A garbage disposal is a convenient appliance that can grind up and dispose of food waste, but not everything can go down it. Here are some things you should avoid putting in your garbage disposal:
- Coffee grounds: They can accumulate in pipes and cause clogs.
- Pasta, rice, and bread: They can expand in pipes and cause clogs.
- Animal bones: Garbage disposals are not designed to handle extremely hard items like bones.
- Nuts and shells: They can damage the blades of the garbage disposal.
- Cleaning chemicals: Harsh drain busters and industrial-grade cleaners can put excessive wear on your disposal and possibly even the drain line.
- Grease: Fats, oils, and grease should never go into your disposal or any drain for that matter, as they can congeal and eventually cause clogs further downstream in the water.
- Eggshells: They can stick to the sides of the pipes and cause clogs.
- Onion skins: They can wrap around the blades of the garbage disposal and cause clogs.
- Potato peels: They can form a starchy paste that can clog pipes.
- Seafood shells: They can damage the blades of the garbage disposal.
- Harsh chemicals such as bleach: They can cause wear on your disposal and significantly shorten its lifespan.
- Fibrous vegetables and peels: Celery, corn husks, artichokes, edamame pods, asparagus, and rhubarb are also problematic.
- Paint: It can damage the blades of the garbage disposal.
Its important to remember that garbage disposals are not meant to handle all types of waste. If youre unsure whether something can go down the disposal, a good rule of thumb is to ask yourself if you can cut it easily with a knife. If not, its best to dispose of it in the trash.
