The garbage disposal is one of the most misunderstood appliances in any kitchen. People assume it can handle anything because it has blades and a motor. The reality is it's a grinder, not a trash can, and what comes out of it still has to make it through your drain line. A surprising amount of what gets fed into disposals ends up causing clogs further down the pipe.
Small soft food scraps, citrus peels in moderation (they help with odor), cooked vegetables, and most fruits. Always run cold water before, during, and for 15 to 20 seconds after.
Grease and oil. They solidify as they cool and coat the inside of your drain line. Pour them into a can and throw it away.
Coffee grounds. They look fine going down but build up like cement in the trap.
Fibrous vegetables. Celery, corn husks, onion skins, and asparagus stems wrap around the disposal blades.
Starchy foods. Pasta, rice, and potato peels expand and gum up the drain.
Bones, fruit pits, and seafood shells. They damage the blades and can jam the motor.
Run ice cubes through it once a month to scrape the grinding chamber. Drop in a cut lemon to keep it smelling fresh. Never reach inside, even with the disposal off — use tongs or pliers to retrieve anything stuck.
If your disposal hums but doesn't spin, it's jammed. Most have a reset button on the bottom and a hex key slot to manually rotate the blades. If neither works, don't keep flipping the switch — that's how motors burn out. Call us before you make it worse.
