How to Properly Care for Your Kitchen Sink

There are a number of plumbing appliances in your home that you likely couldn’t imagine living without. For example, take your water heater.

Then there are others that are—fair enough—a bit more of a luxury than a necessity, like the garbage disposal in your kitchen sink. Still though, even though it’s not a necessity, a garbage disposal is a pretty handy part of your Denver kitchen plumbing.

Of course, once you’ve gotten used to the benefits and conveniences of such a component, it’s easy to take it for granted, and therefore it’s easy to accidentally do something to damage it. Fortunately, when you do run into a problem with this kitchen sink component, our team is here to help. But we’d like to help you avoid a problem with your garbage disposal and kitchen sink plumbing to begin with.

Do You Put These Down Your Garbage Disposal?

Failing to properly care for your garbage disposal can lead to a number of issues, like damage to the component itself and damage to the drain and sewer line it leads to. There is a common misunderstanding among homeowners that the blades of a garbage disposal system are sharp, and can therefore cut through anything you put down the kitchen sink, but this simply is not the case.

Your garbage disposal system does have “blades,” if that’s what you want to refer to them as. But what they actually are comprised of is grinder plates that rely on centrifugal force to grind down food waste. Then, the waste is flushed down the drain, and the flow of water (yes, you should keep your faucet running the entire time the garbage disposal is) helps waste move all the way down the drain. But, what items can overload your garbage disposal? Keep reading to find out.

• Hard Food Items: This means things like bones, or fruit pits. There are some newer garbage disposals on the mark that advertise they can, in fact, handle food items like this, but honestly in most cases you’re just going to be better off throwing them away in the trash.
• Pasta and Rice: No, these items won’t damage your garbage disposal. The problem with pasta and rice is that it slips right through the garbage disposal, and expands as it gets wet. This means that it can easily clog up your drainpipes, which is the last thing you need!
• Fibrous Food Waste: Here, we are referring to things like corn husks and celery stalks. These items get wrapped up in the moving parts of your garbage disposal, and then the disposal system can be damaged as it continues to operate.
• FOG: This is another one that won’t actually hurt the garbage disposal, but that the garbage disposal has no effect on. FOG stands for fats, oils, and grease, and it congeals as it cools. This means that it sticks to the inside of your pipes and can easily create clogs and issues.

Get peace of mind by calling Bell Plumbing and Heating, the company metro area homeowners have been trusting for over 90 years!