Thanksgiving is just behind us, and we hope that your home’s garbage disposal weathered it. This is the time of year when kitchen disposals handle a great deal of work because of the increase in the amount of cooking that goes on. Although garbage disposals are built to be tough and durable, they are certainly not invincible: there are a number of items that you shouldn’t place down your disposal if you want to get a long service life out of it. We’ve listed a few of them below:
- Bones: There’s a good rule of thumb when it comes to garbage disposals: “If your teeth can chew it, the disposal can’t chew it either.” So items like turkey, chicken, and rib bones definitely don’t belong in the disposal. Instead, seal them in plastic bags and place them in the trash.
- Unpopped popcorn kernels: You and your family probably enjoy eating popcorn during the holidays, but make sure that you don’t pour the unpopped kernels at the bottom of the bowl down the disposal. (Remember what we said about things your own teeth can’t handle!)
- Rice and pasta: This food waste seems innocent enough, right? But both pasta and rice pose a specific hazard to disposals, which is that they absorb water and become enlarged. This can lead to blockage and damage in the disposal.
- Fats, oils, and grease: Often abbreviated as “FOG,” these cooking liquids will solidify into waxy solids when they cool down and easily cause the disposal to jam up. They will also lead to build-up in the drains that will make clogs into frequent problems.
- Fibrous vegetables: This includes celery, onions, and pumpkin. Fibrous vegetables can become tangled around the mechanical parts of the disposal and lead to it breaking.
Ken Neyer Plumbing, Inc. provides service for garbage disposals in Cincinnati, OH. We have 24-hour service available.