Your garbage disposal is one of the most valuable tools in your kitchen—until it isn’t. When used correctly, it can make cleaning up after meals a breeze. However, if you treat it like a trash can, you’ll likely encounter clogs, foul odors, or worse: a burned-out motor.
To keep things running smoothly, here’s a list of everyday items that should never go down your garbage disposal—and the reasons why.
1. Grease, Fats, and Oils
Grease and oils might go down as liquids, but they don’t stay that way. They solidify as they cool, coating your pipes and creating nasty clogs over time.
Instead, pour grease into a heat-safe container, let it cool, and toss it in the trash.
2. Fibrous Vegetables
Celery, corn husks, onion skins, and asparagus can wrap around your disposal’s blades and jam the motor.
Pro tip: Compost them if possible. If not, toss them in the trash.
3. Coffee Grounds
Although they seem harmless, coffee grounds clump together in pipes like wet sand, which can lead to backups.
4. Eggshells
Some claim they sharpen the blades—this is a myth. The membrane inside eggshells can wrap around the shredder ring, and the shell particles can create a gritty mess in your pipes.
5. Bones, Pits, and Shells
Hard items like chicken bones, peach pits, and seafood shells can damage the blades or get stuck, causing significant blockages.
6. Pasta and Rice
These foods expand in water and can quickly gum up your plumbing system, especially in large amounts.
7. Non-Food Items
It’s worth mentioning: do not dispose of twist ties, rubber bands, plastic wrappers, or anything that’s not biodegradable food waste. Biodegradable food waste.