How to Live Without a Garbage Disposal

Get a Drain Filter

The primarily role of a garbage disposal is to prevent leftovers and food scraps from clogging the drains. Though a garbage disposal is a bit pricey and challenging to install, a drain filter is inexpensive and as simple to install as dropping it into the sink. There are mesh sink strainers for as little as $5. Make sure to clean it once or twice a day and give it a scrub with baking soda once a week to keep it from stinking up the place and getting gunked up.

Be Super Mindful

If you were careful with a garbage disposal, then you have got to be EXTRA careful without one. Be mindful of what goes down the drains.

You do not want rice, bread crumbs, pasta, and other water-absorbing foods down the drains. Because there is no garbage disposal to shred those up, you can expect those foods to absorb water and expand in the drains, causing blockages.

Similarly, keep eggshells, bones, and fruit peels out! Consider composting some of these instead – and throw out the rest. Without a garbage disposal, those food scraps can easily cause a blockage.

Used fats, oils, and greases are also incredibly dangerous. You shouldn’t pour these down garbage disposals either, but this is an extra reminder.

Clean and Rinse Often

Even with a drain filter and mindfulness, there are going to be food particles and pieces that find their way into the kitchen sink. Unless you enjoy foul odors and slow drainage, you want to rinse drains with hot water after usage. We also recommend you sprinkle some baking soda in the drains and wash it down with vinegar around once every few weeks. Follow the vinegar with some hot water to flush it all down.

Use Your Toilet

Your toilet is a lot more resilient than the kitchen sink. If you have some leftover salsa, soup, or pasta, then you might be able to get away with flushing them down the toilet. Obviously this is only advised for small amounts. The toilet is also vulnerable to clogging, so don’t go and try to flush a pot full of pasta!

Need a Plumber?

We all make mistakes. Call Sunshine Plumbers if you are having trouble with slow drainage or a clogged kitchen sink. We can have a plumber dispatched to your location in as soon as within thirty minutes. Our live representatives are on standby to take your call.