Garbage disposal installation offers a host of benefits, including easy cleanup and convenience. It also reduces unpleasant odors in your kitchen’s trash. After installation, use the tips below to keep the appliance functional.

How to Maintain Your New Garbage Disposal

1. Use Cold Water

Always run water when activating the appliance to help items flow. Use cold water since heat liquefies fat and grease, causing them to coat the pipes. 

Let the tap run for up to 20 seconds after turning the disposal off to ensure all food particles get flushed into the connecting pipes.

2. Eliminate Odors

Prevent odors from decaying food matter by cleaning the garbage disposal installation about every two weeks.

Add 2 cups of baking soda and a 0.5 cup of white vinegar to the appliance to create a foaming solution that cleans, deodorizes, and disinfects. Rinse with hot water once it finishes foaming.

3. Be Mindful of Scraps

While your disposal is sturdy, there are some items you should avoid sending down the drain.

Pasta, rice, and other starchy foods expand when wet and clog drains. Celery, corn husks, and other fibrous scraps wrap around the blades, jamming them. Nuts, seeds, and bones can dull the blades and accumulate within the appliance, causing jamming. Coffee grounds and other granular products form sludge in the pipes.

4. Avoid Abrasive Products

Never pour bleach or store-bought drain cleaners down the garbage disposal or any other sinks and toilets in your home. These caustic liquids erode plumbing pipes and can splash up and cause skin and eye injuries.

Always call a plumber if you face a clog, as professionals use drain snakes and augers for safe removal.

Maintain your garbage disposal installation with services from Miller Plumbing Inc. Serving Monroe, Livingston, and Ontario counties, NY, these licensed, bonded, and insured plumbers have helped homeowners since 1969. They offer same-day services for emergencies, senior discounts, and one-year warranties on labor. Call (585) 533-1404 to schedule an appointment, or learn more about their work online.