No device is made for a lifetime.
It has its limits; it has its lifespan. Same is true for your garbage disposal unit. Replacement is inevitable as years pass by. But there are certainly easy, simple steps you can do regularly which could potentially increase the lifespan of your disposal unit.
Maintenance is needed for any device that is used at a regular basis and if you seriously care about saving money and maintaining a best-functioning disposal unit, then doing these steps below is a must:
Never put hard objects on your disposal unit.
Disposal devices are not created equal. Some have better quality than the others. Some can even handle slightly hard food waste such as chicken bones. But remember this, all garbage disposal units are not meant to grind hard objects.
Hard objects generally dull the blades of your disposal unit so it’s best not to drop any. Hard food waste can include: shells of crabs and shell fishes, and hard bones like that of beef and pork.
No to starchy and fibrous items
Starchy and fibrous substance can get thick and clog the drainage and can tangle on the motor respectively. Foods on these categories can include: Potato peelings, Corn husk, Onion skins, Celery, Egg shells (can clog pipings).
Absolutely no non-food items or trash
Obviously, your garbage disposal unit is not meant to filter trashes. However, it’s still worth mentioning considering the number of cases when people tend to drop down foreign objects on the unit, eventually clogging the pipes.
Regularly clean your unit
You can do this by running the faucet while the unit is on. This will help objects stuck on the grinder to easily go down the drain.
After doing this for about a minute, turn off the disposal unit and start cleaning the inner portion. Wipe with a clean paper towel the rubber at the center of the sink. This usually gives off a bad odor that’s why regular cleaning is a must.
You may also try throwing ice cubes down the unit. Doing this can knock off particles stuck in the grinder.
Citrus peelings also have an added value since it gives off fresh odor and removes the bad ones.
Proper way of dropping the food wastes on the unit
There’s no problem if you’re only dealing with small-sized waste. But if you’re dealing with the big ones, then there’s a need for you to cut them down into smaller pieces so as not to put so much strain on the grinder.
Also, when you put them down, do not place them all in one go. Rather, place them slowly.
Conclusion
Maintenance of your garbage disposal unit is a must. It’s a need and a responsibility for every homeowner who owns a unit. Unless you want to have problems in terms of clogging and leaking later on, you will want to stick with a regular schedule to clean it.
Are you observing proper way in maintaining your disposal unit? What are your best practices?
We love to hear from you!