Garbage Disposals

The garbage disposal was invented in 1927. Today’s garbage disposals have a life expectancy of about 12 years. Your garbage disposal is not meant to be used as a trash can. The inconvenience of repairing a clogged drain or disposal can set you back hours, but with proper care and maintenance we believe repairs are easily avoidable.

Disposal 101 Do’s and Don’ts

Do’s

• use a strainer to collect larger pieces and block any foreign materials from falling into the grinder compartment.
• Keep your disposal clean after each use by running some cold water through it with some dish soap for a minute or two.
• Grind food with lots of cold running water. Plug your drain for about 10 seconds while you fill your sink with water and then operate the disposal AFTER you unplug the sink. This helps to flush drain with increased flow, which will reduce drain and trap buildup.
• Run your disposal frequently to ensure that all the moving parts are operational, and to prevent buildup and obstructions from accumulating in the chamber.
  Periodically pour some ice in the chamber and operate the disposal to help sharpen the grinder’s teeth.

Don’ts

• Don’t pour grease, oil or fat into your garbage disposal or drain. Grease will slowly accumulate and decrease your garbage disposal’s grinding ability by creating a slimy sludge coating on the grinder blades and will also clog drains.
• Don’t grind big Animal bones and big pieces of Greasy fatty meats, because they can dull the blades.
• Don’t Grind Glass, Plastic, cigarette butts or anything combustible
• Don’t grind extremely fibrous material like celery stalks, corn husks, onion skins, and artichokes. Fibers will dull the blades due to material hardness.
• Don’t grind Pasta, Rice, or Potatoes because the Starch wraps around the moving parts of the disposal and they also clog drains.