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<\/p>\nGarbage disposals are made for small food scraps, not for everything. Putting the wrong items down the drain can clog pipes, jam blades, or damage the unit. We asked professional plumbers to name the most common culprits.<\/p>\n
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Contrary to popular belief, eggshells don\u2019t sharpen garbage disposal blades. \u201cEggshells, often believed to be disposal-friendly, can surprise you by forming granules that stick to grease, compounding the clog issue,\u201d says Al Fagundes, Master Plumber at A. Fagundes Plumbing and Heating<\/a>.<\/p>\n Unless you\u2019re interested in a slow buildup of eggshells that eventually cause a clog, start tossing those empty shells in the garbage or compost bin.<\/p>\n While most people know that flushing grease down the drain is a big no-no, not all realize the damage that starchy foods can do. According to Roy Barnes of Service Force Plumbing<\/a>, the day after Thanksgiving is one of the busiest days for plumbers due to people clogging their drains with potato peels and starchy leftovers.<\/p>\n \u201cYour garbage disposal will do a great job of grinding starches up into a sticky paste \u2013 the finer it grinds, the stickier the mess,\u201d he says. To play it safe and prevent clogs, don\u2019t put potatoes, potato peels, or pasta down your disposal.<\/p>\n All types of grease, including oil and animal fats (like bacon lard), can clog drains. Never place these in the garbage disposal or dump them down the drain. \u201cPouring grease down the drain may seem like a good idea when it\u2019s a liquid, but as it cools, it will harden, causing clogging,\u201d advises Chris Palmer of Raptor Rooter & Plumbing<\/a>.<\/p>\n Even if the grease doesn\u2019t cause an immediate clog, some of it will cling to the insides of the pipes, and then other bits of food will attach, slowly building up until the drains are impassable.<\/p>\n Fibrous vegetables are great for the body but not so good for the garbage disposal. Jimmy Hiller of Happy Hiller<\/a>, a multistate company that does plumbing and HVAC work, tells us, \u201cAvoid fibrous or stringy foods such as celery, corn husks, onion skins, and artichokes. These can tangle the blades of the garbage disposal and cause it to jam.\u201d<\/p>\n Toss your leftover veggies in the compost bin or trash to keep your blades sharp and jam-free.<\/p>\n One of the most controversial items you shouldn’t put down the drain is coffee grounds.<\/b> Although some TikTokers claim that adding coffee grounds removes bad smells and sharpens garbage disposal blades, you can\u2019t always believe what you see on social media. According to the master plumbers we’ve interviewed, this couldn’t be farther from the truth.<\/p>\n Dumping some coffee grounds may make your sink smell better, but it also creates a sludgy paste that sticks to the drains, eventually causing backups.<\/p>\n Bones are too hard for garbage disposal blades. They\u2019ll either jam the unit or spin around without breaking down, leading to motor strain.<\/p>\n Avocado pits, peach stones, and cherry seeds are too solid. Like bones, they don\u2019t grind and can crack or wear down the disposal over time.<\/p>\n Shrimp shells, lobster shells, or crab shells are tough and fibrous. They tangle the blades and create stubborn blockages.<\/p>\n When mixed with water, flour, dough, and batter form a paste that sticks to pipes and traps other debris. Over time, this leads to clogs.<\/p>\n These items don\u2019t break down in water like food. If tossed into the disposal, they expand, block drains, and damage the grinding mechanism.<\/p>\n Like pasta, rice expands in water and becomes sticky. It can clump inside the disposal or farther down the pipe, forming soft blockages.<\/p>\n Crushing or flushing old pills in the sink is bad for both plumbing and the environment. They pass through water systems and harm ecosystems.<\/p>\n Save your garbage disposal for the little bits of food that come off your plate as you rinse. Throw everything else in the trash or compost bin. Doing this will help prevent a costly (and inconvenient) plumbing emergency.<\/p>\n The post The 12 Worst Things to Put Down a Garbage Disposal, According to Plumbers<\/a> appeared first on Homedit<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Garbage disposals are made for small food scraps, not for everything. Putting the wrong items down the drain can clog pipes, jam blades, or damage the unit. We asked professional plumbers to name the most common culprits. 1. Eggshells Contrary to popular belief, eggshells don\u2019t sharpen garbage disposal blades. \u201cEggshells, often believed to be disposal-friendly, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1038,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[15],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.seniors-australian.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1036"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.seniors-australian.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.seniors-australian.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.seniors-australian.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.seniors-australian.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1036"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/www.seniors-australian.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1036\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1039,"href":"http:\/\/www.seniors-australian.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1036\/revisions\/1039"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.seniors-australian.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1038"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.seniors-australian.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1036"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.seniors-australian.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1036"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.seniors-australian.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1036"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n2. Starchy Foods<\/h2>\n
\n3. Grease, Oil, or Animal Fats<\/h2>\n
\n4. Fibrous Vegetables<\/h2>\n
\n5. Coffee Grounds <\/h2>\n
\n6. Bones<\/h2>\n
\n7. Fruit Pits and Seeds<\/h2>\n
\n8. Shells (Seafood)<\/h2>\n
\n9. Flour and Dough<\/h2>\n
\n10. Paper Towels or Napkins<\/h2>\n
\n11. Rice<\/h2>\n
\n12. Medication<\/h2>\n
\nWhat Can You Put Down a Garbage Disposal?<\/h2>\n