Get Your Garburator Ready for Winter
Chilly weather is moving in, and before too much longer families across Canada and the United States will be enjoying various holiday festivities and family gatherings. More likely than not, you’re going to be having some guests in your home over the next few months, and it’s important that you have everything in order to serve them and make them feel at home. This includes the garburator. The last thing you want is to prepare a nice big meal for your family, only to have the garburator go on the fritz when cleanup time comes around.
While it’s impossible to totally prevent a garburator from one day failing—they’re not built to last forever—you can certainly take some steps to ensure that yours is clean and well-maintained—in short, ready for the upcoming season!
Some of these steps include:
- Get into the habit of always running the unit when you put food down into it—even if it’s the smallest of food particles. You don’t want to give any food a chance to build up down there, because that will in turn lead to bacterial growth—and to potentially rank odors.
- As you run the drain, always have cold water running, which will prevent oils and greases from hardening and congealing. (Better yet, try to dispose of oils and grease separately, as best you can.)
- Sharpen the blades of your garburator! Grind a few ice cubes, which will effectively remove gunk that’s built up on them.
- Disinfect your drainage area by pouring some vinegar down the garburator, then letting it sit for an hour or so before you use it or pour anything else down the drain.
- Another common way to get rid of odors is to grind up some citrus peels.
- As always, make sure that, no matter how many people you have over for dinner and no matter how tough kitchen cleanup looks, you stay diligent about what you choose to put down the garburator: Never throw down coffee grounds, nut shells, banana peels, onion skins, egg shells, corn husks, or potatoes.
- Finally, don’t ever reach your hand down into the garburator to try to fix it. This can cause injury, even if the unit is turned off; the application of pressure can cause the blades to start spinning, and the injury caused can be significant.
If you do have more serious garburator maintenance needs, or lingering questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to our team today!