Cleaning Your Garbage Disposal

Garbage disposals are the average kitchen’s workhorse. They suck up food waste, slurp up flat soda, and help make homes a little less wasteful and a little more environmentally friendly in general.

It’s not difficult to keep your garbage disposal in good working order. First and foremost, understand what should not be put down the garbage disposal.

Coffee grounds, liquid grease, bones, fruit pits, or eggshells are all examples of fibrous materials. All of these things can dull blades, cause clogs, or otherwise impair the performance of your garbage disposal. The next step is to clean it on a regular basis. Below is a step-by-step procedure for deep cleaning your garbage disposal.

FLUSH IT OUT FIRST WITH WATER.

This will help to remove any loose food waste, dirt, and grime. The best way to accomplish this is to plug the opening to your garbage disposal and fill the sink with 3 inches of hot, standing water. Swish some dish soap around, then remove the plug to allow it to flush through the disposal’s pipes. Hot water is required because it will liquify any grease or other substance that has accumulated on the insides of the pipes.

THROW SOME ICE CUBES AND SALT IN THE DISPOSAL NEXT.

This may appear to be an unusual step, but believe us when we say it works. Turn on the disposal after adding 2 cups of ice and 1 cup of salt. It will be loud, but don’t worry — that’s normal. During this process, turn on the water from the faucet to help remove sludge and other debris from the inner walls of your disposal. This step has the added benefit of sharpening your garbage disposal blades, which improves their overall performance.

YOU NOW WANT TO GIVE IT A GOOD SCRUB.

Let us begin by emphasizing that you should never put your hand inside a garbage disposal. We recommend reaching inside with a long-handled scrub brush or an old toothbrush to manually clean the inner walls of any remaining debris. You can do this with just water or, if you want to be extra thorough, with dish soap. After that, rinse it out with water as you did in the previous steps.

Voila! Your garbage disposal is now free of debris. If you want to go the extra mile to spruce up the useful appliance, throw some citrus peels or essential oils inside and run it for an added fresh scent.

Contact our emergency plumbers Bromley if you want to install a garbage disposal or if you have a clog that you can’t seem to clear.