Can You Put Cherry Pits In A Garbage Disposal? The 73 Top Answers

When operated properly, a kitchen sink drain can be one of the most useful appliances in your kitchen. It’s important to understand how to run your disposal correctly to avoid traffic jams and costly calls to the plumber.

operation of disposal

Turn on the water before turning on the appliance or adding food. Turn on disposal. With the water and appliance running, gently push the food into the opening. Push in only small amounts at a time to avoid jamming. Let the machine – and the water – run until the grinding noise stops completely. Turn off the disposal as soon as the noise stops. Allow the water to run 10-15 seconds longer to flush small particles past the siphon and into the pipes.

Eliminate decongestion blades

While garbage disposal blades can get jammed easily, they usually come loose just as easily. Get your blades working again by following these steps:

Disconnect the power supply from the device. Locate the hexagonal notch on the bottom of the device (towards the center). Find an Allen key or the tool that came with it. Insert the wrench or tool into the notch and move it back and forth. Turn the wrench or tool until the blades move freely. Reconnect the power supply and press the reset button. Turn on the water first, then the appliance.

These steps may need to be repeated several times. If the blades are still stuck, you may need to call a professional plumber like Rapid-Rooter to replace the unit.

Items to avoid

Some items should never be discarded as they can clog or damage the discard blades. These items include:

Onion skins, celery stalks, grape stalks, or anything fibrous

Small bones

Nuts, seeds or popcorn kernels

Potato skins, rice, pasta, or other starchy foods that may swell

Fat, either liquid or solid

plastic, glass or metal

If you follow these instructions, your garbage disposal should function correctly and smoothly. If you have any other issues with your unit, don’t hesitate to contact Rapid-Rooter for your plumbing needs.

Summer is almost here, but before you fire up the grill this Memorial Day, remember there’s a proper way to dispose of food scraps once the party is over. While your garbage disposal is an effective way to get rid of light food scraps, you don’t want to let anyone near your 4th of July BBQ in case they end up throwing something down the sink that doesn’t belong there. Read on to learn about the top groceries to keep off your garbage disposal this summer, and remember you can count on our experts at AAA Service Plumbing, Heating & Electric for all your essential plumbing jobs.

The Top Summer Foods You Must Never Put in Your Garbage Disposal

Watermelon Peels: Watermelon peels are among the most destructive types of food for garbage disposal. While the flesh of the actual watermelon is easily shredded, the rind is too tough for your trash can to break up, and dumping it down the sink drain is a great way to destroy the impeller blades. Bottom line: when you’re done eating that delicious watermelon, just toss the rind in the trash. Corn on the Cob and Husks: Similar to watermelon husks, corn on the cob is too hard for your garbage stirrer to break apart. “But that doesn’t apply to the shell,” you might be thinking. While this is true, corn husks are extremely fibrous, and any type of fibrous food can twist around your impeller blades and get stuck lower down the line. Because of this, for the efficiency of the entire unit, every part of your corn cob should be trashed. Fruit/Vegetable Leftovers: You can think of this as an extension of the previous two entries. Leftover fruit like banana peels and lime wedges often contain peels that are too tough for your garbage disposal to shred up. Many types of vegetables are now so fibrous that their remains can easily get stuck around the impeller. Additionally, throwing fruit in the bin is also not a good idea because… Pits & Seeds: Throwing something like a peach pit in the bin is basically like throwing a stone in it, while peaches could be a delicious summertime treat, they shouldn’t be anywhere near available to you. Meanwhile, seeds from watermelon, apples, and other fruits often slip past the impeller blades and contribute to clogs in your drain. While they may not damage your garbage disposal right away, they can sit in your line forever and eventually reduce their efficiency. Cooked Meat/Bones: Most cooked meat is not only tough but also extremely fatty, and nothing contributes more to clogging in garbage disposals than meat fats and oils. Then there are the bones from the meat you eat, which can not only mess up your impeller blades but also scratch your drain line. Whether it’s a large turkey bone or the remains of small buffalo wings, a piece of a tasty cheeseburger or a juicy steak, meat belongs in the trash, not the landfill.

If you need to schedule a garbage disposal repair or replacement this summer, call (303) 622-3449 or click here to request service online.

