Most homeowners use their garbage disposal frequently, if not everyday. If you cook at home, you’ve likely used it. While the garbage disposal is incredibly useful and seemingly very powerful, there are some things that garbage disposals cannot chop through. Here’s a list of some things you should not be shoving down the disposal if you want to keep your kitchen plumbing working the way it’s intended.

#1: GREASE

While it is common practice that bacon grease shouldn’t make it down the drain, when it comes down to it, grease of any kind is not friendly for your plumbing. If it is done often enough, it can build up on the parts that are meant to crush up the food. After a while, it will then clog the pipes and cause you problems.  

#2: LEFTOVER MEAT

Similarly to grease, leftover meat is a huge NO when it comes to the disposal. Even small pieces can create unpleasant odors and can cause big jamming problems. If you want to avoid calling a plumber, you should definitely avoid throwing meat down the drain. Opt for the trash can instead.

#3: PASTA

If you make pasta often enough, you’ll know that you always make too much since it expands in water. When you throw pasta, rice, noodles, and other foods that take on water in that way, the can expand and cause major clogging. They’ll linger in the disposal much longer than you’d expect.

#4: COFFEE GROUNDS

Coffee grounds may seem pretty harmless since they’re fine and small, but any coffee lover will know that grounds can create a thick sludge that ultimately will not wash away. They’ll get trapped and require a hardcore cleanup to remove. Just throw them into their trash or recycle instead of causing yourself more problems.

#5: PITS, SEEDS, AND BONES

Even though the disposal is a pretty strong piece of machinery, there is a long list of things it simply does not have the power to crush. Bones are much too strong. Similarly, pits, shells, and seeds are also not a safe bet to throw down there.

#6: VEGETABLES

No, not all vegetables are unsafe for the disposal, but some of them are. Any fibrous vegetable is going to cause problems. Things like corn husks, potato skins, and celery contain long, tough fibers that should stay far, far away from your garbage disposal. Their fibers will eventually become wrapped up and will not wash down, eventually causing plumbing problems.  

#7: NON FOOD ITEMS

If you want to avoid costly repairs, keep non food items far, far away from your garbage disposal. Accidental silverware, towels, and much more can cause major damage that can be costly and inconvenient to repair.

If you’re experiencing any garbage disposal or plumbing related problems, please make sure to give us a call here at ProFlo.