Your garbage disposal is a workhorse that can handle a lot, which is why it’s often easy to take for granted. While it’s an efficient and convenient way to rid your kitchen of food waste, putting the wrong items down the disposal can do some harm. So, before you flip the switch and start up the motor, consider whether or not these potentially hazardous foods have made their way into your disposal.

What Should You Never Put in the Garbage Disposal?

1. Pasta

Pasta noodles expand and get sticky when submerged in water. Avoid putting them through the disposal because they can stick to the blades and pipes, jamming the disposal. While a few noodles down the drain won’t hurt, disposing of an entire pot or casserole using the garbage disposal can break the appliance.

2. Onion Peels

When chopping onions, discard the thin outer layer in the trash rather than putting it down the disposal. While it may not harm the blades, it’s likely to get stuck deeper in the drain, creating a netting for other food particles. Once enough food particles get caught, you’ll end up with a clog on the underside of the blades, preventing them from turning and chopping up food and waste properly.

3. Celery

Some fruits and vegetables like celery are too stringy for your garbage disposal to handle. As a fibrous and spongy vegetable, celery stalks can get tangled around the gears of your disposal, causing a jam that can only be remedied from beneath the sink.

4. Coffee Grounds

Wet coffee grounds stay compacted in a large clump, which can create a clog, not only further down the drain, but inside your disposal unit as well. When this wad is stuck between food particles and the blades, the motor can overheat due to the excess effort it has to put out to clear the coffee grounds.

5. Bones

Steak, pork, and chicken bones should always be thrown away in the trash can and not down your drain. While the blades of your disposal are extremely sharp, they’re not designed to handle bones or any other hard material. Not only can these larger pieces chip and break your disposal blades, but it’s also unlikely that they will be ground up enough to pass through your plumbing without catching somewhere.

 

For more than 30 years, our licensed and insured team of plumbers at All American Plumbing have been serving residential and commercial properties through Carabbus County, NC, and the surrounding areas. Whether you’re looking for help with a jammed garbage disposal, new plumbing for a bathroom, or a pipe repair, our professionals have you covered. No matter your plumbing needs, feel free to give us a call at (704) 788-8690 to book an appointment. You can also find more information on our website.