4 Tips to taking care of your garbage disposal

Garbage disposal units are one of the irreplaceable appliances in the kitchen. They help to improve kitchen hygiene because grinding leftovers down the drain will help to eliminate the lingering odours in the kitchen. With such an important appliance in your kitchen space, you want to ensure that it is always functional and thus should take good care of it. Here are some helpful tips that will help you maintain your garbage disposal;

Clean it

Over time, your garbage disposal will develop sludge and this is why you need to clean it regularly. You have probably been advised to clean your garbage disposal by using ice cubes, a method that works just okay. When cleaning your garbage disposal you can use salt and ice cubes, a combination which helps to clean and sharpen the blades all the same. Also, other people tend to pour baking soda and let it sit for a while before washing it down with vinegar. Instead of using water ice cubes, you can also use vinegar ice cubes to clean it.

Avoid hard foods

You may want to go slow on your garbage disposal and use it for softer foods instead of hard and fibrous foods. While hard food will not grind or may damage the blades or make the garbage disposal jam, fibrous foods may wrap themselves around the blades also making it non-functional. To ensure that you are using a garbage disposal properly, make sure that whatever you grind in it is disposable. However, it is advisable to throw smaller bones like those of fish because they can help to sharpen the blades as well as get rid of food residues stuck on them.

Use cold water

When using your garbage disposal, you may feel the need to use hot water while running, but this is a huge no. Using hot water on the garbage disposal will melt fats that will end up sticking on the blades, making it blunt over time. So instead, use cold water and make sure you use it in plenty after you use the appliance. This will ensure that any particles left on the blades are washed away and the pipes are flushed. Let your tap run for about 10 to 20 seconds after every use.

Check the disposal before running it

Sometimes, stuff like jewellery, cutlery, and other small-sized things may fall down the disposal. That is why it is advisable to always check it before running it to ensure that there are no fallen items down there. Some of these items may jam or damage the disposal, or you may end up losing a prized possession to the drain. Also, to ensure safety measures when taking items out of the disposal, use tongs or pliers instead of sticking your hands down there.

Care for your garbage disposal is not as complicated as you may think. Simple acts like cleaning regularly can greatly impact the performance of your garbage disposal.

**Collaborative post**