Many homeowners have a question in mind and that is – how to unclog garbage disposal? Well, if you have a garbage disposal installed in your kitchen you may be disposing a wide variety of things in there.
It is okay if you are doing so, but expecting that your garbage disposal will not clog is where you have made a mistake. Another thing that you want to keep in mind is, not to use any harsh chemicals because it corrodes the pipes and will make the situation worse.
Now, the next option you have is to call a plumber and give him fees to clean YOUR garbage disposal. However, you can avoid that by reading below how you can easily unclog garbage disposal yourself.
DONT put this food – down the disposal.
Get rid of these food scraps by
- Throwing it away
- composting it
- Taking it to a disposal center
| 1: Eggshells | throw away |
| 2: Fruit pits or seeds | compost |
| 3: Coffee grounds | throw away |
| 4: Grease, fat, and cooking oil | throw away |
| 5: Potato peels | compost |
| 6: Pasta, rice, beans, or oatmeal | compost |
| 7: Nuts | throw away |
| 8: Bones and seafood shells | throw away |
| 9: Medication | take to disposal center |
| 10: Fibrous veggies | throw away |
2. Unclog the disposal but you still hear loud noise?
The first thing you need to do for unclogging the garbage disposal is:
Turn it off –
This will prevent any chances of injury or accidents. But, you don’t have to cut the whole power as you are just checking right now. Do not stick anything into the drain.
Pro Tip: Unplug it from the power source. This is an extra safety step that will save your hand in the event the disposal suddent turns on.
See what is down there.
Your next step is to take a flashlight and shine light down opening to see if fork or solid food fell down. Once you know what kind of food material is causing a clog, the task will become easier because you will know what type of tool you need now.
Remove the item.
The third step is to remove the clog. However, if you don’t know what exactly the reason for the clog is, you don’t have to flush the water. This is because the clog could be due to some valuable items such as a ring.
If you find too much food debris, there is a clear sign that it is developed over time and water is not going to aid it. In this situation, you will have to plunge the sink. Once you have removed the debris restart or retry garbage disposal.
3. Vinegar, baking soda
If you like to clean your garbage disposal without using chemicals or other smelly and hazardous elements you can easily rely on Lemon, Vinegar, and baking soda.
These elements do not release combat smells and are very effective in their job. In order to maintain your garbage disposal, you will need to use lemon, Vinegar, baking soda. How?
Lemon – Cut one lemon into half. Now drip it for about 2 minutes. The natural acidic juice present in the lemon will help to clean small clogs and remove odors.
Vinegar, baking soda – These items will create a fizzy solution. This will help to break down any grime. First, pour some hot water down the drain. Then add a cup of baking soda and let it stay there for a few minutes. Take the vinegar and hot water solution to rinse the drain properly.
Remove the baffle. The baffle is the black rubber/plastic seal that opens up when you put food scrap or your hand down the garbage disposal. It stops food from from being thrown back up, out of the disposal.
Clean the baffle. Clean the back of the baffle to remove the old food that could be smelling up your disposal and sink. This will help eliminate any smells that need to go!
4. Use Allen wrench on bottom of garbage disposal – turn to break loose the clog
Allen wrench is going to be your companion while unclogging the garbage disposal. Once you have determined the reason for the clog you can manually get down in the business. This is because some disposer is clogged beneath the sink.
- When you turn the blades of disposer manually you will be able to find where the clog exactly is.
- This method will require an Allen wrench.
- With the help of Allen wrench, you can easily turn the blades which are usually located at the bottom of the disposer. (Read Manuals if you find the problem).
- Gently insert the Allen wrench to turn the blades manually; it will slowly break down the materials.
5. Clean the garbage disposal with cleaning packet to keep it clean
Lemon juice, baking soda & vinegar can do the trick sometimes when it comes to cleaning your garbage disposal. Other times you will need to have a garbage disposal cleaner by your side.
A garbage disposal cleaner will come in handy when your disposal is extremely dirty. This will help to remove clogs, grease easier, and is more effective than the natural stuff. The cleaning packets are biodegradable and will clean and scrub your entire disposer and leave the whole sink and kitchen with a clean and fresh smell.
6. Rinse, then place a few ice cubes down the disposal.
If you have a garbage disposal in your kitchen you know it is a very useful and convenient appliance. That is why it becomes your duty to maintain it in order to avoid any breakdown or clogging.
There are many things you can do and which you must do to maintain your garbage disposal, here are some of them:
Make sure all the parts of the disposal are moving to prevent obstruction. Using it regularly will prevent your tool from rusting and corrosion.
Keep your garbage disposal clean by running some cold water after washing dishes.
Use baking soda and vinegar to break down small grim and prevent odors.
Make use of cold water and ice to maintain garbage disposal. Rinse and place some ice down the disposal. This will help to sharpen the blades.
Grind hard materials like chicken bones, small fruit pits, egg shells, etc. The grind particles will scrub the chamber and clean the walls of garbage disposal.
7. Get a food screen
Food screen for garbage disposal is the best thing you can purchase in order to prevent it from clogging and breaking down.
The food screen will catch all the waste elements coming from your countertop, such as egg shells, peeled skins of vegetables, etc. The best thing about the food screen is that you won’t have to worry about what you are tossing into the sink, it is extremely helpful when peeling potatoes or emptying coffee grounds. A must-have item you need in your kitchen!
Extend the life of your disposal. By saving some of the junk from going into your disposal you are extending its life and saving yourself $500 or so – roughly the cost of replacing it and having a professional plumber install it.
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