No device is created to last for a lifetime.
But you can certainly help extend their life by observing proper maintenance and correct usage.
Depending on the size of your family and the frequency of usage, your garbage disposal unit can be exposed to intense workload. This is why they deserve the right amount of attention that you can give.
Below are some best-practices you ought to observe to ensure that your disposal unit remains functioning at its best.
- Know what foods and what not to throw down your disposal unit
While disposal units are created to make disposing food wastes easier, not all foods are good for it.
Hard food wastes such as shells for shrimp, crabs and hard bones (like that of beef) should be kept away from the unit. Hard objects can dull the blades of your unit’s grinder, making your unit less functional.
Also, it’s recommended to put away fibrous and starchy foods from your disposal unit. Fibrous food wastes such as banana peels and corn husks have the tendency to tangle while starchy foods can get thick and eventually clog pipes.
Should you really want to throw them down be sure to cut them down into small pieces before throwing them in one go.
- Absolutely keep non-food items out of the disposal unit
We’ve been repeating this again and again but this is still worth saying; disposal units are only for food wastes.
Therefore, non-food items like paper towels, cotton balls, expired pills and the like should never ever be thrown down your sink.
A lot of these materials contain chemicals that can seep through sewage systems and contaminate our drinking waters. Also, since they’re not biodegradable, they cannot be dissolved by simple constant contact with water.
Cotton balls and paper towels for instance can potentially cause jams and clogs when accumulate and can block the passage of water, causing water overflows on your sink.
- Refrain from throwing down huge chunks of food
Different horsepower have different grinding capacity. While 1 horsepower is more tolerant to huge chunks of food being thrown in it in one go, other horsepower are not.
It is generally recommended that you cut down into smaller pieces those food wastes which come in bulk. If you’re using lower horsepower, it’s highly suggested that you don’t put in waste in one go. Rather, throw them down slowly, letting the first batch be totally crushed before throwing down the next.
- Practice regular cleaning
And of course, practice regular cleaning. With all the wastes your disposal unit has to endure at a daily basis, it deserves to be cleaned.
Basic cleaning can involve running the faucet (cold water) while the disposal unit is on. This will push down possible food wastes that have stuck in the grinders. Also, you can drop in citrus peels like that of orange and lemon.
These materials can serve as a natural freshener to your unit, removing bad odor that might have been lingering for a while.
The life of your disposal unit largely depends on how well you take good care of it. Do the best practices mentioned above and enjoy a disposal unit that functions at its best!