The garbage disposal

[cowgrrl]

It took me nearly two weeks to determine that the nasty smell in my new apartment was coming from the garbage disposal. First I tried to deodorize it (suggestion found on the internet: 1 part vinegar, 1 part water, freeze into ice cubes. Pour ice cubes down the garbage disposal and let it chomp them up.) Well, the disposal wouldn't chomp the ice, and I had a feeling it wasn't doing well with what little food I'd put down it, so I called the management company and requested repair service.

I came home today to discover I now have a totally new garbage disposal! Wow, what a change from my previous situation. (If there had been a garbage disposal the landlady would have said something like "the disposal is a bit delicate...you need to put food in carefully..." and nevermind the awful smell.)

Now, here's a question for you: I am an ignoramus when it comes to garbage disposals. Do I need to run water when I flip the switch? How much food can it handle? Are there any foods garbage disposals hate?

Comments

[ghislaine.livejournal.com]

Awesome! Yay for good landlords.

Do I need to run water when I flip the switch? How much food can it handle? Are there any foods garbage disposals hate?

Yes, you should run water when you flip the switch to make it grind up the stuff.

It can handle probably about 1-2 cups of food at a time. When you notice that water is no longer draining down the disposal, it's definitely time to withhold further food and grind.

Foods that are incompatible with disposals, in general: bones, melon rinds, corn cobs, egg shells, banana peels (some very good disposals are fine with these). Sometimes meat skins if they're rubbery.

You probably know the trick of putting a lemon or an orange down the disposal to make your sink/kitchen smell nice?

[cowgrrl.livejournal.com]

Thanks for all the info. Very helpful! Yes, either a lemon, or vinegar (like in the tip I tried that didn't work). But does it do lemon peels? (I guess I'll research that.)

[ghislaine.livejournal.com]

Yes, it should do lemon and orange peels. They are pretty thin and soft.

[roaming.livejournal.com]

I put citrus peels down my disposal all the time to make it smell nice AND so the citrus can "clean" the blades. (Hint: whenever you're out at restaurant and they bring you water, ask for lemon in it and take it home, beats buying lemons, they throw away so many perfectly good lemon/lime slices at restaurants. I also grab my friends' lemons/limes. It embarrasses the heck out of Tom, he thinks people think we're too poor to afford to buy lemons we have to take them home! ;-> )

However, I do slice them up small. I keep them in water in the fridge, so they stay soft. OR, you can freeze the cut up ones and then plunk them down with HOT water to soften.

A plumber told me to put baking soda and ice cubes down every month or so to "sharpen" the blades. I'm not sure if he was pulling my leg. I sometimes do it.

[cowgrrl.livejournal.com]

Ah, so that's why you took all those lemon slices the time we went to Legal Seafood for lunch. :-) I think you're being sensible, reusing lemon/lime slices that would otherwise be thrown away.

I've been drinking water with lemon at home, so I'll save what's left of the lemons to use in the disposal.