A garbage disposal can certainly come in handy when it’s time to clean up. But if you don’t use it properly, you may end up with a stubbornly clogged sink drain. Here are four tips to keep in mind when using your garbage disposal.

Don’t dump grease.

You should never pour grease down any drain as it may chill and solidify, creating a clog. The garbage disposal drain is no exception. Bacon fat, leftover cooking grease, and any fatty sauces should be put in the trash rather than poured down the disposal.

Avoid fibrous foods.

Lemon peels, orange peels, celery, and similar foods with stringy fibers can shred and become tangled in the garbage disposal’s blades, creating a clog. If you really must grind a fibrous item like these, cut it up into small pieces first. This way, any stringy fibers will be too short to wrap around the blades.

Run the water while you’re grinding.

Garbage disposals are designed to do their job while a steady stream of water is running through them. The proper procedure is to turn the water on, then turn the disposal on, and then start feeding things down the disposal. Keep the water running until after you turn off the disposal to decrease the risk of a clog.

Put some baking soda down the disposal once a week.

You should never, ever, clean a garbage disposal drain with drain cleaner, since it can splash back out and cause caustic burns. To keep the disposal and associated drain clean, dump a few cups of baking soda down there once a week while the disposal is running. The baking soda’s scrubbing action will help remove residue from the pipe before a clog can form; it will also absorb any drain odors.

If your sink drain with a garbage disposal seeks to be clogging, don’t attempt repairs yourself. Contact us to schedule a drain cleaning appointment today.