Garbage Disposal Maintenance

Here are some tips to keep your garbage disposal in tip top shape.

• Keep anything too hard or too large out of there. The blades will dull and not be efficient. If somethings really hard, just put it in your trash can. If it is too large, like the skin of a melon, cut it into smaller pieces and put one at a time into the disposal instead of trying to shove a large amount in at the same time.
• Ice sharpens the blades, believe it or not. It’s good to put ice in the disposal instead of letting it melt in the sink.
• Turn the water while the disposal on. It lets the waste go down easier because the water is pushing it down. If the disposal jams, turn off the power and look on the bottom of the motor. There is a place in the center of the motor where you can use an Allen Wrench to manually turn the motor. Give the motor a few manual turns to get it unstuck.
• Cut up orange peels, or any citrus fruit peels will freshen the disposal and keep it smelling clean.
• Do not throw banana peels or celery down the disposal. Very small chicken bones can be put in the disposal, but not the heavy or large ones.
• Most anything can be put in the garbage disposal, except for the large bones, like steak bones, or drumstick bones or similiar sizes, including hard shells from fish.
• All veggies and other similar can go down the disposal
• Remove the Allen wrench before you try to run the motor again.
• With the disposal off, clean the inner side of the rubber in the center of the sink leading to the disposal. It gets very dirty, and gives off an odor when not cleaned. Just wipe it with a paper towel.