10 Things You Should NEVER Put Down Your Garbage Disposal
I’ve got to be honest, I feel like I have always tried to use common sense about what should and shouldn’t go down the garbage disposal and I thought I did pretty good until I stayed at my sister’s house and she disposed of potato peels in the garbage, instead of the disposal. This started a conversation with her explaining why she doesn’t put X, Y, and Z down the disposal and why. My eyes were opened big time and I have since done a lot of research on this topic because nobody wants to make that dreaded (and expensive!) call to the plumber for a clog that could have easily been avoided altogether.
Here is a fantastic list from FamilyHandyman.com of 10 things you should never put down your garbage disposal and why:
1. Pasta. Think about making spaghetti--when water is added, the noodles expand when soaked in water. The same thing happens in your pipes--it could keep expanding and cause a clog. A few scrapes of plates after dinner probably won’t do too much harm, but avoid putting a whole leftover casserole down the disposal or you might have to make a call to the plumber.
2. Onion Skins. If onions are chopped up, they typically shouldn’t have any problems going down the drain properly, but the thin membrane that lies just below the dry, outer layer of the onion can cause big problems. It is so thin that it can often pass through the disposal, missing the blades and can wind up wedged in the drain, where it becomes like a big net, catching items that come its way and hold them in place.
Instead, try to add that layer to your trash or compost, or at least chop it up into smaller bits before putting it down the disposal.
3. Coffee Grounds. A lot of people have heard that it is a good idea to put coffee grounds down your disposal to freshen things up. But come to find out, this is not a good tip at all! Sure, that might reduce odors initially, however, coffee grounds can quickly become a thick, sludgy wad that can really gum up your pipes.
Keep the coffee grounds out of your disposal--put them in the trash or use them to keep critters out of your garden instead.
4. Bones. While it seems the disposal can grind up and tackle virtually anything, they aren’t meant to grind up really hard things like bones. They can handle grinding up the occasional chicken bone, but don’t think about putting a leftover rack of ribs down your sink or you could be setting yourself up for disaster.
5. Nuts. Think of what happens when you grind up peanuts--it turns into a thick paste, also known as peanut butter. That is exactly what would happen if you stuck a bunch of nuts into the disposal. It is basically an appliance-sized version of a nut grinder. Better to avoid the hard to clean out mess of peanut butter lined pipes by putting expired nuts in the trash.
6. Egg Shells. Yet another tip floating around out there is to put egg shells down the disposal every once in a while to sharpen your disposal blades. It is best to stick with citrus peels for that--egg shells could wreak havoc. Egg shells create a similar problem as onion skins. There is that thin membrane right under the hard shell that could come loose, slip through the disposal untouched and become a net to trap debris in your pipes.
Egg shells are another thing that can be put in compost or ground up and scattered in your arden.
7. Potato Peels. Because of the starch in potatoes, they can also become a giant gummy wad within your pipes that other particles will stick to. It can also be similar to the egg membrane if the potato peels slip past the disposal, they can become like a tiny catcher’s mitt, holding up other waste and creating a clog. Best to put these in the trash or compost.
8. Paint. Latex paint (and especially oil-based paint) should never be run down the sink. It can stick to the pipe walls or sit at the bottom of the pipes where it will begin to cure and become a stubborn, intractable clog. Clean your brushes with plenty of running water and make sure you dispose of your bulk paint properly.
9. Pumpkins and Other Fibrous Veggies. The fibrous strings found in foods like pumpkins and celery can wind around and around the blades and cause a jam.Yet another item best suited for the trash or compost.
10. Pits. A good rule of thumb to remember is that if you can’t cut through it with a chef knife, it won’t grind up properly in the garbage disposal.
You could probably get away with this a time or two, but eventually it will wear the garbage disposal down and you will end up having to replace it.
Here is a fantastic list from FamilyHandyman.com of 10 things you should never put down your garbage disposal and why:
1. Pasta. Think about making spaghetti--when water is added, the noodles expand when soaked in water. The same thing happens in your pipes--it could keep expanding and cause a clog. A few scrapes of plates after dinner probably won’t do too much harm, but avoid putting a whole leftover casserole down the disposal or you might have to make a call to the plumber.
2. Onion Skins. If onions are chopped up, they typically shouldn’t have any problems going down the drain properly, but the thin membrane that lies just below the dry, outer layer of the onion can cause big problems. It is so thin that it can often pass through the disposal, missing the blades and can wind up wedged in the drain, where it becomes like a big net, catching items that come its way and hold them in place.
Instead, try to add that layer to your trash or compost, or at least chop it up into smaller bits before putting it down the disposal.
3. Coffee Grounds. A lot of people have heard that it is a good idea to put coffee grounds down your disposal to freshen things up. But come to find out, this is not a good tip at all! Sure, that might reduce odors initially, however, coffee grounds can quickly become a thick, sludgy wad that can really gum up your pipes.
Keep the coffee grounds out of your disposal--put them in the trash or use them to keep critters out of your garden instead.
4. Bones. While it seems the disposal can grind up and tackle virtually anything, they aren’t meant to grind up really hard things like bones. They can handle grinding up the occasional chicken bone, but don’t think about putting a leftover rack of ribs down your sink or you could be setting yourself up for disaster.
5. Nuts. Think of what happens when you grind up peanuts--it turns into a thick paste, also known as peanut butter. That is exactly what would happen if you stuck a bunch of nuts into the disposal. It is basically an appliance-sized version of a nut grinder. Better to avoid the hard to clean out mess of peanut butter lined pipes by putting expired nuts in the trash.
6. Egg Shells. Yet another tip floating around out there is to put egg shells down the disposal every once in a while to sharpen your disposal blades. It is best to stick with citrus peels for that--egg shells could wreak havoc. Egg shells create a similar problem as onion skins. There is that thin membrane right under the hard shell that could come loose, slip through the disposal untouched and become a net to trap debris in your pipes.
Egg shells are another thing that can be put in compost or ground up and scattered in your arden.
7. Potato Peels. Because of the starch in potatoes, they can also become a giant gummy wad within your pipes that other particles will stick to. It can also be similar to the egg membrane if the potato peels slip past the disposal, they can become like a tiny catcher’s mitt, holding up other waste and creating a clog. Best to put these in the trash or compost.
8. Paint. Latex paint (and especially oil-based paint) should never be run down the sink. It can stick to the pipe walls or sit at the bottom of the pipes where it will begin to cure and become a stubborn, intractable clog. Clean your brushes with plenty of running water and make sure you dispose of your bulk paint properly.
9. Pumpkins and Other Fibrous Veggies. The fibrous strings found in foods like pumpkins and celery can wind around and around the blades and cause a jam.Yet another item best suited for the trash or compost.
10. Pits. A good rule of thumb to remember is that if you can’t cut through it with a chef knife, it won’t grind up properly in the garbage disposal.
You could probably get away with this a time or two, but eventually it will wear the garbage disposal down and you will end up having to replace it.
Sources:
- www.flikr.com
- www.pexels.com
- www.familyhandyman.com
Mary Richardson
Weekly Newsletter Contributor since 2014
Email the author! mary@dvo.com
