02/09/2012
Did you know???? Despite what you may have heard, not everything can go into a garbage disposal. Here are five quick tips :
1. Keep it small – Your garbage disposal does a lot to make work in your kitchen easier. Do it a favor and keep waste small. Break or cut up waste before it goes into the disposal. Small pieces make the disposal’s job easier.
2. Know the No-No’s - Rice and pasta- No matter how much water you run or how long you run the appliance, you can never break rice or pasta down small enough. Both items swell when they are in contact with water, so the small pieces will eventually gather in the trap and swell until it is closed.
Animal bones- The garbage disposal is just not strong enough to break these down small enough to fit through. Animal bones are the most common thing that jams disposals.
Grease- The grease will eventually solidify and clog a portion, or all, of your drain. Avoid pouring fats or cooking oils down the drain. Don’t foget to wipe congealed grease from pots.
Egg shells- Despite what you may have heard, egg shells do not sharpen disposal blades Mostly they just end up clogging the line.
Any kind of stringy or tough-peeled vegetable- This includes asparagus, lettuce, celery and potato peels. Maybe in a small amount the disposal can handle it, but I wouldn’t try it. Never put hard to grind, shredded, stringy fibrous waste poultry skins, carrots, celery, pumpkin pulp, banana peels, coffee grinds, onion skin, artichoke leaves or starchy (potato peelings).
3. Keep it cool - When using your garbage disposal run cool water before, during, and after. Hot water tends to melt any fats that may be present in the waste. While this may sound like a good thing, any residual fat that sticks to the inner lining of your disposal can re-solidify and potentially cause problems for your disposal.
4. Clean it up - Especially before you put it through the pressures of the holiday season, it would be wise to clean your disposal. While running cold water, put a small handful of ice cubes down the disposal and turn it on. This process helps clear unwanted buildup from the inner lining and helps sharpen the blades. You might also want to use a paper towel to wipe of both sides of the rubber drain entrance when the disposal is off.
5. Freshen it up - Cut up a citrus peel and send it through the disposal. The zest will give off a nice sent.
Don’t forget the old adage of “less is more” definitely applies to the garbage disposal. Only small amounts of table scraps should go into the disposal.