Trash cans are one of the most useful gadgets in the kitchen. When they’re not the occasional final destination for wedding bands, they do a great job of ridding your kitchen of excess food and waste.

However, when they stop working, they can bring your entire kitchen to a standstill. Most repairs require a technician, but there are a few simple repairs you can do at home to save time and money.

A Word of Warning: To avoid personal injury, electric shock, or death, always unplug or unplug equipment before attempting repairs.

If your garbage disposal is making a high-pitched buzzing sound but isn’t actually moving, it’s probably just clogged. Disposals can be quite temperamental, and something as small as an olive pit can get stuck in it. If you hear this noise, immediately turn off the trash can and unplug it from the outlet. In many cases, disposal is hardwired, meaning you have to turn it off at the circuit breaker. Always remember never to attempt a device repair while the power is on.

The typical disposal has a small port at the bottom. A ¼-inch allen wrench usually just wiggles or twists the disposal back and forth. This will hopefully release the item caught in the blades. Once verified that the power is off, remove any foreign objects from the disposal container, then press the reset button, which is normally red, on the bottom of the unit.

If the reset button cannot be identified, contact one of our certified device repair experts at Guinco Service at 844.3.GUINCO for assistance. Before you do that though, and with all your hands and tools, make sure you turn the power back on or plug the device back in.

If you’ve followed these steps but the disposal won’t turn on, chances are the device isn’t getting power. Because to check for a tripped circuit or a blown fuse.

The home-cooked dinner sure was delicious, but let’s face it – the chore of cleaning up after dinner is no fun. Before you stuff all those leftovers down the drain and tackle the dirty dishes, remember that there are certain items you should keep away from your kitchen sink. But what exactly can you hand over to a garbage collector and which items should you simply throw away or compost?

The pros and cons of garbage disposal for Houston homeowners

Garbage disposals are popular in homes because they are convenient; In many cases, plates can go straight down the sink instead of in the trash can. Many modern homes come with a garbage disposal system attached to the kitchen sink drain.

Pros and Cons of Garbage Disposal Odor Using a garbage disposal helps reduce odors in garbage cans because food doesn’t rot in the garbage can. For homeowners with bi-weekly or monthly garbage pickups, this can mean a very large amount of food waste is left to rot in the garbage. The smell can attract wild animals, which can scavenge through the trash to find the discarded food. The downside to using a garbage disposal is that the disposal itself can develop a foul odor, especially when homeowners throw prohibited foods down the drain and clog the disposal. Adding citrus peel, citrus juice, or baking soda deodorizes disposal, but comes with additional maintenance costs. Clogs and jams Garbage collectors are not designed to dispose of all types of food waste, and the list of prohibited items is sometimes confusing. Stringy, fibrous debris such as celery, asparagus, banana peels, corn husks, and coconut husks can wrap around and bind the blade. Meat products, including meat trimmings, skin and bones, can clog the disposal, dull the blade and make the sink smelly. Starchy foods like rice, pasta, potatoes, and potato skins often form a mess that clogs the blade and clogs the drain. Many starchy foods expand in hot water and can become lodged in the drain pipe, an even more costly repair. Fats like butter, shortening, and lard often clog garbage disposals and cause foul odors. Garbage disposal requires running water to wash food down the drain after grinding. This water serves no purpose other than to dispose of food, much of which is better put to use as compost. Sinks use an average of 2 gallons of water per minute. To get an idea of ​​how much water is wasted each time the trash can is used, calculate the average time it takes you to grind and rinse the food, then place an empty bowl or pitcher under the faucet and let the water run for the same amount of time. A better alternative to wasting water is to compost as much food as possible, including vegetable and fruit scraps, egg shells, coffee grounds, tea bags, stale bread and crackers. Water treatment Disposing of kitchen waste down the drain creates additional waste in sewage treatment plants and water treatment plants. The food waste creates a sludge that is more difficult for water treatment plants to process, as the plant has to use more chemicals and more energy to treat the wastewater. Even if your drain doesn’t go to a municipal water treatment plant, the same sludge can build up in your septic tank, which can require expensive and messy repairs. Some communities have garbage disposal regulations that may regulate the products allowed for disposal or the size of septic tank a household requires.

