A good garbage disposal is a girl’s best friend…until it clogs and starts shooting smelly broccoli stalks up into the air. Save yourself a call to the plumber by sticking to these cardinal rules.
Stop Screwing Up Your Garbage Disposal with These Simple Do's and Don'ts
Here's what you can and can't put down it
No Way, Jose
1. Celery: Those strings tend to tangle.
2. Bones: The suckers will go round and round, jamming up the grinding wheel. Even if they do make it through, they won't go down the drain.
3. Fruit Pits: Ever try to chop an avocado pit? Yeah, it’s not easy.
4. Grease: You could run cold water while you pour grease down the drain. But then it will probably congeal in horizontal pipes and cause a clog, anyway. To be safe, just put it in the trash.
Totally Fine
1. Potato Skins: The leftovers from that scrumptious side of creamy mashed potatoes or potatoes au gratin are A-OK.
2. Carrots: Just make sure they're chopped into slivers before you give them the heave-ho.
3. Eggshells: In fact, they help to sharpen your grinder blades.
4. Coffee Grounds: Keep it to small amounts (no more than a few tablespoons at a time) to avoid choking your pipes.
5. Fruit Scraps and Rinds: Bits of grapes, oranges and more will go down easy and can even help keep things fresh.