Garbage Disposal Maintenance: Tips To Keep It Running Smoothly

When the kitchen garbage disposal is running properly, it’s a great appliance. It keeps your kitchen smelling fresh and clean. It makes cleaning up after dinner easy. It even reduces the amount of garbage in landfills.

But when the disposal isn’t working properly? The decaying food remaining in the appliance can make your kitchen or even your whole house stink. It is easy to avoid this problem by regularly following these garbage disposal maintenance tips.

Know What Not to Put Down the Drain

One of the most important aspects of maintaining a garbage disposal is knowing what should and shouldn’t go down it. Avoid putting the following items into your disposal:

• Grease, oil, and fat 
• Fibrous foods like celery, corn husks, and onion skins
• Hard items such as bones, fruit pits, and eggshells
• Starchy foods like pasta, rice, and potato peels

If you do drop something into your disposal that you shouldn’t have, use these tips to remove it safely.

Run Your Disposal Regularly

Even if you don’t use your garbage disposal daily, turn it on periodically to prevent rust and buildup. Running it with cold water helps keep the blades from corroding and gets rid of odor-causing debris.

Use Cold Water When Running the Disposal

Always use cold water when operating your disposal. Cold water helps solidify grease and fat so the blades can break them into smaller pieces.

While hot water won’t damage the parts, it will liquefy greases and fats. When they are in liquid form, grease adheres to the blades and builds up on them.

Keep It Clean

Food debris can accumulate and create foul odors over time. Cleaning your garbage disposal regularly helps prevent this. You can get a natural chemical reaction by putting baking soda down the drain and pouring vinegar on top of it.

Another easy method is to put about a cup of rock salt down the drain when you grind up ice cubes. For a full cleaning guide, check out how to clean your garbage disposal. 

Use Ice Cubes and Citrus Peels

Grinding ice cubes helps sharpen your disposal’s blades. The sharp edges of ice can also break up any food buildup inside the disposal.

Additionally, grinding citrus peels from lemons or oranges helps eliminate odors and leaves your kitchen smelling fresh.

Know How to Reset the Disposal

If your garbage disposal stops working, locate the reset button — usually a small red button on the bottom of the unit. Press it to restart the motor. If it still doesn’t work, you may have to learn how to fix a garbage disposal.

Avoid Overloading

Do you know the right way to run your garbage disposal? Feeding too much waste into the disposal at once can overwhelm the motor and cause clogs. Instead, put food waste into the disposal gradually. This way, it processes everything without a problem.

Always Run Water Before and After Use

Before turning on your garbage disposal, run cold water for a few seconds. Keep the water running for at least 10-15 seconds after turning off the disposal. The running water will carry any remaining particles out of the disposal and will more completely flush the pipes.

Don’t Use Chemical Drain Cleaners

Harsh chemical drain cleaners can corrode the disposal’s components and damage your pipes. Instead, use natural cleaning solutions like vinegar and baking soda to break down buildup.

When in Doubt, Call a Professional Plumber

Now that you know how to maintain your garbage disposal, it should work great. But if you’re still facing a problem, it’s best to call a professional. Whether you need repairs, a new installation, or just expert advice, Roto-Rooter plumbers are here to help.  You can also watch our very own Jason Hawes explain what to look for when you get into your new home here! 

Call Roto-Rooter today to schedule a garbage disposal maintenance appointment and keep your garbage disposal in top shape!