Importance of waste disposal

Installing a garbage disposal unit in your home is a great idea. Any plumber would highly recommend this as it is an effective way to deal with common kitchen scraps like leftover food by chopping them up into small pieces. This allows them to easily pass through pipelines. Best of all, installation is both affordable and easy. Call us at (713) 812-7070 for your home service and repair needs.

For more related articles and information, visit https://www.abacusplumbing.net/category/plumbing/

In a nationally representative survey, CR asked users what foods they put in their grinders, and a staggering 33 percent of users throw fats and grease in their disposal.

“That’s not surprising,” says Rebecca Shelton, a wastewater engineer from the Atlanta area. “Fat is associated with about 70 percent of duct overflows.”

And you may not know, she adds, that creamy foods like peanut butter or dairy fall into the FOGs category. Butter, cream and ice cream are also out of the question.

Sometimes it’s inevitable that small amounts of grease will go down the drain – think sautéed vegetables or creamy sauces – which is why you should always use cold water when running the drain. “Cold water is key,” says Alyssa Wiegand, product manager at Moen. “It causes small amounts of fat to solidify.” Then disposal can break up those solids and reduce the chance of a clog.

Starchy food. Scraping leftover macaroni off a plate is fine, but a can of week-long fried rice to-go? throw it in the trash “Large amounts of starchy foods like rice, pasta and potatoes break down into a pulp that can clog your drain and also gum up your disposal,” says Paul Abrams, Roto-Rooter PR director.

Fibrous Vegetables and Peels. Celery, corn husks, artichokes, edamame, asparagus, and rhubarb are also problematic. “Premium disposers with multi-grind technology can handle fibrous foods in small batches,” says Eric Schultz, director of product management at InSinkErator. “But stringy materials tend to go through most garbage disposals and build up in your lines, causing clogs.”

As counterintuitive as it may seem, fruit and vegetable peelings can cause similar problems, especially if you’re cramming a bunch into the disposal at one time. “Individual shells are very thin and don’t have a lot of weight, so they can actually slip through the grates,” says Schultz. “And they can cause constipation, as can fibrous vegetables.”

According to our survey, 59 percent of users toss vegetable husks in their trash can (though we didn’t ask for the amount), while 20 percent put in artichokes and just 4 percent attempt to grind corn husks.

eggshells, shellfish and coffee grounds. Egg shells are another common disposable food that 33 percent of our survey respondents say they throw in the garbage disposal.

Seems harmless enough, but they don’t break down quickly and a large quantity of them will build up and clog the drain, especially if you have older pipes. The same goes for shellfish and coffee grounds, which don’t crumble easily and are also quite oily—double whammy.

garbage disposal

What can you put in the garbage disposal?

There are many myths about whether it is safe for garbage disposal and not, the truth is that modern models can handle almost any food.

A few factors to consider: A good high powered disposal can handle a lot more than a lower powered model. 1/2 HP is common for a house, and that should handle most leftovers. 3/4 and 1 hp models are faster, quieter and more effective when you need to dispose of tougher items like banana peels, fruit pits, etc.

Many recommendations for disposal have more to do with your installation than disposal itself. Over time, certain substances can build up in your pipes and cause clogs.

Here are some best practices to keep your pipes clean and extend the life of your device. Of course, check your owner’s manual to determine what’s safe in your specific disposal model.

TL;DR

Garbage disposals can destroy most foods, especially high-performance models. If you follow a few rules, you shouldn’t have any problems:

Never throw non-food items in the garbage disposal.

Do not force large amounts of food into the disposal at once.

Run plenty of water down the drain when using disposal.

Always follow the guidelines in your owner’s manual.

Use your best judgment on how much wear and tear you are willing to put on your device. (Consider the lifespan of the device)

Avocado Pits

Yes, avocado pits and most other fruit pits can be disposed of in landfills. Note that large hard pits will bounce around and make a lot of noise. It’s often easier to dispose of them in the trash can.

banana peels

Yes, but generally not recommended, especially for lower horsepower units. Bananas can clog your pipes if they are not adequately chopped up as they pass through disposal. If you choose to discard banana peels, don’t put too much in at once and remove any stickers the manufacturer or grocery store may have put on.

