The disposal has easily become the most widely misused plumbing fixture in households. If you have ever used a garbage disposal than you know it makes day to day kitchen tasks such as cooking much simpler. Let's say you're preparing a meal for your family and have some peeled potato skins, what do you do with them? If you answered "Down the disposal they go", unfortunately that would not be the correct answer.

Garbage disposals were intended to deal with the bits and pieces of food that were caught on your plate or utensils and got washed down the drain. Putting too much food down the disposal will dull the blades and in time render the appliance useless. Remember the potato skins we mentioned earlier? They along with all other starchy foods are actually the worst thing to put in a disposal. Why? Starchy food is made up of simple sugars that not only become sticky when wet but expand; potentially swelling to double their size. Both of these characteristics make putting starchy foods down your disposal the number one thing to avoid. Sticky, expanding material and drains do not go well together.