A garbage disposal may seem like it can handle anything, but feeding your garbage disposal the wrong items is the perfect recipe for bad smells, clogs, and, ultimately, a broken appliance. That’s why Atlanta Appliance Services is here to give you a list of what not to put down the garbage disposal.
Of course, it’s acceptable to send most soft foods, chopped foods, and fruit peels through the garbage disposal; the following items are better off in the trash or your compost pile.
Defining a Garbage Disposal
A garbage disposal is installed between the underside of the sink and its trap.
Garbage disposals use a set of blades to mince waste small enough to be flushed away into waste plumbing. It’s environmentally friendly and makes kitchen cleanup much more convenient.
However, there are limits on what can go in a garbage disposal. It is unsuitable for processing everything you want to put in it. For example, rigid or sticky objects can stop the disposal blades from spinning or cause a clog.
Here is a List of Things You Should Not Put in a Garbage Disposal:
General knowledge does help regarding what to put in the garbage disposal. Still, some items may be a surprise to you, so we listed them below.
Coffee Grounds
This is one of the biggest no’s regarding garbage disposal or any drainage system.
When coffee grounds get into the drain, it becomes a dense and thick paste.
If too much of the coffee grounds goes down the drain, it will create a clog or slow down the draining process. It is best to dispose of them in your compost bin or use them in your garden.
Grease in the Disposal
Grease and fats are one of the most important food products to not put down your garbage disposal. When fats cool down, it solidifies.
Without flushing it properly, it can push the fats further down the line, and they sit on the bottom of the disposal, creating drainage and clogging issues.
You should avoid pouring fats and grease down the disposal; however, fat can be inevitable for some typical food, such as salad dressing.
Be sure to put the food scraps down the drain with cold water so that the fat can remain solid as it runs through the disposal and into the drainpipes.
Eggshells in Disposal
Should you put eggshells in your garbage disposal? No, is the short answer. Eggshells are commonly mistaken for an ok item to put down a disposal. It’s a common myth that eggshells can help sharpen the blades.
Although the shells do not have a significant negative or positive impact on the blades of the disposal, the membrane on the inside of the shells is what makes it difficult.
A thin coating that’s found inside of an eggshell can wrap itself around the disposal’s blades; it will get loose and lodged into the impeller or create a sticky blockage inside your plumbing.
Corn Husks
When husking corn, it creates a tremendous amount of waste. The large, fibrous husk and fine threads of corn silk create a dual threat for disposals.
Whenever you can, put as much as possible in the compost pile or trash rather than the garbage disposal.
So, whether your corn is store-bought or grown in your garden, it’s an excellent idea to husk straight into the trash can or a bag you can take out to compost later and not let it near the garbage disposal at all.
Latex and Oil Paint
This is one mistake that artists and DIY gurus are prone to putting down the disposal. Latex or oil paint should never get poured straight down the drain.
This paint can cling to the sides of your garbage disposal or where it can sit in the pipes; it will begin to cure and harden into a clog.
Brushes and rollers should be cleaned using an appropriate container, away from the sink, with some dish soap. At the same time, bulk paint should be disposed of correctly.
Onion Skins
Like an eggshell, onion skins also have a skin membrane on the inside of the skin.
Because this layer of membrane is relatively thin and wet, it can quickly get through the blades and end up stuck in the drain, which can cause a blockage.
Pits from Fruit
Avocados and Peaches are delicious, but they both have incredibly hard, dense pits in their center. As a good rule of thumb, it will not grind up in the disposal if you can’t chop it with a knife.
You could maybe get away with it once or twice, but it won’t be long before you need Atlanta Appliance Services to replace your garbage disposal.
If you habitually drop too-hard items in the disposal, it usually won’t kill the motor. Still, you’ll end up with a machine that isn’t disposing of waste properly. Eventually, you’ll become frustrated with it and have to replace the unit.
Potato Peels
Like onion skins, potato peels are thin enough to slide through the blades. Potato peels going in a garbage disposal can fall through the disposal and pass the blades without being chopped finely. This will cause a barrier in a sink trap which could lead to a clog.
Cooked Pasta
If you’ve ever made a pasta dish, you know pasta expands when soaked in water. So with that information, I’m sure you can see why you might not want to put a lot of pasta into your disposal.
After all, soaking in the water, it will keep expanding. Like most of the things we have talked about on this list, a few scraps cleaned off plates won’t damage the disposal.
When you run the pasta through the disposal, turn on the water as cold as it will go for 30 seconds to wash it through the trap and into the main line. Otherwise, you’re likely to run into clog issues.
Hard Foods
Nuts, bones, pits, and other hard food scraps are too harsh for disposal blades to cut through.
This can cause the blades to jam or damage them significantly.
Garbage disposals are great at doing their job of grinding up and disposing of food waste. But just because they can grind doesn’t mean they can grind up anything—they simply aren’t made to deal with tough items, such as bones.
If you do drop a fish bone in the disposal, don’t panic and reach your hand down there. Disposals are hardy appliances and are capable of grinding up the occasional small bone.
But we don’t recommend dropping a rack of ribs down your sink and grinding them up. You’re setting yourself up for a disposal disaster.
Oatmeal Down the Disposal
A lot like pasta, oatmeal is another expansion food. Uncooked oats will likely slide through the disposal without being chopped up, only to collect water and expand as it travels down the line.
If you get lucky, they’ll eventually flow out to the sewer. If you’re not fortunate, then it might be time to contact Atlanta Appliance Services.
Dry Expandable Foods
Foods that expand in water, like pasta, oats, and rice, will continue to grow in a sink’s plumbing system, leading to an eventual clog.
Like most food scraps, it should be fine to run through the disposal if it’s a small piece or a few leftovers on a plate after your meal.
Please keep in mind to run cold water with the food to flush it through the trap and into the main sewer line.
Flushing it down like this will prevent the food from staying and expanding at the bottom of the unit, causing a future blockage.
Contact us
Reach out to Atlanta Appliance Services today for your garbage disposal needs. We service Atlanta and many other surrounding cities. We set ourselves aside from your typical box store appliance company and focus on the individual needs of our customers and their homes.