Bone

no Good garbage disposal will pulverize small bones, but they’re generally not good for your installation. You should never attempt to throw large/whole bones into your bin as they may damage the device. If you’re trying to shred small bones, do so sparingly and in small batches.

Bones and fibrous foods require a lot of mealtime and are often thrown in the trash more easily. Using the litter also helps extend the life of your disposal.

celery

Yes. Unless you have a specific garbage disposal model to argue against it, most modern disposals have no issues with celery or other fibrous/fibrous foods. Celery, like many large foods, should be discarded in small amounts at a time.

cherry stones

Yes. Most garbage disposal manufacturers do not advise against this. Modern garbage trucks are powerful and designed to handle cherry and other fruit pits. These pits can be noisy when disposed of, and frequent grinding of very hard foods causes extra wear and tear when disposed of, leading many people to choose to toss cherry pits in the bin.

mussels and oysters

no Mussels and oysters may block the device and damage internal parts.

coffee grounds

no They probably won’t hurt your garbage disposal, but coffee grounds stick together when wet, which can lead to clogged pipes.

corn husks and corn cobs

Yes and no. Some manufacturers specifically say you shouldn’t throw away whole cobs or husks, while others don’t. Although heavy-duty models will be able to shred an ear of corn and/or a husk, this can take a long time. Also, the threads and fibers in corn husks can sometimes get caught in the disposal gears. So it’s a good idea not to throw corn husks and cobs in the trash.

Drano

Maybe. Most garbage disposal manufacturers advise you not to use caustic drain cleaners in their appliances. Drano and other chemical drain cleaners have a variety of products, only a few of which are landfill safe. Harsh chemicals can cause corrosion in your garbage disposal, so they should be avoided. If you decide to use a chemical cleaner, check the instructions for your disposal and the cleaning agent to make sure they are safe.

dirt

no Dirt doesn’t hurt disposal if flushed properly, but it can definitely clog your plumbing. If you’re removing dirt from something, do it outside or over a trash can.

eggshells

no Large eggshells become small eggshells and can clog drains over time. You can get away with it occasionally, but don’t make it the norm. You won’t harm the disposal itself, it’s just a problem for your installation.

flour

no Most garbage collectors don’t have a problem with flour, even if it’s thick and doughy. However, flour is bad for your plumbing and can lead to slow drains and clogged pipes. Avoid if possible.

fruit bowls

Yes. Most garbage collectors will have no problem grinding up fruit peels. If you have low-cost or energy-saving disposal, you may want to avoid thick peels like oranges or grapefruit as they are more difficult to process. If you just throw in a few shells here and there you probably won’t have a problem, but large amounts could get stuck in the disposal or pipes.

Fat

no Grease can solidify and collect in your disposal and plumbing, which can lead to clogged drains.

hair

no Human and pet hair are a major cause of clogs. Never stick hair down a drain if you can avoid it.

lemon peels

Yes. Just don’t put in large chucks or too many parts at once. Lemon peels can actually improve garbage disposal odors.

oil

no Like grease, solidified cooking oils can cause disposal and installation problems over time.

pasta

Yes, but not in large quantities. It won’t hurt garbage disposal, but pasta will expand even after it’s been cooked, which can cause plumbing clogs. Small amounts are fine, but avoid large amounts at once and rinse thoroughly.

pineapple

Yes, but… Most garbage truck manufacturers don’t specifically advise against it, but the tough skin of a pineapple will train your garbage truck. It will be much faster (and quieter) to use a trash can. Avoiding this type of abuse will also help extend the life of your garbage pickup.

potato skins

Yes, but only a few at a time. Large amounts of potato skins can become pasty and stick to both the trash buckets and your pipes, causing jams and clogs. In general, they’re not good for your plumbing after they’ve gone through your disposal, so it’s best to avoid them.

rice

Yes, but just like with pasta, don’t put large amounts in at once. Wet rice can expand, which can cause clogs in your pipes after the food has passed through the disposal. Small amounts of rice are usually fine, but avoid large amounts and rinse thoroughly after discarding.

tea leaves

no They’re not a problem for garbage disposal, but because these leaves aren’t ground up well, they can slip through disposal and clog your pipes over time.

watermelon

Yes. If you don’t have a very low-power model, you can throw watermelons in the garbage disposal. Avoid large chunks and note that rinds and skins can take a long time to grind up…a ​​trash can might be a lot easier.

