Garbage Disposal Guidelines for Your Home

The garbage disposal can be particularly problematic in the home and can lead to many problems. If you experience such problems, you may have to call out a professional plumbing service to fix it for you. However, there are some simple ways to look after it and avoid having to call out a professional. These are especially important to remember during the festive season.

Why it is So Useful

If you don't use a garbage disposal, you may be tempted to tip food waste down the drains when you wash the dishes. If you do this, chunks of food can get stuck in the pipes and lead to serious problems. It churns up food so that it can be carried away through the pipes, making it a very effective tool in your kitchen.However, there are a number of common mistakes to avoid if you want to get the most from yours.

Keep Cool in the Kitchen

If you run hot water through your garbage disposal, it could cause problems with the motor by overheating it. If this happens, it could break your disposal and you may be forced to call out a plumbing service to fix it for you, which is not what you want at Thanksgiving or Christmas. Instead, only run cool water through it and avoid this simple problem.

Turn It On First

One of the most common mistakes with disposals is to fill them up with food before turning them on. However, this is not the right way to use it and that can lead to problems that could result in the need to call out a plumbing service to get it fixed. Instead, turn on your garbage disposal and make sure it is running before you fill it with food to get the most from it.

Be Careful Which Foods You Throw Away You may be tempted to throw away all of your food waste in the garbage disposal, but not all food is suitable for it. Stringy and fibrous foods are particularly unsuitable. These include peels of fruits and potatoes, which can clog up the system, as well as chicken and turkey skins, and celery. Also, avoid pasta and rice. These are starchy and water causes them to expand, which can block the water from getting through. Hard foods like bones and apple cores should also be avoided. Always keep your garbage disposal free of fats and oils and never pour these down your drain either. They will cool and congeal, which can cause blockages.

What to Do With Your Other Food Waste?

With the foods you don't throw down the garbage disposal, there are other ways to get rid of them. Oils and fats can be collected in a jar or tub and thrown in the trash, and for organic foods that do not go down the garbage disposal, compost them instead and use the resulting compost in the garden.

Keep Your Garbage Disposal Running Smoothly

The garbage disposal is a very useful tool that can help you to efficiently dispose of your food waste. However, it's important to use it properly to avoid problems, especially over the festive season when the amount of food that goes down the disposal is likely to increase. So keep the above tips in mind and avoid having to call out a professional plumbing service to fix such problems.

Sarah Saadoun works for HMS Plumbing, a family-owned business in Manassas, Northern Virginia. If you need a plumbing service, Herve and his dedicated employees at HMS are proud to be serving the plumbing needs of Northern Virginia residents and businesses. For reliable Fairfax plumbers HMS Plumbing is your first choice.

Writer and Online Marketing Manager in London.