Appliance Repair Tips: Don’t Let Improper Use Ruin Your Garbage Disposal

If used properly, your garbage disposal is one of the easiest appliances to clean and maintain. That being said, if you haven’t sat down with your garbage disposal’s owners manual, you may not know what’s considered proper use and what’s improper use. While every brand differs slightly, there are some common do’s and don’ts that every owner of a garbage disposal should follow.

How To Run Your Garbage Disposal

1. Before hitting the on switch, start running the cold water from your faucet. Do not use hot water. When hot water is used, you run the risk of overheating certain parts of the appliance, such as the motor or shredder assembly.

2. Now you can turn on your garbage disposal.

3. Don’t overwhelm the disposal by stuffing a bunch of food down it at once. It is best to slowly feed it items. Remember to keep your hands and all utensils away from the drain.

4. You’ll need to use your listening skills to know when all the food has made its journey through the disposal.

5. Once you no longer hear the grinding of food being broken down, you can switch the appliance off.

6. Continue running the cold water for a few seconds after the disposal has been turned off. This will help flush out the pipes.

Keeping It Clean

Like your other appliances, your garbage disposal requires routine cleaning. Luckily, the cleaning process is quite simple. While there are multiple items you can use to freshen up the disposal’s blades, the most common and efficient ways call for ice and lemon peels. Placing a few cubes of ice in your appliance and running it will help get rid of any food or gunk that is stuck on the blades. If you wish to go one step further, you can make vinegar ice cubes to also sanitize the blades. The Lemon peels mentioned above are great for removing unwanted odors. Keeping the peels smaller is best, so you don’t run the risk of jamming the disposal.

Items That May Damage Your Disposal

Your garbage disposal can not handle certain food scraps and attempting to put them down your drain can end with a call to your local appliance repair company. To keep from damaging your disposal and clogging your pipes, keep the items listed below away from your appliance.

• Corn husks or corn cobs
• Celery
• Hard bones
• Shells from crabs and lobsters
• Fruit pits
• Banana peels
• artichokes
• Peelings from a potato
• Egg shells
• Rice
• Pasta
• Grease

 If you’re having trouble with your garbage disposal or another appliance in your home is malfunctioning, please contact us today and we’ll be happy to help repair the problem.