Regular maintenance and cleaning keeps our possessions in good shape. Therefore, we should make it a habit to operate our appliances appropriately and care for them effectively. So today we’re focusing on the little guy in the kitchen called the garbage disposal. Below are 10 ways to effectively maintain and disinfect a garbage disposal:
When Operating the Garbage Disposal
1. Operate the garbage disposal every time food is put in it to prevent food buildup and bacteria growth.
2. Use cold water when running the disposal to prevent the melting and hardening of oils that could build up and clog the drain.
3. Let the cold water continue to run about 30 seconds after the garbage disposal is turned off to ensure all food particles have cleared the disposal.
Items to Avoid Putting in the Garbage Disposal
4. Avoid gritty or fibrous items like coffee grounds (in large quantity), artichokes husks, corn husks, potatoes, etc. Also avoid egg shells and onion skins since the membranes can stick to the sides of the disposal and wrap around the shredder ring.
5. Avoid uncooked or liquid fat to prevent build up on drain pipes.
6. Avoid inserting a large quantity of food in to prevent jamming of the disposal.
Ways to Disinfect a Garbage Disposal
7. Grind a few ice cubes occasionally to knock off debris from the sharp blades and other hard to clean areas.
8. Pour vinegar down the drain and let it sit for about an hour to remove scale. Follow with hot water.
9. Combine the two and use vinegar ice cubes.
10. Grind citrus peels to remove odors and freshen the garbage disposal.
Have you tried any of these tips? Do you have other tips to share?
Linked to Kitchen Tip Tuesday
iDreamOfClean
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{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
If my disposal stinks I usually dump in some baking soda and let it sit for a few minutes, then add in the ice and flip the switch with the cold water running. It seems to work for me! Cheap too!
I also like to use citrus peels to clean the garbage disposal, and make the kitchen smell great. Good reminder to always use cold water — my mama taught me that. You don’t want those oils congealing in your pipes.
Vinegar cubes is genius! And I didn’t know about egg shells…uh-oh.
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I never thought of using ice cubes. I’ll try it.
Ohhhh. I didn’t know I was supposed to let the vinegar sit for a while. We had a garbage disposal funk a while back, and I dumped vinegar down the sink – but rinsed it away immediately. (Duh!)
I didn’t know about eggs, either…
I’ve done ice + citrus peels.
Never heard to use ice. I’ll have to try that out.
Great ideas! I have never heard of the ice cube idea — I’ll have to try that from time to time. Thanks for the tip.
Unfortunately, I know all to well about the no-artichokes-in-the-disposal thing. Thankfully, when I learned first hand that that’s a no-no, we lived in an apartment with a handyman who spent forever fixing it, and never said a word.
I like to use frozen lemon peels or orange peels. :) Great post!
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