Things to Avoid Putting in Your Garbage Disposal

Things to Avoid Putting in Your Garbage Disposal

Many homes have garbage disposals installed in the kitchen sink, but homeowners should not take the device’s name too literally. You should not treat the kitchen sink like a garbage bin just because you have a garbage disposal installed. Many items can damage the garbage disposal while others can even harm your plumbing system or septic system. This article brought to you by Metro Septic Pumping will go over some things that are especially risky. Avoid putting these things in your garbage disposal. If your septic system has been affected, then call Metro Septic Pumping to hire a septic technician. We are always ready to help.

Coffee Grounds

There is a common folk remedy that involves coffee grounds and garbage disposals. If you do not know about it, then good. Using coffee grounds to reduce odors might be effective in the short term, but it can cause bigger problems later on. Think of what coffee grounds look like when taken out of the filter: like a dense wad of paste. If you want that clogging your drains, then go ahead. But we advise against it.

Pasta, Rice, Bread, Grains

These foods are jam-packed with energy and it can be hard to finish your plate sometimes, but do not pour the leftovers into the garbage disposal. What all of these have in common is they all absorb water and expand. As you can imagine, this going to be a problem in the drains where there is a lot of water and very little space to expand. If you accidentally do toss some in the drains, then run it down with cold water for about 30 seconds.

Bones

Bones might be the hardest organic item on your plate. Garbage disposals are tough, but even they have a limit. They are not designed to grind up extraordinarily hard items like bones. Small fish or chicken bones might not cause a big problem, but you should keep even those out of the kitchen sink.

Fruit Pits

If you cannot cut it with a knife, then it probably will not make it through the garbage disposal. Similar to bones, fruit pits can damage the garbage disposal’s impellers. Throw these in the trash instead.

Fats, Oils, and Greases

Don’t be fooled by used fats, oils, and greases. Leave them out for a few minutes and you will see how quick they are to harden. Now picture this process happening in your drain line. Pouring fats, oils, and greases down the drain line is a surefire way to clog the pipes. It is better to store used fats, oils, and greases in a separate container to throw away later.

Chemical Drain Cleaners

It can be tempting to clean drains with a simple pour of a chemical. These chemicals can be harmful to your pipes, and especially your septic system if you have one. There are many homemade and safe alternatives to cleaning your drains. Call Metro Septic Pumping if you are worried you may have damaged your septic system by pouring cleaning chemicals down the drains.