Garbage Disposal Dos and Don'ts: Prevent Costly Repairs

Your garbage disposal is a convenience that can last a decade or more with proper use — or fail within a few years if consistently misused. Most disposal repairs and replacements we handle are caused by things that should never have gone into the unit in the first place. Following a few simple rules can prevent jams, keep the motor healthy, and avoid the drain clogs that disposals can create downstream.

What You Can Put In

Garbage disposals are designed to handle small amounts of soft food waste rinsed from plates. Good items include small fruit and vegetable scraps, cooked pasta and rice in small quantities, soft food remnants, eggshells in moderation, and small chicken bones that actually help clean the grinding chamber. Always run cold water before, during, and for 15 seconds after using the disposal to flush ground waste through the drain line.

What You Should Never Put In

Grease, oil, and fat are the number one cause of disposal and drain problems. They coat the grinding mechanism, solidify in drain pipes, and create stubborn blockages downstream. Pour cooking grease into a disposable container and put it in the trash.

Fibrous vegetables like celery, artichokes, asparagus, and corn husks wrap around the grinding blades and cause jams. Starchy foods like potato peels create a thick paste that clogs the drain. Coffee grounds clump together in pipes. Fruit pits, seafood shells, and large bones are too hard for the mechanism. And non-food items — twist ties, rubber bands, bottle caps, glass — can damage or jam the unit instantly.

Keeping Your Disposal Clean

Run your disposal regularly, even when you do not have food waste to grind. Infrequent use allows residue to harden and can lead to corrosion. Once a week, grind a few ice cubes to knock loose buildup from the grinding elements, then flush with cold water.

For odors, grind small citrus peels — lemon or orange — with cold running water. Avoid using chemical drain cleaners in the disposal, as they can corrode internal components and are unnecessary with regular use and proper maintenance.

When to Call a Plumber

If your disposal hums but does not spin, something is jamming the blades. Many jams can be cleared by turning the unit off, unplugging it, and using the hex wrench that came with the unit to manually rotate the flywheel from the bottom. If the unit does not hum at all, the motor may have tripped its internal breaker — look for a reset button on the bottom of the unit.

If these steps do not resolve the issue, or if the disposal leaks from the bottom, makes grinding or screeching noises, or trips your kitchen circuit breaker, professional diagnosis is needed. Repairs are often possible, but units over eight years old with motor problems are usually better replaced than repaired.