What Not to Put in a Garbage Disposal: The Real List
The answer depends partly on your disposal. Grease is a hard no for everyone; for bones and fibrous scraps, it comes down to the model.
Category: Garbage Disposals
Garbage disposals: what can and can’t go down, jams, hums, leaks and smells, reset buttons, installation and choosing the right horsepower.
How to Reset a Garbage Disposal (and What to Check if It Trips Again)
Where the reset button is, how to press it properly, and why it keeps popping out on some disposals.
Garbage Disposal Horsepower Guide: 1/3 vs 1/2 vs 3/4 vs 1 HP
More horsepower generally means fewer jams and a wider range of scraps, but also a bigger, heavier unit. Here is how to match the spec to your kitchen.
How to Remove the Knockout Plug on a Garbage Disposal
A five-minute step that decides whether your dishwasher can drain. Here is how to do it, when to skip it, and what to do if the disposal is already installed.
How to Get the Bad Smell Out of Your Garbage Disposal
A smelly disposal is almost always a cleaning problem, sometimes a drain problem, and occasionally a sign of something else. Here is how to tell which.
Garbage Disposal Not Spinning? Hum vs. Silence and What to Do
The sound it makes, or does not make, tells you most of what you need to know. Start with the free fixes before calling anyone.
Can You Put Onions in a Garbage Disposal?
The onion itself grinds easily. It is the dry skins and the thin film under them that can slip past the grinder and collect in the trap.
Garbage Disposal Leaking From the Bottom? Find the Real Source
Water collects at the lowest point, so a drip from the bottom of the disposal does not always start there. Trace it from the top down.
How to Install a Garbage Disposal When You Have a Dishwasher
A step-by-step overview for a typical under-sink install, including the dishwasher hookup, the electrical decisions and the points where a licensed pro makes sense.
Garbage Disposal Leaking From the Reset Button? What It Means
Water dripping from the bottom of the disposal, right around the red button, is the one leak you cannot tighten your way out of. Here is why.