A garbage disposal is a great way to get rid of some food waste; but use it with caution. Not everything should go down the disposal, and some things can cause a lot of damage. We’ve compiled a list of the top four items you should never put in a disposal. Take the time to throw these out instead of breaking your system.
Food Grease
Greasy foods like butter, fat from meats, and oils should not go into the garbage disposal. They can cause a lot of problems in the system over time. The grease attaches to the blades of the disposal, causing them to dull. On top of that, fats are a liquid when they are hot, but some will cool and turn to a solid. The solid builds up on the inside of your pipes, causing blockages. The repair bills to remove the blockages are rather expensive, making it better to prevent them in the first place.
Animal Bones and Fruit Pits
Garbage disposal blades are not designed to tear apart animal bones or fruit pits. Do not throw your chicken bones, soup bones, cherry stones or avocado pits down the garbage disposal. It will break the blades and cause expensive repairs. Instead, throw them away or compost them.
Stringy Food
Foods that are stringy wrap around the base of the garbage disposal, causing the motor to work twice as hard. If the motor stops working, there is no repair. You must replace the entire unit. Stringy foods include celery, string beans, string cheese, bok choy, and Brussel sprouts.
Coffee Grounds
The grounds from coffee may seem harmless, but they stick to anything that is wet. Over time, they cause a build-up in your kitchen pipes, causing blockages and clogs. Don’t risk the repair bill. Instead, throw out your coffee grounds or put them in the compost pile.
Many people don’t even realize the things they put down the disposal cause harm to their plumbing. Avoid a costly mistake; throw these four things out in the regular trash. If you compost, you can also put them in the compost pile to reduce the amount of garbage going into your trash bin.