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7 things to never put down your garbage disposal

Garbage disposal - what not to put down it.

You’re preparing a meal fit for kings and queens. The menu calls for a Caesar salad with hardboiled eggs, chopped vegetables, bacon-wrapped filets, and more. Chopping away at everything, it all falls and gathers in your kitchen sink.

No worries. That’s what a garbage disposal is for, right?

Wrong.

While the word “garbage” tends to lead you to think the metal blades and powerful engine can consume anything, it’s been given with simple ease, that’s not entirely the case.

Having a damaged garbage disposal can cause many plumbing problems along the way, thanks to damaged blades, clogs, etc.

A lot of this “garbage” is popular, and you’ll still find many homeowners pushing them down the drain:

Grease and Cooking Oils
That bacon grease that’s sputtering in your pan from preparing the bacon-wrapped filet? Yeah, that should not be poured down any drain. Liquid fat, grease, and cooking oils can congeal into a disgusting mush that easily clogs your drains and coats your disposal blades. Solution: Pour into a can, let it cool, then throw it away.

Coffee Grounds
While coffee grounds don’t damage your disposal (they’re already ground up), they can damage your plumbing. The grounds can clump up, creating large clogs that not even the most robust plumbing snake can get through. But even after they’ve been removed, there will be some grounds leftover in your pipes, forever threatening more clogs. Solution: Toss them in a composting pile.

Eggshells
Whether those hardboiled eggs are cage-free, organic, brown, or white shelled, they do not belong in the kitchen sink. The eggshells can cause damage to the disposal blades. Plus, the membrane of the shell can wrap around the blades, dulling them and rendering the blades useless. Solution: Toss them in a compost pile.

Nuts and Pits
While nuts and fruit pits tend to be relatively small, they may not seem like they can do much damage to your disposal. Most likely, they don’t (unless it’s an avocado or peach pit), but as they slip through the blades, they can gather in the pipes and cause clogs. Solution: Toss them in a compost pile.

Bones
Bones can be strong and require too much force, especially from a garbage disposal. Avoid putting any bones in your sink because they can dull the blades of the disposal and may even get lodged against the blades, thus preventing the disposal from working. Solution: Toss them in the trash (make sure animals can’t get to them).

Bread
Bread, cereal, rice, oatmeal, and pasta can do some heavy damage to your disposal as well as the plumbing. Just as too many carbs can cause your waistline to expand, so can those carbs when added to water. Starchy foods like rice and pasta form a film on the blades and the pipes, causing clogs to form. Solution: Toss them in the trash.

Drain Cleaner
Most chemical drain cleaners can be corrosive to your plumbing, and the same can be said for your disposal. Plastic and metal can be damaged after many repeated uses, which can mean rust, leakage, or other issues that can be expensive to fix. Solution: Use a drain snake to remove clogs or call the experts at Michael’s Plumbing.

Being more conscious about what you put into your sink will help not only your dinner party become a success but it’ll help alleviate any plumbing concerns. If you have questions or need to schedule an appointment, contact Orlando’s Michael’s Plumbing at (407) 219-9772 for fast, reliable service.

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