We do our best to provide current and accurate information, but this content may contain errors or information that is not correct for your situation or equipment. The resources found on our website are provided as general information. Reddi Industries assumes no liability arising from the information provided. When attempting to repair or modify plumbing, electrical, or other appliances in your home or business, always read your appliance’s instruction manual first and only do so if you are qualified.

Why you should never throw seeds or fruit pits down the kitchen drain

If your kitchen sink comes with a garbage disposal, you’re probably used to simply tossing in your leftovers, flicking a switch, and disposal makes your garbage worries go away. But it’s not always a good idea to throw everything there. The wrong items can snap or dull the blades of your disposal, or clog your disposal, requiring a sometimes costly repair (via Rentmeister). Hard objects — like bones, shells, and non-food items like metal or glass — are particularly dangerous for garbage disposal. A few hard objects that you might overlook and absent-mindedly toss in your trash can without even thinking? fruit pits and seeds.

Peach pits, pumpkin pits, avocado pits, sunflower seeds – whatever it is, don’t throw pits and seeds down your kitchen drain. According to home improvement pro Bob Vila, while your garbage disposal can take a beating in some cases, it really can’t withstand these hard objects and they’re likely to clog your sink or dent or break your garbage disposal blades.

Almost every home has a plumbing system that includes a number of drains. A trash canister may be attached to one of these drains. It’s tempting to put all sorts of things in it – and other drains too – because it’s just so convenient. But hold on. Any drain in this system, especially that associated with garbage disposal, is prone to failure. Plumbing repairs don’t come cheap.

In fact, the national median price to unclog a drain has risen to $225 as of this writing. To make sure you don’t call a plumber anytime soon, don’t throw the following 11 items down your trash can or other household drains.

fats and cooking oils

It’s tempting, that’s for sure. Especially if it’s just the last bit of cooking oil. Or tossing the last piece of bacon or chicken skin in the trash can.

It seems reasonable that once ground it will flow easily through the pipes, but don’t believe it.

Grease accumulates slowly and not only prevents disposal from grinding up food scraps — it creates drain clogs you don’t want to experience. Grease and grease stick to the inside walls of pipes and attract other things that stick too.

Never pour fat, oil or fat from gravy, meat, bacon or poultry down a drain, even if a garbage disposal is connected. Instead, dispose of fats, fats and oils in the household waste.

potato skins

Potato skins expand when placed down a drain and cling to the drain and pipes. They turn into glue.

Over time, this sticky starch hardens and slowly clogs the drain. This also applies to waste disposal.

If the drain stops flowing, you have a full blown clog that requires an emergency call to a professional.

Plan this in the middle of your big Thanksgiving celebration or other meal featuring your famous mashed potatoes. Do yourself a favor and put potato peelings in the bin or compost heap – never in the landfill!

Artichoke parts, anything fibrous

Don’t try to grind something tough and fibrous like the leaves, stalk, or even the furry, inedible part of an artichoke.

Fibers from artichokes — also corn husks, celery, onion skins — can tangle and jam the garbage disposal motor and clog drains.

And by the way, citrus peels, while touted by many as a great way to freshen up and clean up a garbage disposal, are a problem just waiting to be happened. Trust me on that.

Let me say from personal experience that for some reason garbage collectors are most likely to perform poorly in the presence of lime.

RELATED: How to Make a Good Food Great (It’s All About the Sauce!)

fruit kernels, seeds

Many homeowners assume it’s okay to throw the pits of peaches, cherries, avocados, and other fruits in the garbage disposal. However, fruit pits can easily crack, dent or break the blades of your disposal.

Do not throw peach seeds, pumpkin seeds, avocado seeds, sunflower seeds down the drain. Your garbage truck really can’t withstand these hard objects. A broken garbage disposal is bad enough without adding a clogged drain to the mess. Throw away pits and seeds in the compost or trash.

RELATED: Peaches – tips, tricks, my grandmother’s peach cobbler

Bone

This is debatable as there are sources who insist that grinding chicken bones in a garbage disposal sharpens the blades and keeps the device set.

I don’t know what machine you’re talking about, but it doesn’t work for me. My advice: don’t.

