Garbage disposals are very useful tools. However, if you don’t know how to properly use a garbage disposal, its usefulness can quickly fade away. One of the main issues people face when it comes to garbage disposals is not understanding what you can and cannot put in a garbage disposal.
Items You Should Never Put in a Garbage Disposal
As with most tools and devices, garbage disposals are only valuable if you know how to properly use them. If you don’t know how to use your garbage disposal correctly, you could end up damaging it beyond repair. An easy way to do this is to put the wrong items in a garbage disposal. It could result in a clogged drain, or it could ruin the disposal’s blades and/or destroy its motor. A few of the most common items that people put in garbage disposals that they shouldn’t include:
- Eggshells – When it comes to eggshells, the shells themselves are not an issue for garbage disposals. It’s what’s inside the eggshells that is the problem. There is a thin coating on the inside of eggshells that if put in a garbage disposal, can get wrapped around the blades, lodged in the impeller, or clog the drain.
- Coffee grounds – When coffee grounds are put in a garbage disposal, or any type of drain, they can form a thick paste. That paste can slow the drain or even completely clog the drain.
- Onion skins – These are like eggshells. Onion skins also have a coating on the inside that can lead to them clogging the drain if they are put in a garbage disposal.
- Bones, nuts, and other hard foods – Items like nuts, peach pits, and bones can seriously damage a garbage disposal. They are too hard for a disposal’s blades to cut through, which can result in them severely damaging the disposal’s blades.
- Foods that expand – Certain foods, such as rice, pasta, and oats, expand when they get wet. If they are placed in a garbage disposal, or any type of drain, they will continue to expand as they get wet, which could result in them forming a blockage and clogging the drain.
- Potato peels – If potato peels are thin enough, they can slip past the garbage disposal’s blades without being cut into smaller pieces. That can result in the peels forming a blockage in the sink trap, which can clog the drain.
Speak with Our Garbage Disposal Maintenance and Repair Experts Today!
All City Plumbing has been helping customers in Rancho Cucamonga and its surrounding areas with their plumbing needs for more than a decade. We offer industry-best warranties and a moneyback guarantee. We are A+ rated with the Better Business Bureau, and our plumbers are knowledgeable, experienced, and highly trained.
To schedule a free, on-site estimate, or to discuss your plumbing issues with our experienced technicians, give us a call at (909) 552-7550 or reach out to us online. We offer same-day appointments, and we’re available 7 days a week. When you call, ask about our financing and specials!