10 Things You Should Never Put Down The Garbage Disposal & 10 That Are Totally Fine
Think Before You Flip The Switch
Have you ever held kitchen scraps over the sink and wondered if you're about to make a costly mistake? Your garbage disposal is a fantastic tool that makes kitchen cleanup easier, but keep in mind that it's not meant for everything. Some everyday food items that seem harmless can wreak havoc on your pipes, causing clogs and foul odors. Knowing the difference is the secret to a happy and functioning kitchen. Let's begin with our list of what you should never put down the drain.
1. Fruit Pits
Fruit pits, like those from peaches or avocados, are far too dense for your disposal. Their extreme hardness can easily dent or chip the blades and damage motor bearings. They won't grind down either, instead just cause a loud, disruptive racket.
2. Eggshells
Don't buy into the popular myth that eggshells sharpen disposal blades. In reality, the shell's thin and stringy membrane can detach and wrap around the grinder's moving parts. This accumulation acts as a net, trapping other food particles and creating blockages.
3. Coffee Grounds
Your daily coffee habit can become a serious plumbing issue. When grounds meet water in your pipes, they don't flush away. Instead, they clump together and form a dense sludge that captures other debris and slowly strangles the water flow.
4. Grease
That liquid bacon fat may seem to go down smoothly, but it's setting the stage for a major disposal headache. Once it cools, grease solidifies into a thick and waxy solid that chokes pipes and brings your entire drainage system to a standstill.
Roboscreech at English Wikipedia on Wikimedia
5. Potato Peels
The high starch content in potato peels creates a gooey, paste-like substance when ground up. This starchy mess is heavy and doesn't flush easily, instead settles in your pipes and creates a foundation for future blockages to build upon.
6. Bones
Never toss bones from your dinner plate into the disposal, as they are simply too hard for standard blades to handle. They can crack or break internal components and may even bounce around, jamming the entire system while creating loud vibrations.
Shane Adams from Olathe, KS, USA on Wikimedia
7. Corn Husks
The tough, fibrous nature of corn husks makes them impossible for a garbage disposal to process effectively. Its long strands will wind themselves around the impellers, ultimately causing the motor to strain, overheat, and eventually burn out completely if you're not careful.
8. Pasta
It doesn't matter if it's spaghetti or macaroni; pasta continues to expand when exposed to water. Sending leftovers down the drain means they will keep swelling inside your pipes, further forming a large and doughy plug that's difficult and messy to remove.
9. Onion Skins
The ultra-thin outer layer of an onion might not look like much, but it's a sneaky source of trouble for your disposal. Onion skins often slip past the blades, settling in the drain where they trap food particles and gradually form a stubborn and smelly blockage.
10. Celery
Celery's fibrous strands create a stringy nightmare for your garbage disposal's motor. These tough fibers tangle around the blades, ultimately causing strain and potential overheating. Its slippery texture also leads to incomplete grinding, which can easily clog smaller drain openings.
Photo By: Kaboompics.com on Pexels
Now that we have covered all the things that can cause a plumbing nightmare, let's switch gears. Here are the items your garbage disposal can handle without any trouble at all.
1. Grapefruit Pulp
The soft pulp from your morning grapefruit is perfectly fine for disposal. Its mushy consistency is easy to process, and the natural citrus scent also provides a pleasant aromatic benefit, leaving your entire sink smelling fresh and clean.
2. Citrus Peels
Go ahead and toss citrus peels into your disposal for a natural freshen-up. They are easily ground into small, biodegradable pieces that won't harm your pipes. As a bonus, they can help dislodge stuck food bits and reduce drain odors.
3. Cooked Meat Scraps
Don't worry about the small bits of cooked meat left on your plate. As long as they are boneless and not excessively fatty, their soft texture is easily processed by the disposal and won't cause any issues for your plumbing or septic system.
4. Yogurt
Feel free to rinse any remaining yogurt down the drain without a second thought. Its liquid consistency requires no grinding and flushes easily through your plumbing. The smooth nature of yogurt means it won't leave behind any residue or contribute to buildup.
5. Soup Broth
With no solids to clog or jam the system, soup broth is safe for all plumbing types. It has no negative impact on septic systems and is biodegradable. So, pouring leftover soup broth down the disposal is completely harmless due to its liquid consistency.
6. Ice Cubes
Using ice cubes is a straightforward and effective way to help clean your garbage disposal's chamber. The cubes help flush out trapped debris and reduce odors, especially when paired with lemon. Additionally, they dissolve entirely without leaving any residue behind.
7. Scrambled Eggs
A few forkfuls of leftover scrambled eggs won't cause any problems. Their soft, airy texture is ground up instantly by the blades. Just be sure to run a steady stream of water to ensure they flush through the pipes cleanly.
8. Cooked Spinach
Unlike its stringy raw form, cooked spinach is soft and wilts down to almost nothing. It grinds up smoothly and dissolves easily in water, meaning it won't get tangled in the disposal's mechanics or accumulate in your pipes.
pelican from Tokyo, Japan on Wikimedia
9. Cooked Tofu
Cooked tofu's soft, crumbly texture poses no challenge for a garbage disposal. It disintegrates almost instantly upon contact with the blades and washes away cleanly with water. Since it lacks any fibrous or sticky qualities, it won't create buildup in pipes.
Korea.net / Korean Culture and Information Service on Wikimedia
10. Soft Cooked Vegetables
Most cooked veggies are a breeze for you to handle. Items like steamed broccoli or carrots are already tender, so they pulverize instantly without putting any strain on the motor. They liquefy and wash away without a trace.
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