Your garbage disposal is an incredibly useful appliance for getting rid of some of your food waste. However, it’s easy to abuse it by using it as a regular trashcan and throwing just about anything down there. Here are some tips to maintaining your garbage disposal so that it lasts for years.

1. Don’t Dump Certain Foods Down Your Disposal

As the summer rolls into fall in Rochester, NY, you may be eating a lot of light salads instead of heavier winter foods. If salads are a large portion of your diet, remember not to throw celery, broccoli, cabbage, onion skins, corn husks, or kale down your disposal. Your garbage disposal will have a tough time breaking down these products, and the result will be a drain clog.

2. Don’t Use Harsh Chemicals to Clean Your Disposal

If you’re having problems with a clogged garbage disposal or a clogged drain, it’s better to call in expert plumbers to fix the problem with your garbage disposal. Using harsh chemicals may temporarily unclog your drains, but they could cause lasting damage to your pipes. If you need to unclog a drain yourself, use a plunger instead. If that doesn’t fix the issue, call one of our plumbers.

3. Use Cold Water

When you dump food waste down your disposal, make sure to wash it down with cold water for about 10 to 20 seconds. The continuous flow of water will help flush your pipes and push the waste through the drain. Remember not to use hot water as hot water will melt any fats or oils. Those oils will then harden farther down the drain and cause a clog.

4. Clean Your Garbage Disposal Frequently

Cleaning your garbage disposal frequently is important to ensure that it continues to work efficiently. Use baking soda and a vinegar combination to clean inside, and then scrub the flaps with a toothbrush. The baking soda and vinegar combination is not only a good cleaning agent, but it will also remove any bad odors.

5. Pay Attention to the Size of the Waste

Garbage disposals won’t take waste of any size. If you have food waste that’s rather large, don’t force it down the disposal. Instead, cut it up into much smaller bits. Then, add the bits slowly so that you don’t overwhelm your garbage disposal and jam it.

There’s a lot to enjoy in Rochester over the summer, like going kayaking on the Erie Canal or relaxing on the beach of Lake Ontario. The last thing you want to do is waste your day trying to unclog your garbage disposal.

Instead, practice the above tips, and call a plumber at Nichols Electric and Plumbing if you have a clog that you can’t take care of yourself.