You adore your modern garbage disposal – disposing of food in a quick and sanitary way has never been simpler!
However, while there are plenty of foods that are fine to dump down the drain – there are plenty that should not be put in a garbage disposal under any condition.
To keep your garbage disposal in top condition, read on to learn which foods you should never dump down the drain.
1. Coffee Grounds
Coffee grounds are deceptive. They seem to flush down easily, but in reality, they’re going to pile up and cause an unwelcome sludgy mess in your drain.
Think about it – would you flush coffee grounds down the sink? Of course not! So, don’t dump them down the garbage disposer either.
2. Pasta & Rice
Pasta and rice are more examples of what shouldn't go in a garbage disposal. The reason why?
Everyone knows that when soaked in water, pasta and rice expand. So, the same goes for when it’s dumped down the garbage disposal. It will simply keep expanding and will block up your drain!
Like most of the items on this list, a few scraps every now and then won’t hurt, but try to avoid picking up this habit. Don’t ever flush a whole pasta casserole down the drain, that’s for sure!
Bread and oatmeal are the same and will expand in combination with water. Remember, no matter how small these foods are chopped up, they’ll still absorb massive amounts of water and cause havoc with your garbage disposal.
3. Bones
While garbage disposals work wonders at grinding up and disposing of food waste, they have trouble working with animal bones. They simply aren’t designed to handle such hard items.
While they can grind down the odd small bone or two, don’t even think about disposing of a rack of ribs down the drain! They’ll simply just keep spinning around with the blades.
If the bones are lucky enough to make it down the garbage disposal, they won’t get anywhere past the drainpipes. This could result in a blockage.
4. Nuts & Shells
Likewise, nuts and seafood shells are extremely hard. While garbage disposals will take them, they’ll simply dull the blade and reduce the lifespan of the device.
Consider how peanut butter is made too. Handfuls of peanuts dumped into a garbage disposal unit, where they’re spun and mashed into a thick, sticky paste aren’t going to do any favors for your machine!
A garbage disposal unit lined with peanut butter paste is going to be a nightmare to clean and can potentially clog your drain.
5. Fruit Pits
Fruits like peaches and cherries are delicious, but their pits are another example of what not to put in a garbage disposal!
If you do end up dropping fruit pits into your garbage disposal, you’ll just end up with a machine that isn’t disposing waste to its maximum capacity, which would be a huge shame.
What Should Not Be Put in a Garbage Disposal
Now you know what should not be put in a garbage disposal! As a good rule of thumb, if you can’t chop the food item with a knife, it’s not going to grind up in the disposal.
Avoid dumping the foods listed here to ensure your device remains clog-free and lasts for a long time.
If you haven’t yet purchased a garbage disposal unit – what are you waiting for? Check out our list of the best garbage disposal units under $100.