While very small bones are likely to pass without a hitch, it’s safest to keep all bones out of your garbage disposal. These hard objects can damage your disposal or clog your plumbing. Even when ground up, they can end up at the bottom of some pipes, causing a possible clog. Ka-ching.

RELATED: How to Cook Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts (No-Fail Secrets!)

Seafood Bowls

Like bones and kernels, seafood shells should not be put in the landfill.

Whether it’s clams, oysters, mussels or lobster, the hard casings can damage the blades or lead to clogs.

coffee grounds

Let’s call that debatable and then move to the side of common sense. No coffee grounds down the drain or in the garbage disposal.

While most garbage disposals can handle the ground with ease, the pipes at the other end of this handy device cannot. Coffee grounds attract fat. The resulting buildup creates a gross, sludge-like mess that can then clog a drain, making it smelly as well!

There are many uses for coffee grounds to give them a second life instead of throwing them away.

RELATED: 7 easy ways to breathe new life into leftover rice

pasta, rice

Here’s a good rule of thumb: if it expands in the presence of water, it will also expand when it meets water in your pipes.

Think about it: We cook pasta and rice in water until they absorb the water and almost double in size. Remember, that’s what it’s doing in your pipes.

The answer is clear: no pasta, no rice in the garbage disposal. Find out how to use it instead!

Or if all else fails, throw it in the trash.

RELATED: 7 easy ways to breathe new life into leftover rice

eggshells

It may be an urban legend that eggshells help sharpen the blades of a garbage truck. The folks at American Home Shield dismiss this as a myth:

“Garbage collectors don’t have blades. They have impellers that aren’t sharp, they’re blunt. So throwing eggshells in the trash to “sharpen the blades” won’t do any good.

“In fact, eggshells are not recommended for garbage disposal because the membrane can wrap around the impellers and cause damage.”

And that’s why we should add eggshells to our list of Nevers.

RELATED: How to make dirt: Compost 101

medication

Who among us hasn’t been tempted to toss an expired prescription or OTC drug in the trash can or down the toilet?

We all have those old drugs in our medicine cabinet somewhere. Whatever the reason – it’s expired or you no longer need it – the prudent answer is to dispose of medication properly.

Waste disposal is not considered correct at all in this context. The chemicals in medications can affect the water quality in your area, and that’s pretty much the last thing you want.

Do the right thing: hand it in to your nearest pharmacy for them to dispose of with other medical waste.

colour

Whether oil, water, stain, lacquer, tempera or any other type of paint – no. Do not throw the excess down the drain. It sticks to the sidewalls of the tubes and instantly stops food from getting through. You will regret it for a long time!

Instead, check with your city or county’s hazardous waste disposal facility, which will properly dispose of paints in a manner that is not hazardous to the earth or its residents.

Don’t know how to find this facility? Ask people at the store where you bought the paint. Or one of those shops near you.

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Ah, the ooey gooey feeling of gooey pumpkin insides sticking to your hands while carving pumpkins. Think cleaning up afterwards is a nightmare? Even worse is what could happen if you flush the pulp and seeds down the drain.

Oh, but you throw them in the garbage disposal you say? Bad idea! Contrary to popular belief, garbage disposals are not meant to be “dispose of everything”. We therefore also refer to these handy devices as waste “disposers”.

Some foods should never be put in a garbage disposal, and the fibrous, sticky flesh and hard seeds like those in pumpkin insides are two major problems to avoid.

Disposers work by flinging your food waste against a grinder ring on the side of your disposer wall. Fibrous foods like pumpkin flesh and potato skins can stick to the sides of the grinder ring before passing through and being pulverized, and that can clog your disposal.

The fibrous pulp of certain vegetables and pasta should also never end up in your garbage disposal. These stringy foods can wrap around the spinning impellers at the bottom of your garbage disposal and clog them.

Hard foods like pumpkin seeds should also be kept away from your disposer as they are too hard to be fully pulverized by the grinding ring, as are the tough rinds of pumpkins and other melons. Those foods that aren’t powdered can still pass through your garbage disposal and get stuck further down your drains.

