The Thanksgiving holiday weekend is the busiest time of the year for plumbers. Guests clog toilets, water consumption rises and the garbage disposal works in overdrive. To avoid a holiday plumbing emergency, avoid putting these items down your garbage disposal:
- Starches – Rice and pastas expand with water and create a glue within the disposal.
- Grease – Turkey grease solidifies in your garbage disposal, preventing it from going down the drain. In time, the grease will begin to rot and smell.
- Vegetables – Stringy veggies wrap around the garbage disposal blades, causing them to jam.
- Do not put hot water down the garbage disposal drain! Hot water liquefies the grease and causes corrosion.
- Do not put harsh chemicals down the drain. Chemicals damage garbage disposal blades and parts.
- Do not put any non-food items in the disposal. It was not built to process toys, cigarette butts or jewelry.
- Do not put bones or fruit rinds in your disposer. The blades are not strong enough to process these items, and they will eventually cause the disposer to break.
Well, what can you put down the garbage disposal?
- Cold water – Run cold water for 30 seconds before grinding and during grinding. Also run cold water for 30 seconds after grinding. This helps the blades chop the food easily and run down the drain.
- Citrus peels – Citrus peels help to freshen the smell of the disposal.
- Dish soap – In small quantities, dish soap and cold water help to clean the internal components of the disposer.
- Ice cubes – Throwing a few ice cubes in the garbage disposal can help to break up food particles.
If you have trouble remembering these, just follow the Baby Food Rule. If you wouldn’t feed it to a baby, don’t put it down your drain. Chop large pieces of food BEFORE putting it in the garbage disposal.
Mr. Plumber ensures we have plenty of qualified, licensed technicians available to assist you with any plumbing issues you may encounter this holiday season. Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at Mr. Plumber!
