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The Care and Feeding of Your Garbage Disposal
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 Your garbage disposal is like a member of your family. The kitchen drain line is its brother. Consider the main sewer line to be the parent. They are all related, a close-knit family, and they're your responsibility to maintain. If you don't, it's going to cost you!
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General Care
Always run your disposal with cold water only. Water must be on, never run a disposal dry! They need to be run at least every few days. Once a month, add 2 trays of ice cubes to it to keep it clean. If the disposal develops an odor, use a box of baking soda or some Simple Green. Remember, your disposal is not a garbage can and it is not a compost heap! Do not empty your refrigerator into your garbage disposal. And if it leaks, STOP USING IT and call a plumber.
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Do Not Feed Your Disposal:
Bones, meat fats, pastas, rice and potatoes (cooked or not), cheese, stringy vegetables like celery, fibrous vegetables like artichokes, corn cobs or husks, coffee grounds, egg shells, twister seals off bread wrappers, vegetable ties, glass, screws, nails, utensils, cigarette butts, avocado seeds, fruit pits, clippings off flowers, paper, plastic, children's toys, bottle caps, washcloths, melon seeds, coins, banana peels, rubber bands, hair, grease, pull tabs, string or sponges.
All of the above can and will: JAM the disposer, SWELL and block the drain, DULL/BREAK the blades, and STICK to the inside of the disposal or drain lining. An easy rule: When in doubt, DON'T!
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Using drain cleaners
If you have a problem with a jam or blockage, call a plumber! Never use a chemical drain cleaner. This will end any warranty you may have. Chemicals cause corrosion and can change the texture of plastics. Over time it can crystallize the rubber seals that keep the water out of the motor on your disposal and cause a short or a fire. Chemicals can eat Teflon tape and pipe dope that seal your pipe connections together. If you turn on the disposal, chemicals can splash back in your face and eyes.
We cannot and will not touch the disposer or drain for 12 to 24 hours after you have used ANY drain cleaner. No one needs chemical burns! If the job requires a snake or an auger in the line or a hand in the disposal to retrieve an object, the chemicals get on our hands or yours and soak into the skin. If you have a question about unclogging a drain, please ask!
Are enzymes safe? Yes, but they will not clear a drain. Remember, if you're not willing to drink it, don't put it in your drains!
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