The Six Worst Things to Dump Down a Garbage Disposal

The garbage disposal is one of the kitchen’s most convenient features. But perhaps the name “garbage disposal” gives homeowners a misguided notion of what it can withstand. While this magical contraption was designed to take on plenty, it has its limits. Here are six things to never put in your disposal if you want to keep it working properly and prevent your drains from clogging.

• Cooking fat and grease. Pouring fat and grease down your drain is a major no-no! Once the liquid cools, it will solidify and clog your pipes.

• Bones. Bones belong in the trash, not down the disposal. While your disposal’s blades might seem sturdy, they weren’t designed to break down tough items, such as bones.

• Fruit pits. Just like bones, fruit pits should not be dropped down the drain. If you love cherries, peaches, mangoes, and avocadoes, then you know they all have hard, dense pits. Those pits will bounce around and dull your disposal blades.

• Stringy vegetables. Stringy foods like celery, rhubarb, asparagus, and pumpkin guts can wrap around the base of the garbage disposal underneath the blades and wear out the motor.

• Coffee grounds. Coffee grounds might look perfectly harmless, but they’re not. In excess, the grounds will become a thick sludge, which will clog up both the blades and the pipes.

• Starchy foods. If you’ve ever cooked rice and pasta, you know both expand when soaked in water. So, dumping them down the disposal, which is always wet, will expose them to more water, causing them to keep expanding, and eventually clog your pipes.

Infrequently dropping one of these items will not cause your disposal to brake or your pipes to clog. But it’s probably a good idea to make a habit of walking to the trashcan. But if you happen to dispose of something that causes your disposal to malfunction, call Raider Rooter. We’ve been providing South Florida with reliable, affordable, and high-quality plumbing services for over 40 years.