Did you know that the Friday after Thanksgiving is the busiest day of the year for plumbers? Please take note of these “13 Things” to prevent a maintenance call this weekend.
13 Things You Should Never Put Down Your Garbage Disposal
Modern garbage disposal has been a tremendous boon for homeowners and renters worldwide. It provides a quick and sanitary way to dispose of food waste, keeping trash bags lighter and landfills from overflowing. Because of their simplicity and solid construction, disposals are workhorses, potentially grinding away year after year. But even this venerable appliance can choke on certain items. Here are 13 things to never put at your disposal if you want to keep it running smooth and your drains clog-free.
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Coffee grounds…think about what used coffee grounds look like when taken out of a filter: They reduce to a thick densely packed pasty wad. That is exactly why you don’t want them going into your drain lines.
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Pasta…absorbs water, swells and clogs.
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Bones…too hard.
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Oatmeal…absorbs water, swells and clogs.
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Nuts…gets caught in gear mechanism; makes “peanut butter” in drains.
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Onion Skins…the layer is so thin that it can pass through the disposal, missing the blades and wind up wedged in the drain, where it acts as a cargo net on a pickup, catching more items and holding them in place.
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Egg shells
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Trash
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Fibrous veggies: celery, pumpkin, sweet potato, rhubarb, etc…see corn husks.
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Potato peels…these do the same thing as onion skins.
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Seeds and pits… gets caught in gear mechanism.
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Corn Husks… binds up gear mechanism.
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Shells…any shell from nuts or seafood is too hard and clogs up the drain.
Thank you, and have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
