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Step 1
Remember safety first. Be careful and keep your hands and utensils out of the drain when the disposal is running.
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Step 2
Use cold water when you're running the disposal. Not only does this help prevent the unit from overheating, but it also prevents the fats in foods from melting and clogging your drain. Avoid dumping liquid fats or grease into the garbage disposal, too.
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Step 3
Be sure to run plenty of water when you're using the garbage disposal. Leave the water on after all the food waste has been ground up in order to ensure all the small bits of food have been rinsed away.
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Step 4
Put food in the disposal slowly--don't just dump everything at once. Cut up large pieces of food and fibrous or starchy foods. Food fibers, such as celery strings, tend to get tangled, while starchy foods get thick and may clog the drain.
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Step 5
Remove odors on a regular basis. Simply cut a lemon, lime or orange into pieces. Put the pieces and some baking soda into the disposal. Then, turn on the water and the disposal to clean out and deodorize it.
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Step 6
Clean your garbage disposal periodically. To do so, make sure the disposal is turned off, then use an appropriate cleaner on the inside of the drain that leads into the disposal.
