Tips on Maintaining Your Garbage Disposal
August 31, 2015
If you have a garbage disposal, you know how helpful it can be to significantly reduce the food waste in your home. You also know that when it breaks or malfunctions, it requires an expert to handle the repair. It's strongly recommended that you schedule annual maintenance for your garbage disposal, but there are some basic maintenance steps you can take on your own to help keep your disposal in optimal shape:
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Lubricate the disposal with water before and after using - running cold water for a few seconds before and after using your garbage disposal helps lubricate the blades and drain so that food slides easily away.
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Scour with ice cubes once a month - chopping up ice cubes is an easy and safe way to remove any sticking food. Simply put 2-3 ice cubes in your disposal and let it run until the ice is gone.
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Don't ever dispose of fats, oils or grease in your garbage disposal - just as it isn't healthy to put FOG down your regular drain, it is just as bad to put it into your garbage disposal. These kinds of materials congeal as they cool and then stick to the mechanics and blades of your disposal, eventually causing operational problems.
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No fibrous foods or expandable foods, either - fibrous foods like celery have strings that can easily wrap around the components in your garbage disposal, causing problems with the mechanics. Expandable food like pasta, rice, potatoes or potato peels expand significantly when wet and can form a thick paste that can clog the blades and drain.
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Do not try to reduce fruit pits - fruit pits, like apricot or peach pits, can do some serious damage to your garbage disposal. It's best to relegate them to a compost pile or your regular garbage.
The experts at Bronco Plumbing Heating and Air are here to help you with all of your garbage disposal needs in Carmichael, CA, so give us a call today!