Even squash pulp that’s sufficiently ground up in a disposer can clog your drains. The gooey mucus from pumpkin offal dries quickly once it settles on the walls of your pipe, becoming a clog in the process. If you’ve ever tried to pluck a dried pumpkin seed off a plate, you can understand the glue-like consistency of pumpkin intestines. Add some stray pumpkin seeds to the mix and you have a recipe for a Halloween nightmare that only a call to our plumbers can fix.

Before you begin your pumpkin carving adventures, it’s a good idea to create a “pumpkin disposal plan” that doesn’t include throwing pumpkin offal down your sink. If you end up with a garbage disposal problem or a clogged drain, call our expert plumbers at Anthony PHC immediately at A-N-T-H-O-N-Y (268-4669) KS or MO.

A kitchen sink is a must for every homeowner. It’s a powerful kitchen tool that makes post-meal cleaning easier and keeps food scraps from entering your plumbing or landfill. We often don’t think about these modern conveniences until a problem arises, such as: B. Your disposal does not grind.

Although garbage disposal equipment has enormous horsepower and sharp blades, certain foods and waste simply cannot be processed. Knowing the do’s and don’ts of garbage disposal will go a long way in preventing your device from clogging or breaking.

Proper use and maintenance can extend the life of your garbage truck and keep it running smoothly. Here are some tips on how to use a garbage disposal and which leftovers can be processed.

What does not belong in the garbage disposal

coffee grounds. Coffee grounds can clump together into a thick mess that clogs your food disposal and won’t drain your sink.

Meat. Does your garbage disposal stink? It could be because you put meat in it. You should never put meat down a food disposal sink. It may stick inside the machine, rot, and cause a stench. Always throw leftover meat in the trash. Bones (with the exception of fish) should also be kept away from garbage disposal. Your unit isn’t strong enough to crush them.

Starchy food. Throwing bread, oatmeal, pasta, and rice in the garbage disposal is a bad idea. These foods expand when wet, which can form a gelatinous paste in your drain and clog your sink.

shells, nuts and vegetable shells. The shells of seafood and other crustaceans also do not belong in the garbage disposal. The small parts can dull the blades and clog the machine, which can lead to food disposal malfunction. Also avoid egg shells, nuts, vegetable peels, fruit pits and seeds, and corn husks and cobs.

Fat, oil or frying fat. These materials should never enter your plumbing, whether you have a garbage disposal or not. It can solidify and make a whole mess for an expensive plumber to clean up.

Fibrous foods. Some examples of fibrous vegetables that cannot be shredded are squash, celery, kale, lettuce, chard, artichokes, asparagus, and rhubarb. Their filamentary materials can become tangled inside the device and jam it. When that happens, you need to unclog your garbage disposal.

Non-Food Items. We’ve all had the experience of flipping the switch and hearing the crunch of a fork or spoon we’ve missed. It can also be easy for a stray napkin or food wrapper to sneak into your scullery machine. Remember to do a quick test before turning on the device.

Caustic cleaning chemicals. Avoid harsh chemicals like drain cleaners and bleach. Instead, use natural deodorants for your garbage disposal, like baking soda, vinegar or lemon juice, and dish soap.

Wondering what to do with your non-friendly disposal items? Try composting some of your leftover food to reduce waste and help your garden thrive.

What can you put down at a garbage disposal?

Soft or liquid foods. A general rule to keep in mind is that if you can feed your baby to your baby, you can throw it in the trash as well. Many solid foods such as vegetables (without skin) or fruit can also be placed in the device. Chop them up first so they don’t weigh down the device.

Ice. Throw in some ice cubes along with your food scraps and grind them up. They help loosen the food particles stuck to the blades.

citrus fruits. Keep a bag of orange, lemon, or other citrus peels in the freezer and toss some in when you need to brush up on your garbage collection. Be sure to cut them into bite-sized pieces so you don’t overload the machine.

Also, for proper garbage disposal maintenance, you should always run cold water through your food grinder while it is in use and for 30 seconds after it has finished grinding food. This ensures that any leftover food is washed down the drain and nothing is left in your disposal.

No matter how careful you are, all equipment will eventually wear out. This is where we come in. An American Home Shield® home warranty can help cover the cost of repairing or replacing key parts of your home systems and appliances when they fail. So that your hard-working device is ready for use again in no time at all, we expressly offer a disposal guarantee. Explore our plans today and choose the best for your household and budget.