Ah Pasta!

Starchy foods like pasta can get tangled in your garbage disposal

October is National Pasta Month, and October 17th recognizes National Pasta Day. Pasta lovers celebrate!



Did you know … You can find noodles all over the world. Pasta is a type of noodle found traditionally in Italian cuisine. Pasta dates to 1154 in

Sicily. Thomas Jefferson is credited for bring macaroni to American in 1789, when he returned home after serving as ambassador to France and bring a macaroni machine with him. Typically, pasta is made from unleavened dough of wheat flour. The flour is mixed with eggs and water and formed into various shapes and sizes.

We all love pasta, but not what it can do to our drains in our kitchen sink! Starchy foods like pasta can get tangled in your garbage disposal’s

blades and it can also swell up and clog your pipes. It is easy to assume that anything is safe to put down the sink, but that is simply not the case. The first thing to remember is that your garbage disposal is not a waste basket. If you have cut up a vegetable on your counter, put the scraps in the trash, not the disposal. After a meal, scrape your plates into the trash to get rid of all the big items that are left on your plate. In addition to pasta, also avoid these other food items listed below.

Coffee Grounds

This is one of the biggest no-no’s when it comes to a garbage disposal or any drainage system for that matter. When coffee grounds enter the drain, it forms a thick and dense paste. If too much goes down the drain, it can create a clog or slow down the draining process. It is best to dispose of them in your compost bin or use them in your garden (your carrots and radishes will love them).

Grease & Fat

Grease and fat should always be thrown out, not dumped down your drains. Grease sticks to the inside of your plumbing and collects other food and scraps, eventually leading to a clogged drain.

Rice

Putting cooked rice down your garbage disposal can turn into a nasty problem, just like pasta. The garbage disposal mashes the rice and creates a thick paste that can cause your disposal to stop working or clog the drain, which prevents water from going through your disposal.

Celery, Corn husks, & Asparagus

These vegetables may seem harmless to your kitchen disposal. However, they have long, stringy fibers that can become entangled around your garbage disposals blades, causing it to stop working. Even lettuce may create similar problems.

Bones & Fruit pits

This one should be a no-brainer – do not put hard things down your disposal (or any of your drains, for that matter). Even small pieces of bone can get stuck in your disposal. Peach pits have also been known to cause problems. As a general rule, if you cannot chew it up, it’s too hard to go down your disposal.

Eggshells in Disposal

Can you put eggshells down the garbage disposal?

The answer is no.

Eggshells are a common mistake to put down a disposal. A common myth is that eggshells can help sharpen the blades. While the shells do not have a major positive or negative impact on the disposal blades, the membrane on the inside of the shells is a different story. This is the thin coating found inside of an eggshell. It can wrap itself around the blades of the disposal, get loose and lodged into the impeller or create a sticky blockage inside your plumbing.

Onion Skins and Potato Peels

Similar to an eggshell, onion skins also have a skin membrane on the inside of the skin. Because this layer of membrane is quite thin and wet, it can easily get through the blades and end up wedged in the drain that can cause a blockage. Similar to onion skins, potato peels can be thin enough to slip through the blades. Potato peels in a garbage disposal could fall through the disposal without being minced finely. This causes a barrier in a sink trap which could lead to a clog.

If something does end up jamming up your garbage disposal, do NOT reach your fingers into it to remove the item. A short circuit can happen when you dislodge the item, causing the blades to turn on. Instead, use a tool like a long needle nose pliers. You can also try to pour boiling water down your drain to help dislodge the blockage. Another option is to pour a mixture of vinegar and baking soda down the drain. If those do not work, you might need help from a plumber!.

Tualatin Valley Plumbing LLC is here to help! We’re flat-rate, and offer free on-site estimates for same day work. We can help you with all your plumbing needs. From drain calls, to toilet installs, Tualatin Valley Plumbing LLC is ready to help! Call our dispatcher today to set up your appointment.

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Tualatin Valley Plumbing LLC proudly serves the Portland Metro area and more! Including Beaverton, Clackamas, Gresham, Hillsboro, Milwaukie, Lake Oswego, Oregon City, Troutdale, Tualatin, Tigard, Wilsonville, West Linn, Gladstone, Happy Valley, and Sherwood. As well as Boring, Canby, Damascus, Estacada, Newberg, and Sandy!