Maintaining a clean garbage disposal is one of the most important routine maintenance tasks you can do in your kitchen. A clogged kitchen sink is more than just an inconvenience—it can also lead to costly repairs down the line. Here are five tips for keeping your garbage disposal in top shape and why it’s so important.
1. Run Cold Water While Operating: It's a good idea to run cold water when operating your garbage disposal, as hot water tends to liquefy fats and grease, which can then stick to pipes and cause a blockage. Cold water helps keep these substances from accumulating. Also, because fat and grease solidify at cooler temperatures, cold water will help the solid waste particles cut through the blades on the disposer more effectively.
2. Use Lemon & Ice Cubes: Citrus fruits like lemons are great for deodorizing and cleaning garbage disposals. Simply toss two or three lemon slices into the disposal with some ice cubes and turn it on—the combination of sharp edges from the ice cubes plus acidic properties of the lemon will help clear out any gunk or odor-causing food particles that may have been stuck inside, while freshening up your sink at the same time!
3. Make Sure Trash Is Fully Disposed Of: One of the most common causes of clogged drains is attempting to dispose of items that don't belong in a garbage disposal—things such as fibrous materials (e.g., celery stalks), stringy items (e.g., banana peels) or hard objects (e.g., eggshells). These materials should be properly disposed of in the trash can instead, as they are likely to get jammed inside your disposer's motor or grinding chamber if put down there.
4. Avoid Chemical Cleaners: Using chemical cleaners may seem like an easy way to clean out a clogged drain but they often cause more harm than good in long run—these substances tend to corrode metal components found inside many modern garbage disposals leading to expensive repairs down later on! The best practice would be use natural solutions like boiling water instead whenever possible.
5. Use Baking Soda & Vinegar Every Now & Then: Despite popular opinion baking soda & vinegar doesn't actually kill bacteria living inside drains but rather “cleans” them enough to minimize bad odors emitting from them; however, using this combination once every couple of months helps remove grime build-up that could potentially lead to clogs at later times if not taken care of properly beforehand.
Regularly maintaining your kitchen garbage disposal is essential for preventing plumbing problems down the road as well as preserving its lifetime efficiency output; these tips are sure to keep things running smoothly in this regard! It only takes a few minutes every week but could save hours of headaches later on – especially when dealing with unexpected clogs or broken appliances!
