Lemons and limes are very good for cleaning up your garbage disposal. After you have completed your normal waste disposal process, finish by dropping in half a lemon or lime.
This not only cleanses the disposal but also gives it a deliciously fresh, delicate, fruity scent.
In this guide
Types of Food That Can Be Put Down the Disposal
Some suggestions include the following:
Fruits
Fruits like apples, oranges, and grapes can be put down into the garbage disposal.
Vegetable Scraps
Just be careful not to put down any portions that are too big or fibrous.
Ice Cubes
Ice cubes are safe to put down into the garbage disposal.
Meat
Meat scraps and dinner leftovers are fine to rinse down when washing dishes; just make sure the pieces are not too large.
Items that Should Never be Put Down the Garbage Disposal
Numerous products should not be disposed of in a garbage disposal. The reason for this is that they are solely intended to manage food waste.
Any other objects will strain the impeller and grinding ring. Following are the items that should never be put down the garbage disposal.
1) Chicken Bones Are Difficult to Grind
Small bones, such as fish bones, may be fine in the disposal, but hard items like most animal bones will be problematic.
They are difficult to grind, and Consumer Reports notes that even when ground down, fragments can wind up settling at the bottom of some pipes, producing a clog.
They can also keep rattling around the grinding chamber instead of breaking down cleanly.
2) Celery Stalks Tangle Around the Impeller
The fibrous strings have a habit of tangling around the moving parts of your garbage disposal. Therefore, putting down celery stalks will be problematic.
3) Coffee Grounds Can Cause Clogging
Some experts advise against putting coffee grounds in the garbage disposal, while others believe it is fine.
Some disposal manufacturers advise putting only a small amount in at a time and running cold water on full blast to help force the grounds through the pipes and avoid clogging older plumbing.
4) Egg Shells Can Lodge Into Pipes
According to some sources, eggshells and seafood shells break up into tiny pieces with sharp edges that could lodge into any existing buildup in the pipes, creating more buildup and possibly clogging.
Other sources say they're fine as long as you put them in carefully, perhaps one at a time, then run cold water on full blast to drive them through the pipes, continuing to run the water for 10 to 15 seconds after you turn off the disposal.
5) Onion Skins Can Lodge in the Drain
This is a really specific one. The bulk of an onion is safe to put down the disposal.
The thin, papery outer skin, however, is thin enough to pass through the disposal without being fully ground up. It can then become lodged in the drain, trapping other food behind it and forming a clog.
6) Fibrous Foods Make It Harder for the Disposal to Grind
Fibrous strings in foods like celery, corn husks, banana peels, asparagus, and pumpkin can wrap themselves around the disposal's moving parts, making it harder for them to spin freely in the grinding chamber.
7) Vegetable Peelings Can Create a Thick Paste
Vegetable peels, such as carrot and potato peelings, can also produce a thick paste that accumulates on the grinding components.
Peanut butter can create a similar thick paste that clogs the disposal drain. If fibrous vegetables pass through, they might cause buildup on the inside of your pipes.
If you're peeling more than one or two veggies, throw the peelings in the compost or trash instead.
8) Pits, Stones, and Popcorn Kernels Can Create Blockages
Pits from fruits such as peaches and avocados should never go down the disposal, since they're far too hard for it to grind and can damage the grinding components.
Unpopped popcorn kernels are another culprit worth keeping out of the disposal — every bowl of popcorn has a handful of kernels that never popped, and those hard little kernels won't grind down any better than a pit will.
9) Citrus Peels Can Cause Their Own Problems
It is often said that putting citrus peels down the garbage disposal helps clean and deodorize it.
According to E.R. Plumbing Services, citrus peels such as lemon, lime, and orange peels can, in larger quantities, become stuck inside your pipes, so it's best to use small amounts rather than whole peels at once.
10) Fats, Grease, and Oil Can Cause Clogging
Fats, grease, and oils, also called FOGs, should never go down the drain.
They may start out in a liquid state, but those components will congeal, leave behind bad smells, and eventually cause obstructions further downstream in the plumbing system.
Therefore, greasy foods cause both blockages in the disposal drain and unpleasant odors.
Lemon as a Deodorizing Agent
1) Lemons Keep Garbage Disposals Smelling Fresh
Lemons and garbage disposals go well together since they are complementary.
Citrus fruit like lemon, including the juice and rind, can be used for disposal cleaning.
Because of the citric acid in the lemon, it may not only help remove particles that can clog and dirty up your disposal, but it will also leave your kitchen sink drain with a fresh smell.
2) Deodorize Your Garbage Disposal
If you've been looking for ways to deodorize your garbage disposal, the citrus route is worth a try.
For a fresh smell, lemon, lime, and even orange peels are commonly recommended. This solution works well for many households.
The Best Way to Keep Your Drain Running Smoothly
The easiest step to dispose of citrus rinds is to place them in your kitchen trash, just like other food scraps.
The second quick way to dispose of leftover lemon peels is to add them to your compost pile.
Not everyone can do this, since not everyone has a garden to put the finished compost to use.
Moreover, a cup of white vinegar followed by baking soda is a useful, low-cost way to help keep your drain running clear.
Ways to Make Your Garbage Disposal Smell Better
1) Slice the Lemon into Small Pieces
Begin by slicing the lemon, lime, or orange into small pieces. If you do put them in the garbage disposal, make sure to break them up small.
That way, they should be able to clear the drain without causing a clog.
2) Use Cold Water and Ice
Take a handful of ice cubes, drop them into the disposal, and run cold water while turning it on. This procedure helps scour loose food particles and grease from inside the grinding chamber.
3) Follow with Citrus Bits
Put the citrus bits down the disposal once the ice has been ground up. As a final step, keep the water running for 5 to 10 seconds afterward, or until the disposal sounds like it's running clear.
4) Avoid Using Hot Water
Avoid running hot water through the disposal during normal use. If your garbage disposal becomes jammed, avoid turning on the hot water.
Hot water can exacerbate clogs by causing stuck food particles and grease to soften into a thick paste that coats your pipes.
As a rule of thumb, use cold water when running your disposal.
5) Have the Disposal Serviced, Not "Sharpened"
You may have heard that garbage disposals have blades that can go dull and need sharpening. In reality, most disposals don't use sharp blades at all — they use a spinning plate with blunt lugs, called an impeller, that flings food against a stationary grinding ring to break it down.
So if your disposal is taking longer than usual to break down food, "sharpening" isn't really the fix. Grinding up ice can help scour built-up grease and grime off the impeller and grinding ring, which often restores performance.
If it's still struggling after a good cleaning, the issue is more likely a worn grinding ring, a jam, or an electrical problem, and it's worth calling a professional to inspect it.
6) Avoid Disposing of Starchy Vegetables
Pasta, potato peels, rice, and beans should never be put down the disposal.
Even modest amounts of these starchy foods and stringy vegetables can quickly swell with water and block your disposal.
Starchy foods such as rice, potato peels, and pasta can also become a source of unpleasant odor in your disposal.
While they break down easily, they don't fully dissolve. In large enough quantities, these skins and starches can clog the drain line.
