Want to Know More About Garbage Disposals?

Growing up I was taught to fear the garbage disposal. My fingers never, and I mean never went near there. I always used long spatulas or mixing spoons to knock food into the garbage disposal and was appalled when I went to a friend’s house and saw them using their hands. Though I now understand the reasoning behind my mother over cautioning her 8 year old about the garbage disposal, I still find myself reaching for a utensil when having to push food down it.  However, this post is about garbage disposals but not necessarily about garbage disposal safety so I will move on. Here are a few fast facts to help keep your garbage disposal clean, smelling fresh and working properly.

Always run the garbage disposal with the water on. Running the disposal without any water running through it is hard on the bearings of the mechanism.

Keep the garbage disposal running for about 5 seconds after all the food is done being churned up.  If you turn it off right away, leftovers particles that haven’t yet been disposed can build up and therefore create a smelly odor (according to TheKitchn: In-Sink-Erator:  Dealing with a Smelly Garbage Disposal”)

Cut up an orange. Cut up an orange into 6 slices and put it in the garbage disposal.  This will give it a fresh, citrusy scent.  Mmmm.

For more information, please contact FLAME or check out this article about cleaning garbage disposals (HowStuffWorks: “How to Clean a Garbage Disposal.” Remember, keep your fingers clear!