How to Use a Garbage Disposal Without Slowly Killing It

Avoid putting all your food scraps into your garbage disposal like a second trash can. Instead, you should use it to dispose of small leftover food pieces that fall into the sink. Dumping large food items down the drain can damage the blades and the motor or clog your sink.

Throwing large amounts of food into your garbage disposal can ruin it or clog your drain. Avoid throwing the following 12 items into the sink: 

1. Beans
2. Bones
3. Coffee grounds
4. Cooking fat and grease
5. Eggshells
6. Fibrous vegetables 
7. Fruit and vegetable peels
8. Fruit seeds and pits
9. Nuts
10. Oatmeal
11. Pasta
12. Rice

No, the eggshell membrane can easily wrap around the disposal impellers and damage your disposal

No, although coffee grounds will likely make it past your disposal, the tiny grounds collect when wet, accumulate in your drain and become clogged. Instead, you can easily compost your coffee grounds.

No, your garbage disposal cannot consistently break down banana peels enough for them to pass through your pipes, especially if you forgot to remove the stickers on the outside. If you accidentally put a banana peel into your sink, it will probably be okay, but you should avoid it as much as possible

Most liquids and small, biodegradable food particles are safe to put in a garbage disposal. Any soft vegetables and small pieces of meat are okay. But avoid putting fibrous veggies, vegetable and fruit skins, cooking oil and grease down your drain

Yes, your garbage disposal can eat ice cubes in a heartbeat. They will safely pass down your drain before you know it.

Yes, pouring any temperature water down your garbage disposal isn’t an issue.

It’s essential to run water down your drain while you’re using the garbage disposal. If you run your disposal dry, it can overheat and shorten the life of your disposal.

Yes, if your garbage disposal has food in it, your dishwasher might not be able to drain properly. This depends on if your dishwasher empties into the garbage disposal. If it does, you can run your disposal for a few seconds to dislodge the food particles.

If your garbage disposal is not working, you could have a power supply issue, or it might be jammed. If it’s a power issue, you can try resetting it by pressing the red button on the bottom of the garbage disposal (underneath your sink). If you hear a humming noise, it’s probably jammed. You can quickly fix it by inserting an allen key into the bottom of the disposal. Turn the allen key to get the blades moving.

If your garbage disposal is jammed, you’ll hear a humming noise, but the blades won’t spin. Simply insert a ¼ inch allen wrench into the bottom of the disposal (located beneath your sink). Turn the allen wrench to get the blades moving. If you have an electrical problem, find the red reset button on the bottom of your disposal, and press it to reset.  

When you’re looking to buy a garbage disposal, you’ll have to consider size and quality. Smaller disposals are less powerful, but they work for most homes. However, if you’re less careful about what you dispose of in the sink, you should opt for a larger model. When it comes to quality, consider how often you’d like to replace the unit. Higher-quality disposals last longer (7+ years).  

Lower-end garbage disposals last 2–4 years. (You should replace them every 3 years to avoid the trouble of a failing garbage disposal.) High-quality disposals usually last 7 years or more

Your garbage disposal could be on its last legs if you notice any of the following:

1. It runs louder than normal
2. It jams frequently
3. It accumulates rust 
4. It runs inconsistently