By Mike Hudson – Plumbing Manager at Jackson Comfort Services
1. Run cold water—not hot—when using your garbage disposal. Cold water hardens food, making it easier for the garbage disposal to grind it up and send it down the drain pipe. Be sure to run enough water after grinding to carry the food waste to your main drain pipe.
2. Run your garbage disposal on a regular basis. Even if you don’t have anything to grind up, turn on the water and run the disposal every few days to move the parts around. Otherwise, the disposal can freeze up, rust, or corrode; and any leftover food inside can harden, leading to odors and clogs.
3. Go easy on the disposer and put in small amounts of food at a time and don’t totally fill the unit.
4. You can put small lemon peels in and grind them up to keep the disposer smelling fresh.
5. It is also a good idea to grind up some ice cubes with the water running. This will keep the blades clean.
6. Some items to not put in the disposer: grease or oil, glass, plastic, metal, paper, big bones, seeds, pits, egg shells, or expandable foods like excess pasta or rice or potatoes.
