Wednesday, February 23, 2011

WHAT I BUY WEDNESDAY

I have a little obsession (Well, one among many.).  I like to (must) clean my garbage disposal.  (I used to get a rag, wet it and load it with cleanser, pull up the black rubber flap, put the rag over my hand - and shove my hand in the little space to twist and clean.  Yea, it works.
After I started losing my left hand/arm from the crushed nerve, I came up with a new idea :)

At a $ stores you can buy dish or pan scrubbers with a handle.  I have never liked them for dishes, but now I buy them for scrubbing out my garbage disposal.  I wet it and put on the cleanser and scrub.  (You could put a rag on the brush if you wanted to.)  This saves my hands.  Cheap, too.
The brushes last 2-3 weeks each (They get smashed.) and I just stick them in the (dirty) dishwasher.


And I never forget to throw my tangerine/orange/lemon rinds down the garbage disposal for a fresh scent.
As a side note, NEVER peel your potatoes in the sink and send the peels down the disposal.  More than once someone has major clogged/stalled our disposal.  (I open a grocery store plastic bag in the side of the sink to collect them.  Do you compost?  My son-in-law got his worms for his. (yuk!))

UPDATE  THANKS MISSY for your comments.  Egg shells are really bad.  And don't even think of feeding it celery (or banana peels).  Some bulk helps to sharpen the blades and clean the disposal (ah, citrus rinds).  Think moderation.  Also, I have read a lot of places that you should use cold water when putting anything greasy down the disposal.  Hot water melts the grease grease to the sides, all the way down.  Cold will solidify it and wash it away.  (Or so I've heard and read.)
Have more tips for disposals?  Share them with us.

Next week, my favourite disposal cleaner.
In two weeks, a way to extend a product that I use DAILY.

6 comments:

Lindsay Quinney said...

I never knew not to put potato peels down the drain. Good to know. I do however always put orange peels down the drain. Great way to make my kitchen smell fresh!

Unknown said...

Per my mom, never put egg shells, coffee grinds, or anything else besides liquids down the drain. When I was a kid, it was horrible. But now, I don't put anything down the drain at my house either. Thanks mom!

michelle's 10 things said...

Thank you for the tips, Missy. I posted an update with a few more disposal ideas.

Unknown said...

I got more ideas, you can also use ice cubes to clean out the drain if it clogs. Just dump some ice and use the disposal for a while, and it should unclug. :) Good potion, but not as good as your rind smell, dump some baking soda down the drain, throw in a some vinegar for some foaming action...followed by some boiling water. Never done it, but I heard it works.

Rachel W. said...

Thank you for this post I just use lemons/oranges and am embarrassed to say I have never really cleaned my disposal! What kind of cleaner do you use? I really need to clean it!

michelle's 10 things said...

I use powdered or liqued cleanser (Always Comet). You can also squirt liqued dish soap down in and around and then scrub with your brush. Thank you for the comments, Lindsay, Missy and Rachel.

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