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Ways to Maintain Your Garbage Disposal in El Dorado Hills

January 23, 2015

While a trained professional should always handle any kind of repair to your garbage disposal, there are steps you can take on your own to help maintain it. These steps are fairly simple and don't require any kind of mechanical work - just consistency and some common sense. If you do have a problem with your garbage disposal in El Dorado Hills, call the experts at Bronco Plumbing Heating and Air for repair.

Ways to Maintain Your Garbage Disposal

Here are some easy ways you can maintain your garbage disposal and help prevent repairs:

  • Run cold water before and after use - cold water helps lubricate the inside of the disposal before using it, and running the water afterward helps clear the drain of any food that may be clinging. It's important to use cold water during this process as hot water can encourage sticking debris.
  • Clean with ice cubes once a month - ice cubes in your garbage disposal have a scouring effect which can help remove sticking debris. Simply put 3-4 cubes in your disposal and turn it on.
  • Don't put potato peels in the disposal -potato peels can have a papier-mâché kind of effect on your garbage disposal because the potato part, when wet, can form a thick paste and stick to the blades of the disposal.
  • No FOG (fats, oil, grease) - FOG is notorious for sticking to the inside of piping and clinging, and it will do the same to your garbage disposal. Washing any kind of FOG down the drain with hot water doesn't work, either, as hot water only melts it and sends it further down the drain where it will congeal. FOG should never reach your sink for any reason; it should be emptied into a can once it cools and thrown out.
  • Avoid "expandable" foods - foods like rice and pasta act like sponges in any kind of water and expand; they'll do the same in your garbage disposal, which can cause clogging.

Maintaining your garbage disposal in El Dorado Hills can help you avoid repair and keep your disposal in good working order. Have questions about our garbage disposal services? Call the experts at Bronco Plumbing Heating and Air today.