Garbage Disposal Maintenance Tips | 6 Useful Tips

Do you find it helpful to have a garbage disposal in your home? If yes, you must be conscious of its maintenance from time to time. What if your tips combine with mine? What if you only know how to clean it with garbage disposal cleaner without mentioning the detrimental effects? Let’s include my Garbage Disposal Maintenance Tips in yours to make your garbage disposal safe and sound for years.

Disposal maintenance tips include running enough cold water, avoidance to overloading, checking on clogs, weekly cleaning with home-available ingredients like ice cubes, baking soda and vinegar, and lemon wedges, and refraining from overheating them.

The article covers quick and easy tips on maintaining the garbage disposal to make it workable for a long. Additionally, finding some information regarding garbage disposal maintenance tips may help you protect your machine from early aging.

Garbage Disposal Maintenance Tips

Sailing on the same boat is something you and I want to clear out confusion regarding what should do and whatnot to ensure the longevity of the disposal unit. Whether you perform weekly or annual maintenance, it is necessary as a basic garbage disposal right.

1. Use Cold Water

Does water has any part in cutting the food in the garbage disposal? Of course, it acts as a lubricating agent to slide down the food to the drain pipes and ensures less tiring food processing. Also, if you notice, the water provides a cooling effect to the motor, which is at deliberate risk of overheating when running for a long time.

All you have to do is to run the cold water before turning on the machine or after it has completed the food grinding. The benefit of doing so is to reduce the load on the machine by quickly sliding the smaller particles of food items into the sewage.

2. Avoid Overloading the Unit

The simple rule of thumb to increase the shelf life of any home appliance is to stop overloading it. The same goes for garbage disposal. Overloading it does not create haste in putting all the stuff once and waiting until it accidentally stops by the overload protector reset button.

You do not want your garbage disposal to fall into a cruel situation. So, cut the food items into smaller chunks and try adjusting food inside the chamber individually or group by group.

3. Remove Clog Creating Agents

There is not a single cause of clog in the garbage disposal. Many factors combine to create problems you must work hard to avoid. While you may consider your fault in causing the stubborn clogs, it is due to incomplete food grinding, food residue left inside, or needing to wash away adequately.

However, the situation is not to panic and rush to call a technician. Instead, you can use the torchlight and look for the food-blocking pathways from the sink drain to the disposal pipes and remove them using pliers.

Caution: you must turn off the garbage disposal and avoid treating it with bare hands.

4. Run the Garbage Disposal

Whether you utilize your garbage disposal or not, you must run it daily. No matter what it contains, from liquids to meat pieces, turn on your garbage disposal and let it remain like this for a few minutes, followed by flushing cold water.

The reason is obvious; it prevents dislodging food residue stuck to the impellers or groves. Moreover, when you keep your garbage disposal in a working position, its efficiency increases, and the chances of corrosion mitigates. So, run garbage disposal even if empty because it is fruitful.

5. Refrain from Non-Food Items

Another important tip is to avoid dumping things inside the garbage disposal that it cannot handle. Kitchen appliances undoubtedly serve well in managing food-related garbage, but it doesn’t mean you put everything in blindly.

As a result, a heavy-duty blockage, deformation of blades, motor overheating, and the unit creates humming noise. Also, raise your awareness of what not to put in the garbage disposal

• Coffee grounds
• Dry expandable foods
• Hard-to-cut Food
• Eggshells
• Kitchen utensils
• Toiletries

6. Garbage Disposal Cleaning Regime

How to clean garbage disposal plays an important part in confirming the life of the garbage disposal. Regardless of using chemical cleaners, for it is only harmful to internal components, you should strive for garbage disposal cleaning tips using household products.

However, remember to disconnect the power supply of the garbage disposal before operating it. Furthermore, favor the help of vinegar and baking soda to wash away dirt, ice cubes to sharpen the blades, and make your garbage disposal work like before. I often deodorize the disposal by throwing in lemon wedges or citrus peels. What about you?

Do Garbage Disposals Need Maintenance?

Yes, garbage disposals need maintenance like every other machine in your home. However, how far the maintenance goes and in what intervals depends on your garbage disposal’s condition. Maintenance is everything from removing clogs to dealing with humming noise and smoke-producing disposal units.

Similarly, different tools are required to perform maintenance tasks. For example, things stuck in the sink drain or the disposal chamber are removed using pliers or tongs. Whereas the Allen wrench comes in handy when trying to free the flywheel. Ultimately, the life-saving weapon is a reset button that automatically shuts off the device when an emergency hits the garbage disposal.

Garbage Disposal Dos and Don’ts

Apart from the routine maintenance for disposal, there is a list of do’s and don’ts to include in maintenance tips. Since I have mentioned the former in detail, you should focus on the second part.

Garbage Disposal Do’s

• Run it regularly be it’s empty
• Fill it moderately with things it meant to
• Remember cleaning tips at your fingertips
• Confirm the time it takes to grind and wash the food completely

Garbage Disposal Don’ts

• Avoid overfilling and overloading the garbage disposal
• Do not run it too long and short
• Keep starch and grease at a distance
• Refrain from using harsh disposal chemical cleaners
• Do not use hot water while sliding the food into the drain pipes.

How can I make my garbage disposal work better?

You should keep your eye on the garbage disposal reset button. The protruding reset button indicates an alarming situation that something is wrong with the disposal. So, make a habit of cleaning it and press the button below to restore all the problems like not turning, spinning, and overheating.

Can I oil my garbage disposal?

You cannot oil your garbage disposal for lubrication purposes. The unsaturated fatty acids will make the disposal blades unsharpened and ineffective. Instead, use water to ensure the grinding speed is on point and fulfilling the lubricating purpose.

How long can you run a garbage disposal?

Garbage disposal running time depends on the amount and size of food waste. You should prepare your disposal to run for at least 30 seconds until all the food is chopped off. Also, do not avoid running the water for 10-15 seconds to flush the waste from the chamber to the sewerage.

Summing Up | Garbage Disposal Maintenance Tips

Maintaining your garbage disposal means relief from the tension of spending money on replacement. In this article, I have mentioned certain quick tips to ensure long years of garbage disposal. You can also benefit from reading the list of do’s and don’ts and shifting your garbage disposal from the danger zone.