Never Put These 8 Things in The Garbage Disposal
Having a garbage disposal bin or facility doesn’t mean it’s okay to throw everything in it. Many types of foods can be thrown down the sink, but here are eight things that you shouldn’t.
Throwing the wrong things down the sink, for example, can cause damage to your garbage disposal or plumbing system. If you aren’t careful, you might be unlucky enough to have a leaky pipe or faucet. To protect your garbage disposal, here are the things you should never dump in the sink:
Bones
Spanish Fork residents call an experienced plumber for a number of reasons, mainly leaky pipes. If you don’t want your pipes to become damaged because of something thrown down the sink, dispose of food scraps properly. Bones are perhaps the most inconvenient scraps to dispose of. But you should never use the garbage disposal since they aren’t soft enough to grind. Throw them in the compost instead to prevent your drain pipes from getting clogged.
Coffee grounds
Even though coffee grounds look like they’ll go down the garbage disposal or sink without a hitch, don’t make the mistake of doing so. These coffee grounds can accumulate and turn into a nasty sludge-like mess in the drain, which will be difficult to get rid of.
Rice and pasta
Cooked rice and pasta might not make it down the drain because they will just keep expanding. A few bits won’t hurt, but throwing a whole plate of pasta or rice in the sink is likely to lead to a gross clog.
Grease and oil
Grease and oil should not be disposed of in any sink, whether you have a garbage disposal or not. As you probably already know, grease and oil solidify when cooled. Instead of pouring it down the sink, collect used grease and oil in a container and bring them to a proper disposal center.
Eggshells may seem easy to disintegrate, but it’s not the shells that are the problem. The thin membrane inside the shell can wrap around the blades of your garbage disposal system and hamper its function. Throw them into the compost instead.
Fruit pits
If you can’t cut through fruit pits, your garbage disposal will most likely not be able to cut through it either. The best way to dispose of fruit pits is to throw them in the garbage or use them in composting. The same goes for other materials that are too hard to cut through using a knife.
Starchy vegetables
Starchy vegetables like potato can become sludgy when soaked in water. Imagine that happening in your drain. If you don’t want sludge forming in your pipes, dispose of starchy food scraps properly.
Nuts
If you put nuts in the garbage disposal, they will just turn into a thick, sticky paste, much like peanut butter. A few pieces should be fine, but never put several handfuls of nuts down the drain unless you want to clean a sludge of peanuts from your drains.
Garbage disposals make it easier to get rid of food scraps, but there are limits to what and how much you can put in it. Avoid plumbing problems by refraining from dumping these things down your drain; you’ll be glad you did.
