Your garbage disposal does a lot for you: keeps your kitchen smelling fresh, makes cleaning up after dinner easy, and reduces the amount of garbage in the landfills. And it does all this without needing a whole lot from you in return.

1. Avoid Certain Foods

Knowing what to put down your garbage disposal – and what NOT to put down your disposal – will help keep it in tip top shape. Avoid putting the following items down your garbage disposal:

• Coffee grounds
• Bones
• Nuts and shells
• Pits and seeds
• Egg shells
• Fibrous foods
• Fat, Grease and oil
• Pasta, Rice and Bread

Not only should you avoid certain foods, you should also avoid putting large amounts of anything down there. Make sure to put small scraps of food in your disposal to prevent any major clogs or blockages.

2. Use Cold Water

While it isn’t necessarily harmful to use hot water, cold water is definitely better. This is because hot water can liquefy greases and fats, so it’s always a good best practice to use cold water when running your disposal.

3. Use Plenty Of Water

It’s not enough to just use cold water – you should use plenty of it. While food is being chopped up by your disposal, keep your water on for at least 10-20 seconds after the food has been completely chopped up.

4. Don’t Use Commercial Drain Cleaners

When we have a clog or blockage, our first instinct is to run to the store and pick up some store-bought cleaner for a quick fix. However, that is a big drain-NO! While drain cleaner will break apart food and debris that’s causing the clog, it can also cause significant damage to your pipes.

5. Clean It Regularly

Your garbage disposal works hard for you, but that hard work comes at a price – a smelly price. In order to prevent odors and build-up of food and debris, you should clean your garbage disposal regularly.

6. Call A Plumber

If you find that your garbage disposal isn’t working, no matter how well you’ve cared for it, call your local plumber to come take a look. Avoid putting your hands in the disposal, even if it’s off. Doing so could result in serious injury.

Contact Roman Electric For All Your Milwaukee Garbage Disposal Needs

Roman Electric is one of the largest electrical contractors in Southeastern Wisconsin. Having served tens of thousands of satisfied residents since 1929, we are a name you can trust. Count on us to repair or replace your disposal. Contact us today by calling us at 414-369-3798 or contact us online here so a team member can be in touch with you soon.