cleaning to avoid clogs and unpleasant odors because food can easily build up in certain areas inside the disposal. Without regular cleaning, you have a high chance of experiencing a clog or slow drain at some point. If you have questions about how to properly clean and maintain your garbage disposal, give the expert plumbers at Plumbers911 a call! Plumbers911 has experienced plumbers throughout the Central Valley – Click Here to locate the Plumbers911 plumber nearest you!

Helpful Tips for Maintaining Your Garbage Disposal

Avoid Damaging the Garbage Disposal

In order to keep your garbage disposal in good working order, avoid putting hard and/or fibrous foods down the sink. Hard seeds, popcorn kernels, peach stones, apple seeds and bones are a few items that disposals usually cannot process. The smaller pieces can get wedged underneath the blades causing them to jam. Fibrous foods should also be avoided because the fibers can wrap themselves around the blades and cause them to jam. 

Here are some items to avoid putting down your garbage disposal:

• Onion skins
• Egg shells
• Celery stalks
• Corn husks, etc

When in doubt, remember: “It’s better safe than sorry.” It’s better to put questionable items in the garbage bin, rather than risking damage to your garbage disposal.

Cleaning the Garbage Disposal

By cleaning your garbage disposal regularly, you can keep it working well, and minimize any unpleasant odors. Disposals can be effectively cleaned with three common household items. 

Here’s what you’ll need to clean your disposal:

• 1 cup of ice
• 1 peeled lemon (halved)
• 1 cup of liquid dish soap
• Tongs

Using these items, follow these instructions to clean your your garbage disposal:

1. Using tongs, place your lemon halves in the garbage disposal
2. Add ice cubes
3. Turn on the disposal
4. Pour in the cup of liquid dish soap
5. Run cold water for 30 seconds
6. Turn off the disposal

Maintaining Your Garbage Disposal

You can prevent most issues with your garbage disposal by avoiding putting hard and fibrous food waste down into your garbage disposal, and cleaning it regularly. Issues can occur, however, even with proper maintenance – if they do, call the local plumbing experts at Plumbers911! Plumbers911 is a referral service of licensed, experienced professional plumbers located throughout Central California. With Plumbers in Fresno, Modesto, Clovis, Tracy, and more, Plumbers911 has a plumber near you. Call one of our Fresno, California, Modesto, California, or Stockton, California plumbers today, or visit our location page to find a plumber in your town!