Believe it or not, we all know that garbage disposals are a God-sent. This advanced technology-enabled creation allows us to reduce and eliminate waste effortlessly with many benefits.
But hey, even garbage disposals need replacements and changes. Although garbage disposals require the least attention and maintenance, they still need some tending compared to regular recycle bins.
Often people also overlook the idea that garbage disposals need to be emptied. Yes, you read that right. But the question is, how can you do it?
Worry not. I’m here to tell you how to empty a garbage disposal in a few precise and straightforward steps. Let’s dive right in and clean up!
Are You Supposed to Empty a Garbage Disposal?
Yes, According to my personal experience, it’s essential to empty a garbage disposal from time to time to prevent clogs and maintain the proper functioning of the unit, and it is genuinely a necessity.
A garbage disposal is designed for grinding food waste and flushing it away. Despite having the best usage out of garbage disposals, food chunks and stubborn garbage still sneak within the system and remain trapped. So emptying the garbage disposal after a period is an essential thing.
Tip: You can use tiny cut pieces of orange peels or lemons while running the garbage disposal. Do this trick at least once every week.
The lesser-known lemon and orange peel technique has been around for a while as it can dislodge stuck food rubbish from garbage disposal walls and effectively eliminate gruesome odours.
Even though it is said that your garbage disposal must be cleaned every week, you must still monitor it every day before and after usage. The best part is if you can observe it well, you will understand that cleaning your garbage disposal every two to three weeks doesn’t pose much harm either.
The delay is only permissible if you use the garbage disposal according to the instructions and only refrain from shoving excess food in the garbage disposal.
Tip: You can also maintain the well-being of your garbage disposal by letting it run for a few minutes every other day to avoid corrosion and preserve the consistency of its various functions.
On the other hand, you must always pay attention to detail while cleaning out the garbage disposal.
Measure out all the risks before you begin. You must avoid being too harsh throughout the process, as one poor snip could damage the garbage disposal drains or valves.
You must be extra cautious while dealing with more significant food waste or other debris. You might even be shocked by the contents stuck in the lines, such as non-biodegradable foods and utensils.
However, the scenario is no different with hardy substances. You need to fish them out, maintaining all possible safety standards.
How to Empty Garbage Disposal?
We mistakenly drop or dispose of garbage that isn’t compatible with the garbage disposal from time to time. In trying times, we must commit to manual labour and empty the garbage disposals ourselves.
One of the most extensive hints is having a lingering nasty smell around the garbage disposal. That’s when you should realize that it’s time to get to work – no matter how icky it may be.
Now, it’s time to know how the deed is done. Read and go through the steps below to clean and empty your garbage disposal.
Tools Needed to Empty a Garbage Disposal
A few tools are required to empty the garbage disposer properly.
Tongs or Pliers
These remove the large objects stuck in drains.
Plastic Scraper
A plastic scraper can scrape off any leftover debris from the walls of your shed. Pre-warning for using a metal scraper may damage the garbage disposal.
Dishwashing Detergent or Vinegar
Dishwashing detergent or vinegar can help loosen leftover debris and remove odours from the garbage disposal.
Baking Soda
After emptying the garbage disposal, baking soda can remove the excess smell and freshen it.
I recommend wearing safety gloves to protect your hands when working in landfills.
Empty The Garbage Disposal
Step 1: Cut off all the power and electric supply before you begin. You know what they say about being safe rather than sorry. Chasing that notion while putting down your hands to empty the garbage disposal is vital.
Step 2: Reach the garbage disposal to remove the rubber fit. This is just a precautionary net that traps all the unsupervised contents that might fall into the disposal. It’s more like a friction barrier. Hence, you can stick two fingers in the centre of the fit and simply pop it out of the garbage disposal.
Step 3: The fit might come off with some debris and a funny smell on the side. You can toss it in the dishwasher before replacing it.
Step 4: Disclaimer: Never opt for shoving down your fingers as the fit comes off. It’s a hazardous predicament that could go wrong in many ways. Instead, use tongs or pliers to dispose of the junk. It’s safe and efficient too.
Step 5: Put in the tongs and grab onto the utensils, food waste, or dirt that could be grounded in the channel. Take them out one after another until it’s relatively clean and out of their clogged state.
Get Rid of the Odour
If your garbage disposal has been clogged for a while, there could be some remaining issues, including the odour. Your garbage disposal could be emptied at this point, but taking care of the smell is essential.
To keep funky smells at bay, follow these methods for quick and effective results.
Step 1: You can use ice cubes to clean the garbage disposal’s interior. Take a cup of ice cubes and pour it into the garbage disposal opening after the rubber fit has been taken out.
Step 2: You can also pour that in if you have access to rock salt. However, rock salts aren’t a must-have item for this process, so; you can only stick to ice cubes.
Step 3: After pouring the ice cubes into the hole, cover the opening with a safety gasket or cover. Note that the rubber fit had been taken off before this step.
Thus, water and ice cubes could splash in the sink and even further. To keep your surroundings and yourself safe, a shield is necessary.
Step 4: Turn on the switch of the garbage disposal cleaner and let the machine crunch in the ice cubes. This step will cleanse all the valves, blades, and rubber components in the garbage disposal in no time.
Step 5: Turn on the water to flush the crushed ice through the drains. You can use the stopper first, then fill the sink for an inch or more. Once filled, you can remove the stopper to force the water into even thorough draining.
Hint: Never pour ammonia or harsh cleaning bleach into the garbage disposal. Always opt for natural odor cleaning agents such as lemon or ice cubes.
As I mentioned earlier, baking soda is one of the best solutions to eliminate foul odours from the kitchen. Regularly use a small amount of baking soda on the garbage disposal to keep freshness.
Here is my secret recipe. Put a couple of spoons of baking soda in the garbage disposal and let it sit for a few minutes. Then turn on the water flow and run the disposal to flush out any remaining debris.
Final Words
To be fair, having a clean garbage disposal keeps me at peace. What about you? I hope skimming through this informative article on emptying and tidying up your garbage disposal has been satisfactory.
The truth is garbage disposals can take on many challenges seamlessly. So much so that we often forget to look after it as well.
Garbage disposals will only serve you for a prolonged lifetime if you maintain and clean them daily. Regular flushing and cleansing is a measure that all garbage disposal manufacturers also recommend.
Now that you know it, too, don’t fall behind. Follow these detailed steps to have your garbage disposal as good as new!
James is an organic fertilizer professional who owns a successful organic fertilizer company in new jersey. He is an expert in waste management in both houses and community cases. In his free time, he loves to write about his experiences in the field.
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