There are many benefits to having a garbage disposal. The main purpose is to make cleaning your dishes faster and easier. However, one of the most common assumptions is, “I have a garbage disposal; I can throw whatever I want down the sink.” As plumbers in Los Angeles, we have seen just about everything get stuck in a garbage disposal. In order to keep your garbage disposal running smoothly here are some dos and don’ts when it comes to your kitchen sink.
The best way to flush anything down the garbage disposal is to use cold water. Start the cold water before pouring down liquids and solids, and continue to run it as you flip the switch to grind the waste. When you are putting food waste down your drain, only send small amounts of food down the disposal at a time. This will ensure everything gets to the blades and doesn’t get stuck. Keep your garbage disposal clean by pouring a little dish soap down the drain and letting it run for a minute with the cold water running.

What You Should Avoid Putting Down Your Kitchen Sink

Fats, oils and grease: Over time these will slime up your pipes. The best thing to do is to pour these into containers that you can dispose of properly or scrape solidified fats into the trash. When cleaning pots and pans that contain residue of oil and grease, the best thing to do is to remove the excess oil / grease with paper towel and rinse with cold water. Cold water will keep it in solid form and flush it through. Hot water will liquefy the fats, which will enable them to stick to the sides of your pipes.

Pasta, rice and potatoes: Starch becomes sticky and paste-like in your pipes. These food items can get stuck to the blades of the garbage disposal, causing them to become ineffective over time. Pasta and rice are bad for drains in general. No matter how small the garbage disposal breaks food down, they expand in water, which can cause clogging.

Raw meat or stringy foods (corn husks, celery, banana peels, asparagus, etc.): Raw meat and other stringy food can get wrapped around your disposal blades and other moving parts, causing the motor to stop running.

Coffee grounds and eggshells: Though these can easily be grounded up into small parts, they don’t get fully flushed out and can cause clogs in your pipes.

Bones or non-food items (plastics, glass and paper): Your garbage disposal was not made to break down these types of items. These will just get caught in the blades and end up causing major damage.

If you experience a kitchen sink clog or want to install a new garbage disposal, call the best plumbers in Los Angeles that will get the job done right. Express Plumbing & Rooter offers complete drain service at affordable prices 24 hours a day. For more information or for a quote please contact us at 800-628-5553 or visit www.ExpressPlumbingandRooter.com.