Garbage Disposal Maintenance Tips
The Holiday Season is here. Your house if full of guests, and yep! Your sink is full of dishes. This means that your garbage disposal is going to be working for you overtime.
Here are some great tips on how to keep your garbage disposal up and running during crunch time:
DO power down your garbage disposal when you need to repair or clean it.
Safety first: Unplug the unit or cut power to the kitchen at the circuit breaker before taking any action to prevent the worst from happening while you work around the bladed appliance.
DON’T use your fingers to pull out any clogs.
Instead, avoid injury from the blades by using pliers or tongs to remove any scraps that have not been finely ground up.
DO try untangling any fibers wrapped around your garbage disposal’s blade using the wrench that came with your unit.
With that tool, you simply turn the nut at the base of the unit, then press the small red reset button in the center, and flip the switch to restart.
DON’T use bleach or commercial drain cleaner to unclog.
When you turn on your appliance next, the caustic chemicals might fly up and out. If it’s a case of the wrong place at the wrong time, that could result in bleach splashed in your eyes after flipping the switch to send food scraps down the drain.
DO ward off odors with warm water and lemons.
After you’ve reconnected your appliance, pour warm (not hot) water into your garbage disposal as it grinds cut-up lemons. The wedges are high in citric acid, which boasts anti-bacterial properties, and their peels will scrub on the way down—an all-natural remedy!
DON’T pour hot water into a clogged unit.
The heat will melt fats and make unclogging the garbage disposal even more difficult to accomplish.
DO clean your garbage disposal every two weeks.
First, fill it with ice cubes and a cup of rock salt, then run it for a minute for the natural abrasives to scrape away the gunk lining the inside of your disposal. Pour a cup of vinegar and a half-cup of baking soda into the disposal to kill bacteria, then (again, with the power off) scrub the flaps with an old toothbrush.
Need help with a project? we would be happy to help. No job is too small.
Phone: (916) 989-7711
Email: contact@handymannetwork.net