Tired of Clogs? Try These Garbage Disposal Maintenance Tips
A clogged garbage disposal is one of the most frustrating issues a homeowner can face. It not only makes cooking and cleaning at the same time difficult, but it also makes your kitchen smell awful.
Avoiding clogs is easy with our garbage disposal maintenance tips. These simple habits reduce pesky buildup, protect your machine from gradual damage, and keep your kitchen operating smoothly. This ongoing protection will also drastically reduce the risk of an expensive breakdown.
Hamilton Plumbing, Heating, A/C & Rooter is a local home services business that helps homeowners maintain or repair their garbage disposal. Need emergency service as soon as possible? We offer emergency repair services seven days per week for clogs and breakdowns.
4 Everyday Garbage Disposal Maintenance Habits You Should Try
Your garbage disposal may be tough, but it still needs you to take care of it. These maintenance habits are essential if you’ve been dealing with repeated clogs or foul odors.
Run Cold Water Before, During, and After Use
Almost all kinds of food are sticky, gradually clinging to the sides of your pipes and building up over many weeks. Running cold water helps wash this food away before it can turn into a future clog.
You may be tempted to use hot or warm water, but hot water can actually melt trace amounts of fat and turn food particles extra sticky.
Feed Scraps Slowly
Dumping handfuls of food into your garbage disposal is a recipe for disaster. Just like a person can choke on a large bite of food, your disposal will also struggle to “swallow” a large amount of food at once. The blades might struggle to slice through thick layers of waste and get stuck, resulting in a mess you have to scoop back out.
Always feed small amounts into your garbage disposal and listen closely for any odd sounds. You should hear a healthy grinding and whirring every time you turn your machine on. If you hear rattling, screeching, or inconsistent sounds, turn it off and schedule a repair visit.
Keep Disposal Running After Grinding
One of our top garbage disposal maintenance tips is also the easiest: just leave it running for a few minutes. While garbage disposals seem to work quickly, little bits of food can still be left on the blades or at the start of the drain pipe.
Leaving your disposal running after grinding will shake off these food bits before they can get too hard and sticky.
Clean Your Unit Regularly
Learning how to clean your garbage disposal will save you many future headaches. Every two to three weeks, we recommend tossing a few ice cubes and a squirt of dish soap into your disposal. Let it run for a few minutes, then inspect it to make sure there is no visible food debris.
The ice cubes are hard enough to scrape away any lingering food residue, but not rough enough to damage the blades. A little soap will also keep your disposal smelling fresh by killing some leftover bacteria.
7 Foods to Never Put Down Your Garbage Disposal
While all foods have the potential to cause a clog, some are far worse than others. Never put any of these down your garbage disposal if you don’t want to increase the risk of a future clog.
Cooking oils or animal fat: Oil and water don’t mix. These little globs of oil and fat will eventually cause a very sticky clog that will need a professional to remove.
Leftover pan grease: Always wipe off your pots or pans if there’s a little leftover grease. Similar to oil or animal fat, this material is notorious for causing clogs.
Fibrous goods: Potato peels, asparagus, celery, and broccoli stalks are a few examples of tough, flexible foods that don't grind down easily. Toss these in the trash!
Eggshells: Despite their delicate appearance, eggshells’ jagged edges sometimes cling to the sides of pipes. Even small bits need to be tossed in the trash.
Coffee grounds: Do you like grinding fresh coffee beans? While the grounds would no doubt make your garbage disposal smell a little better, they’re very sticky and hard.
Bones: These hard, sharp materials can get lodged in your pipe and struggle to break free. Even small, fragile chicken bones need to be kept out.
Non-food materials: Only certain types of food should go in your disposal. Paper, plastic wrap, cloth, and wrappers are just some of the many materials that might get tossed in the garbage disposal by accident.
Sometimes garbage disposal maintenance tips can’t fix a deeper problem. Do you suspect your garbage disposal is developing a clog or may have been damaged? Our plumbing team will be happy to take a look.
How to Safely Clean and Deodorize Your Garbage Disposal
There are quite a few myths floating around concerning garbage disposal care. Instead of unreliable vinegar and baking soda mixtures (which don’t do all that much in the long term), try the following tips instead.
Toss in Ice Cubes
A few ice cubes will scrape away any lingering food residue without being too harsh. You don’t need to toss in more than three or four at a time.
Use Dish Soap
Simple dish soap goes a long way toward killing excess bacteria and clearing the pipes of that stubborn garbage disposal smell. It can also help scrub away food bits that water isn’t quite washing away.
Rinse Your Splash Guard
Take out your splash guard and give it a good rinse with dish soap and water. Splash guards often get very smelly since they can gather a layer of old, sticky food over time.
Avoid Harsh Chemicals for Minor Clogs
Is your garbage disposal running a little slower than usual? You might have the beginnings of a clog, but don’t worry. You can use a drain snake to break this clog down and rinse it away with a cold water flush.
Stay away from harsh chemical drain cleaners: not only can they damage your equipment’s blades, but they can also corrode and weaken pipes.
Basic Troubleshooting for Struggling Garbage Disposals
If your garbage disposal isn’t grinding up food like it used to, you may have a deeper problem at play. Once you rule out any other possible causes (like putting in the wrong food or too much food), try these tips.
Turn off the power before inspecting.
Check the reset button and safely remove visible obstructions.
Never place your hands inside the disposal.
Use a drain snake to see if you can physically dislodge a clog.
When Should You Call a Plumber?
If you’ve tried several garbage disposal maintenance tips and your equipment still isn’t working properly, you may need drain cleaning or repair.
Check these signs to see if you need to call a plumber:
Persistent clogs
Leaks
Food backing up
Humming or rattling sounds
Foul odors (like rotten eggs)
Contact Hamilton Plumbing, Heating, A/C & Rooter for Cleaning and Repair
We’ve been helping homeowners take good care of their garbage disposal, pipes, and sinks for over 40 years. When you call us for service, we offer several benefits to help you save money and enjoy more peace of mind, such as:
Flexible financing options to help you get essential repair or maintenance service
A broad service area throughout Kansas and Missouri so we can help you faster
Specials to save you money on repairs, maintenance, or installation
Want to learn about our latest deals? Call us today to get a quote for a garbage disposal inspection!