Maintaining Your Garbage Disposal

Garbage disposals don’t always get the attention they deserve. Sure, you love to use it, but did you know it requires maintenance to keep it in good working order? Because food can easily build up in certain areas inside the disposal, garbage disposals require regular cleaning to avoid clogs and unpleasant odors. Without regular cleaning, you’re likely to experience a clog or slow drain at some point. Have questions about how to properly clean and maintain your garbage disposal? The expert plumbers at Plumbers911 can help! Just give us a call to locate the Plumbers911 plumber nearest you. 

Preventing Garbage Disposal Issues

To keep your garbage disposal in good working order, you’ll want to avoid placing hard and fibrous foods down the sink. Disposals cannot usually process hard seeds, popcorn kernels, peach stones, apple seeds or bones. 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

If there’s any question, the old adage holds true: “It’s better safe than sorry.” Best to opt for the garbage bin, rather than risking your garbage disposal.

Cleaning Your Garbage Disposal

In order to keep your disposal working well, and to minimize any unpleasant odors, it’s a good idea to clean your garbage disposal regularly. 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

By avoiding putting hard and fibrous food waste down into your garbage disposal, and cleaning it regularly, you can avoid most issues with your garbage disposal. Even with proper maintenance, however, issues can occur. If and when they do, you can 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!