How To Clean A Garbage Disposal
Do you have a garbage disposal? It is one of the most favorite items in my kitchen! Did you know there are some things you can do to prolong the life of a garbage disposal? Let’s explore.
Many people think a garbage disposal works like a blender, with spinning blades chopping and breaking down the waste. In reality garbage disposals work in a different way – and there are NO blades involved. Instead, impellers, or lugs, mounted on a spinning plate use centrifugal force to continuously force food waste particles against a stationary grind ring.
The grind ring breaks down the food waste into very fine particles, virtually liquefying them. After they’re ground, the running water flushes the particles through the grind ring and out of the disposer and into your waste water pipe. From there, it flows to a waste water treatment plant, or your septic system.
It's common to wonder if you should use hot or cold water when grinding food waste. For all disposals, it is recommended to use a cool or cold steady stream of water when the disposal is running. Do not put any fats, oils, or grease into your disposal, but there is inevitably some fat in common food waste such as salad dressings and macaroni and cheese. By using cool water, any fat will remain solid as it passes through the disposal and your drain pipes.
Run a steady stream of cool water into the sink before turning on the garbage disposal. Before placing any food waste into the disposal, turn it on first. Gradually feed food waste into the disposal, avoid putting large amounts of food waste all at once as this may slow the grinding process. Once the food waste has been broken down, turn the disposal off and let water run for a few seconds to flush the drain pipe. It usually takes only a few seconds to grind food waste, although it depends on the quantity and type of food waste. The sound of the disposal will change when there is no more food waste in the grind chamber.
Here are two ways to clean the garbage disposal and keep it smelling fresh.
1. Citrus Fruit
If your garbage disposal has a bad odor you can help to neutralize the smell by grinding a citrus fruit like lemons or oranges. Simply cut the fruit into wedges, turn the disposal on and put the wedges down one at a time along with a steady stream of cool water. The fruit rinds will help to clean the grind components while the citrus scent will provide a fresh smell. If you want use something harder than a citrus fruit you can cut a peach in half and place it down the disposal. And throw in the pit. The hard peach pit will help to dislodge any food waste that is stuck in the disposal.
2.. Clean the removable baffle
If you have an InSinkErator garbage disposal, every model is equipped with a baffle that can be easily removed and cleaned. This black rubber baffle sits in the collar of the disposal. Simply, pull it out, rinse it off, and wipe it clean of any food waste residue.
Questions? Email me at Jessica@webbercoleman.com