Here’s How to Keep Your Garbage Disposal Like New For Years to Come

Here’s How to Keep Your Garbage Disposal Like New For Years to Come

Garbage disposals are a modern luxury. By using your garbage disposal, you reduce the number of food scraps dumped in the trash. This means your trash won’t get as smelly, and you won’t have to take it out as often.

However, garbage disposals don’t last forever. Forgetting to sharpen the blades, disposing of the wrong types of food and forgetting to clean your garbage disposal all wear it down and shorten its lifespan. Thankfully, at Southern Air, we know some things you can do to help your disposal work better for longer.

Sanitize Your Garbage Disposal And Remove Odors

Do you know how rotten food makes your trash smell bad? The same thing happens when you don’t clean your garbage disposal, which is why it’s important to clean it regularly.

A natural way to clean your disposal is to place the rind (or skin) of a lemon, lime, or orange into the disposal. Turn the disposal on and allow the blades to break up the rinds. The acid from the citrus fruit cleans the blades and a fresh citrus smell will replace any bad smells from rotting foods.

You can also remove food particles by pouring ice cubes or salt into the garbage disposal. When you turn it on, the abrasive particles will push off any food that is stuck to the blades. You can also use a classic home cleaning remedy by pouring baking soda and vinegar down your drain. This will help you clear a clogged drain as well as clean out the disposal itself.

Sharpen The Blades

Similar to how your kitchen knives will sometimes need to be sharpened, so do the blades in your garbage disposal. This is because they start to dull over time. When the blades are dull, the disposal won’t be able to chop up food as efficiently. If the pieces of food in your disposal don’t break down small enough, they can lead to a clogged drain and other pipe issues.

Watch What You Put Down The Sink

It’s easy to put all kinds of food down your garbage disposal without giving it any thought. After all, isn’t the best part of the garbage disposal that it disposes of all your food scraps? At Southern Air, we know that’s not the case.

There are consequences to treating your garbage disposal like a trash can. While the disposal is able to break up many foods, putting down the wrong foods can lead to drain clogs, which require plumbing maintenance.

Here are some things that you should never place down the garbage disposal:

• Grease: Hot grease that is a liquid may cool and start to solidify as it moves through the drain and into the sewer line. Grease can clog your drain and lead to bigger plumbing problems. Instead of pouring grease down the drain, pour it into a jar, allow it to cool and throw it into the regular trash.
• Oils: As with grease, many oils—olive, vegetable, and coconut—can become trapped deep in your plumbing lines. Coconut oil is especially sensitive to temperature and can shift from being a solid to a liquid as it cools.
• Coffee Grounds: These gritty grounds can get stuck in pipes, forming a clog. Avoid dumping used grounds down the drain. Instead, dispose of them in a trash can.

When Should A Disposal Be Replaced?

Overall, most in-sink disposals last about 10 years. In the second decade of operation, your disposal will begin to slow down, the blades will dull and the under-sink unit may start to leak. Eventually, the disposal will stop working completely, and you’ll need to replace it.

Call Southern Air For Your Garbage Disposal Needs!

If you’re having problems with your garbage disposal, Southern Air is here to help. When you need garbage disposal assistance in Southern Louisiana, our team can provide any repairs necessary to fix your system. We can also remove your old, broken disposal and replace it with a new one. Schedule an appointment today for all of your plumbing needs!