Pointers to Keep Your Garbage Disposal in Top Condition

If you're already pouring coffee grounds into the drain, you might be shortening the life of

your appliance and potentially causing problems with your septic tank. However, it is not

too late to fix your mistakes. This guide to correctly using and handling a garbage disposal

can help you distinguish between good and poor habits.

To continue performing its tasks, your garbage disposal needs proper treatment. Fibrous

foods like banana peels, broccoli, celery, corn husks, and potato peels will tangle and block

the blades of your garbage disposal, as you probably already know. Bones and eggshells are

also poor decisions. However, did you know that dumping coffee grounds or starchy foods

into the machine will cause the pipes to clog?

            If you wish to keep using the garbage disposal for as long as possible, follow these practices:

1. Run the Garbage Disposal Often

If you don't have some food scraps to grind, you can still run the machine under cold water

to prevent the blades from rusting due to inactivity. This also allows any food that might

have stuck to the edges of the appliance from a previous usage to be washed away.

2. Avoid Throwing Out Fibrous, Starchy, or Heavy Leftovers

Avoid something that could break the appliance or clog the system. Ice cubes and lighter

foods should be sent down the garbage disposal, and then those should be broken up

smaller before being sent on through.

3. When You Need to Fix or Clean the Garbage Disposal, Turn It Off

First and foremost, safety: Before taking further action, unplug the device or switch off the

electricity to the kitchen at the circuit breaker to keep the worst from happening as you

maneuver around the bladed appliance.

4. Avoid Using Bleach or a Commercial Drain Cleaner

The caustic chemicals may fly up and out when you turn on your appliance next. 

If you are not careful, bleach will splash into your eyes after you turn the switch to flush food scraps

down the drain.

5. Clean the Appliance Twice a Month

Load it with crushed ice and a cup of rock salt, then run it for a minute to peel away the

grease lining the inside of your disposal with the natural abrasives. To remove bacteria, pour

a cup of bleach and a half-cup of baking soda into the disposal, then clean the flaps with an

old toothbrush (again, with the power off).

Now, if you’ve been breaking all the garbage disposal rules for years, you may want to get

your septic system checked out. By using your disposal improperly, you can drastically

increase the amount of waste pumped into your septic system, and it can’t be decomposed

by natural bacteria quickly enough. Give us a call! Our specialists from Mid Suffolk Cesspool

would be happy to take a look and provide top-notch septic services if necessary.