If you’ve ever had to call a plumber to come out to your house to fix a clogged sink or jammed garbage disposal, you already know how expensive that visit can be. Now you have the added concern of having someone come into your home while maintaining social distancing. Here are some tips for things you can do to take care of your kitchen sink so that you won’t have to call a plumber to fix it for you:

  1. Do not pour grease, oil or fat into your garbage disposal or drain. Grease will slowly accumulate and impede your garbage disposal’s grinding ability as well as clog drains.
     
  2. Do not use hot water when grinding food waste. Hot water will cause grease to liquefy and accumulate, causing drains to clog.
     
  3. Don’t grind extremely fibrous materials like corn husks, celery stalks, onions, and artichokes. Fibers from these can tangle and jam the garbage disposal motor and block drains.
     
  4. Don’t turn off the motor or water until grinding is completed. When grinding is complete, turn off the garbage disposal first. Let water continue to run for at least 15 seconds, flushing out any remaining particles. Then turn off water.
     
  5. Don’t put too many potato peels down the garbage disposal. The starches in the potatoes will turn into a thick paste and may cause blades to stick.
     
  6. Don’t put large amounts of food down the garbage disposal. Feed food into the garbage disposal a little at a time with the cold water running; this will help the food scraps flow down freely through the drain pipes and plumbing.
     
  7. Don’t put expandable foods into your garbage disposal. Foods like pasta and rice expand when you add water in a pot; they do the same thing once inside your pipes or garbage disposal and are the cause of many jams and clogs.
     
  8. Don’t grind large animal bones of any kind.
     
  9. Don’t put coffee grounds down the garbage disposal. They won’t harm the disposal but they can accumulate in drains and pipes, causing clogs.
     
  10. Most importantly: Don’t use harsh chemicals like bleach or drain cleaners to unclog the drain. They damage blades and pipes.

Follow these tips to take care of your sink and garbage disposal and save yourself from that expensive plumber’s bill!!

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