Your garbage disposal is an appliance you might use daily, but do you know how to treat it with care? The garbage disposal is one of the most widely abused tools in the home, and it's easy to forget that your appliance has needs of its own.

Do you want to avoid visits from the plumber? Want to keep your garbage disposal in good shape? These tips will help you.

You Should Run the Water When You Run the Disposal

Any time you run the garbage disposal, you should be running the water as well. This helps to ensure that everything is making its way down the drain, not leaving anything behind. This also helps keep your system running longer.

By the way, you should run your water cold when you run the disposal. Cold water can help keep things solid when they are chopped up by the disposal. If you run hot water with your disposal., you might actually allow for a buildup to develop.

Try to Run the Disposal When the Sink Is Empty

An empty sink is best for your garbage disposal. First, this prevents little dishes, like container lids and silverware, from getting into the disposal when it is running. Second, this allows water to run straight down the disposal for better flushing of food.

When you run the disposal with dishes in it, the sink tends to shake. If you have a lot of things piled up, they could fall over. This can lead to broken dishes and even glass or porcelain getting into the disposal.

Don't Put Most Foods Down the Disposal

Some food items should never go down the garbage disposal. For example, you never want to send flour down your disposal, as it will become an adhesive when it mixes with water. Other foods you shouldn't put in the disposal include potato (and peels), coffee grounds, rice, onions, eggshells, grease, and fat.

You should also avoid putting foods down the disposal with lots of fiber. These include foods like lettuce and broccoli. These foods with a lot of fiber tend to get stuck because they create a lot of gunk in the disposal and pipes.

Count on a Plumber to Resolve Garbage Disposal Problems

If you have issues with your garbage disposal, a 24/7 plumber can help. Plumbers work with disposals often, and they understand many of the common problems associated with even proper use of this appliance.