At Acts of Service Plumbing, we are passionate about delivering wisdom and knowledge to help keep your home in tip top shape. Here are some helpful home care tips from one of the best Plumbers Tulsa team.
What Holiday Food Should Not Go Down Your Garbage Disposal and In the Trash instead?
Many of the foods we enjoy on Thanksgiving, Christmas and other holidays can’t be tossed down your garbage disposal. This includes things like potato peels, asparagus and artichokes, fruit pits, stuffing, coffee grounds, and nuts.
You might be able to get away with putting these items down your garbage disposal once or twice, but if you do it too often, you’ll cause some serious damage and will have to pay for expensive repairs—or even buy a new garbage disposal altogether!
Even if you can’t quite believe these things can damage your garbage disposal, trust us when we say it’s true! However, that doesn’t mean they all have to go in the trash. Most of them can still be enjoyed later on, if you know how to dispose of them properly. You just need to know what should go in the trash and what should go down your disposal.
Don’t Be a Disposal Doofus This Thanksgiving!
Here are five holiday foods that you should never put down your garbage disposal (or in the trash), from wishbones to asparagus.
Wishbones & Bones in general
Wishbones and bones in general are a big no-no for garbage disposals. They can do a number on the blades, which will lead to expensive repairs or even replacement. Plus, they’re just nasty to clean up because they leave behind small bits of bone that stick to the insides of your sink. Save yourself the trouble and toss them in the trash instead.
Potato peels
Peels from potatoes, sweet potatoes, and yams can become clogged in a garbage disposal and cause it to stop working. These are some of the most common culprits during the Thanksgiving season, but these vegetables should not be put down your disposal any time of year.
If you’ve got potato peeling stuck in the disposal, here’s what you can try. Use ½ cup of baking soda and pour it down the drain. After a lapse of few minutes run down ½ cup of white vinegar, cover the drain, and let the solution sit and do the magic for few minutes. At the end, pour a kettle of boiling water and it will flush the entire drain. Still need Plumbers Tulsa services? Call our team today!
Asparagus and artichokes
Fresh asparagus and artichokes will get caught in a garbage disposal and make it hard for water to flow through it properly, causing everything to get backed up. These veggie items are better off going into the trash instead of being tossed into your sink or dishwasher.
Fruit Pits
Everyone just love pie, it’s like a staple to have for a holidays season. But if you’re making a pie yourself, make sure not to toss fruit pits down your garbage disposal. Fruit pits are one of the worst things you can put in your garbage disposal. They’ll stick to the blades and create more work for yourself, as well as cause damage to your pipes. So, it’s best to either dispose it properly in compost or if you don’t have compost, you can throw them in the trash.
Coffee grounds
We all love to have our favorite flavor of coffee in holiday season; from mint chocolate and ginger bread latte to pumpkin spice and peppermint. However, if you’re making these delicious flavors of drinks at home, make sure not to toss the grounds in the disposal.
It will cement clogs in your drain. These tiny coffee grinds can easily go down the disposal but once they’re wet they can easily attach themselves with grease barriers already in the drain.
Such large chunks of grinds can clog your drain. But you can easily re-use coffee grinds as fertilizer – just sprinkle it in your garden or plant’s soil. You can also use it in an open cup in the back of the fridge to absorb odors or mix it in your hand soap for a little exfoliation.
Stuffing
We all love those classic stuffing recipes with holiday dressing of comb-read mix, sausages, and poultry seasoning. All these ingredients are not made to be tossed in garbage disposal. These fibrous vegetables can easily get tangles in the disposal blades. If you recipe involve starchy bread; it can expend in water and cause clogging issues. We believe you deserve the best results. Count on us for the best Tulsa Plumbers services and love the outcome.
Nuts
Nuts like roasted or baked walnut rolls or pecan pies are a healthy crowed-pleasers for the holiday season. But these nutcrackers are not good for your garbage disposal. If you want to check, just make a blend of nuts with a bid of liquid – what do you think will happen with the blades of garbage disposal with such nut butter? So, even if you’re a fan of peanut butter; you should never throw the nuts in the garbage disposal instead throw them in the garbage, if you have to.
Oil & Grease
Be it your drainage system, garbage system, sewer system or even garbage disposal; grease and cooking oil can significantly contribute to blockages. Improper disposal of fats and oils can result in plumbing clogs and even blockage of pipes. The grease and oil can slowly accumulate and impede the working and grinding ability of the garbage disposal.
Don’t ever try to pour hot water over grease with the thought that it will remove the clog. The hot water can even further liquefy grease increasing the size of blockage. Instead try to use vinegar as it can dislodge grease that’s stuck to the pipes.
Bottom line
It’s the season for holiday parties and get-togethers, which means lots of delicious food! You should definitely enjoy yourself and indulge once in a while. However, it is also important to remember that some holiday foods aren’t good candidates for your garbage disposal.
If you stay vigilant in tossing only recommended stuff in the garbage disposal it still needs upkeep. Overtime, it can get slower while having build-up on the grinding blades and can also start emitting foul odors. That’s why we recommend hiring an expert plumber (like us). We can help keep your garbage disposal in working condition for the entire holiday season. It is important for us to do it right and we want to help you achieve results when you need Plumbers Tulsa services.
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