To keep your garbage disposal fresh and clear adhere to the following rules of thumb:
1. Avoid putting onion skins, banana peels or tea bags down the disposal. Stringy or fibrous matter such as these can wrap themselves around the blades and moving parts instead of being obliterated and cleared away.
2. In addition, avoid putting potato peels and cooked rice down the disposal. Very small amounts are okay but larger amounts turn into glue in your drain. As the starch gets ground up, it can sit in your pipes to harden. It could also cause a blockage if not enough water pushes it all the way to the water treatment plant.
3. Use a natural, non-toxic drain maintainer to cover the “multitude of sins” committed against your disposal while you’re not watching. Natural Choices Oxy-Drain is a personal favorite; it can be used weekly. The combination of natural enzymes and oxygen bleach clear away grease, grime and organic matter and leave the drain fresh and clear.
By Annie B. Bond, best-selling and award-winning author of five green living books, thousands of blogs, and all the tips in the Greenify Everything app. Called “The Godmother of Green” by Martha Stewart Sirius Radio.
