To keep your disposal running smoothly, only put soft, biodegradable food scraps down the drain. Run cold water while grinding and for 30 seconds after, and never use hot water. Avoid overloading the disposal, and under no circumstances should these 17 items be put down the drain.
Eggshells
Dupree Plumbing advises, “The membrane lining [of] the shell can wrap around the disposal blades, leading to clogs. Additionally, the shells can break into small pieces that are difficult to flush out.” Eggshells don’t decompose quickly and can accumulate, causing clogs in your pipes. They are also quite oily, leading to buildup and blockages over time.
Shellfish
Like eggshells, shellfish don’t break down easily in a disposal. Their hard shells can damage the blades, and their oily nature contributes to drain clogs.
Pasta
Pasta is soft, which makes it tempting to put a leftover plate of spaghetti down the disposal, but it expands when soaked in water. Putting lots of pasta down the disposal allows it to soak up water in the pipes, expanding and causing blockages.
Coffee Grounds
Spent coffee grounds may seem to have been ground enough to go down the drain quickly. They can even temporarily reduce odors; however, coffee grounds are dense and pasty, promoting blockages in the drain lines. Homes & Gardens says to consider using coffee grounds for plants as a high-nitrogen fertilizer or a deterrent to slugs and snails in a vegetable garden.
Bones
Garbage disposals aren’t designed to grind extremely hard items like bones. While the occasional small bone from a fish is okay, avoid putting large amounts or big bones in the disposal.
Oatmeal
Uncooked oats can slip through the disposal and collect in the pipes, expanding and causing clogs. Cooked oatmeal is also thick and sticky.
Nuts
Grinding up nuts in the disposal is similar to making nut butter—the result is a thick, sticky paste that can line the disposal and clog drains.
Onion Skins
Avoid putting onion skins down the drain. The thin membrane under the outer layer of onion skin can pass through the disposal and get stuck in pipes, contributing to buildup.
Potato Peels
The starches in potato peels can become a thick, sticky paste similar to mashed potatoes when ground up. This gummy substance coats the disposal blades and clogs drains.
Fats, Oil and Grease (FOG)
Never pour grease, cooking oils, or animal fats down the disposal. When cooled, they congeal and stick to pipes, quickly causing blockages. Pour them into a sealable container and dispose of them in the trash instead. “Creamy foods like peanut butter or dairy products fall into the FOGs category. So butter, heavy cream, and ice cream are also out of the question,” according to Consumer Reports.
Fibrous Vegetables
Particularly stringy or fibrous foods such as asparagus, rhubarb, and celery can be hard for our teeth to pull apart and are just as tricky for a garbage disposal to take care of, too. The long fibers of these vegetables usually end up tangled around the waste disposal components and are almost impossible to remove when cleaning a garbage disposal.
Fruit Pits
The hard stones in fruits like peaches, plums, avocados, and cherries are too tough for the disposal to grind and can seriously damage the blades and motor. For this reason, it’s best not to put fruit pits in a garbage disposal.
Expandable Foods
Rice, pasta, bread, and other foods that expand in water should be put in the trash, not the disposal. They’ll continue absorbing water and swelling in the pipes. “With garbage disposals, the best way to think of them is that they’re really designed for the stuff that comes off when you’re actually cleaning your dishes,” Adam Hauf, Prime Plumbing’s operations manager, told TODAY.
Paint
Never pour paint down the disposal. It can cling to the sides and harden, causing an obstinate clog. Brushes and rollers should be cleaned with care, and excess paint should be disposed of properly.
Harsh Drain Cleaners
Drain cleaning chemicals are hard on disposal blades and can damage the unit. Use disposal-safe cleaners or natural alternatives like baking soda and citrus peels.
Medication
Don’t dispose of unused medication down the drain and disposal. It can contaminate water supplies, and Pfizer admits that “pharmaceuticals have been detected in surface water around the world.” Check with your pharmacy or city about proper disposal programs.
Bleach
Putting bleach down the disposal can slowly erode the blades and gaskets. Use natural cleaners and avoid pouring straight bleach into the unit.
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