Garbage disposals are handy little appliances. Sometimes we’ve got food scraps or other pieces of trash that we can’t just throw away, so disposals grind them up for us and let us forget about them completely. But they’re not indestructible. Just like with any appliance, you’ve got to take care of it to ensure that it doesn’t break or wear down. But how do you do that, exactly?
It’s not like you can just “perform maintenance” on your garbage disposal. While that’s true, you can take a few steps to keep yours running smoothly for years to come. All it takes is a more mindful approach to what you can and can’t put down the disposal. Here are a few tips for how to maximize your garbage disposal’s lifespan from the experts at Roman Electric!
Make It Smell Better
The garbage disposal is named what it is for obvious reasons: it’s where we dump garbage down. And what does garbage do? It smells horrible, of course. And last time we checked, you can’t install any air fresheners down there to help with that problem.
But what you can do is use the disposal’s own mechanisms to make it smell better. Put some nicer-smelling garbage like lemon or orange peels down there and grind them up. This will infuse the garbage disposal with some more pleasant smells.
Dump Some Hot Water Down There
Although our disposals are pretty good at getting rid of what we put in them, some food gets stuck. The blades don’t always grind everything up completely, and the leftover food bits can harden and stick there.
To help soften these solidified food bits up, pour some boiling water down the garbage disposal every so often. It’ll help break these hardened parts up and make them more likely to getting ground up by the blades the next time you use them.
Use Some Ice
It might seem counterintuitive to put harder objects like ice down the disposal and running it, but this can actually be beneficial. Since garbage disposals have metal blades, they are susceptible to rusting. Putting ice cubes down the drain and running your disposal, however, can help remove some of this rust — helping your garbage disposal become more efficient at grinding down the things you put down there.
Just Leave It On
Sometimes it’s good just to let your garbage disposal keep on chugging for a bit before turning it off. When you leave yours on and allow it to run for a minute or so, it’ll catch all the food bits that might be hiding somewhere down there and clear the disposal for good.
Always keep the sink running so that water is flowing and constantly flushing any of these dislodged food bits down the drain — the last thing you’d want to do is to break up the food, only to have them just rearrange themselves and remain stuck down there.
Garbage disposals can be finicky appliances, but with a bit of care and thought, yours will stay efficient for years to come. Roman Electric’s team of expert plumbers can help you with any disposal problems or questions you may have, and we’re always willing to help you out.
Give us a call at 414-369-3798 to speak with a team member today!
