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What Should I Avoid Putting in My Garbage Disposal?

What should I avoid putting in my garbage disposal?

While the garbage disposal is an efficient, useful device, and many homes are equipped with them, they can become clogged or broken very easily. Putting the wrong things into the garbage disposal too many times can result in damage that may require a replacement.

Here’s what you should avoid putting in the garbage disposal:

  • Utensils: While this seems obvious, lots of garbage disposals become damaged due to forks or spoons falling in without notice. Before running the disposal, check for any non-food items. As always, unplug your disposal and shut the power off before reaching in to remove anything. Better yet, use a pliers or tongs to grab items from the disposal.

  • Cooking Oils and Grease: Unlike other liquids, cooking oils can solidify into grease when it cools, forming a clog. This includes fats. Cooking oils should be discarded in the trash can into of down the drain.

  • Fibrous Vegetables: Foods like celery, asparagus, and onion skins should be kept out of the disposal because the fibers and strands can wind around the moving parts of a disposal, preventing operation and allowing clogs to form in the drain.

  • Uncooked or Cooked Pasta and Rice: Pasta and rice break down into a starchy goo after spending time inside a wet disposal and drainpipe. This means that the more pasta and rice you put down your disposal the greater the chance of a big starchy, gel-like clog forming inside your drainpipe.

  • Coffee Grounds: These are another disposal don’t, as coffee grounds often get caught in the drain trap and form clogs. They can also jam a disposal.

  • Bones: Whether it’s chicken or fish, bones are difficult for a disposal to handle and can easily damage or break your unit.

  • Seeds, Cores and Pits: Any sort of fruit pit or apple core can be a challenge for even industrial-grade garbage disposals and are best left to the trash.

If you find yourself with lots of these items, and you’re not sure where to put them, consider starting a compost pile. If you have the room and the use for it, a compost pile can be beneficial for your yard and garden and provides an incentive for you to filter what you put in your disposal.

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