How Do I Fix My Garbage Disposal?

What Mysteries Lie Beneath Your Sink?

Garbage disposals – they’re one of the great modern conveniences we all take for granted, but when something goes wrong, you’re left with one of life’s great questions: How does a garbage disposal even work?

Like the Mothman, Bigfoot, or the Loch Ness Monster, the garbage disposal is a strange and mysterious beast that very few understand. There are some that argue that garbage disposals may not even exist (they do, trust us). But mysterious or not, when your garbage disposal stops working and your sink backs up, you may find yourself searching Reddit threads and conspiracy forums, looking up ancient incantations on how to get it working again.

Relax. We’ve got you. We have a few simple fixes for your garbage disposal and an army full of plumbing experts to back you up, no ancient ceremonies necessary.

How Do I Fix My Garbage Disposal?

Most garbage disposal problems fall into one of three categories: a clog, buildup, or a tripped reset switch. These are all fixes you can attempt on your own with a little help from this article. We’ll get into the nitty-gritty below. However, not all issues can be solved with these three processes. If your garbage disposal isn’t solved through these methods, you may need to:

Replace your garbage disposal
Further investigate your plumbing

We’ll get into these issues below as well.

How Do I Unclog My Garbage Disposal?

First and foremost, let’s get this out of the way: NEVER stick your hand in the garbage disposal! Even if it’s off, the components of the average household garbage disposal can cause nasty injuries that immediately increase the risk of infection.

Now, there are some simple steps that you can follow from here, but be sure to do them in order and not to skip:

Turn off power to the garbage disposal: You do not want to clear the blockage and be surprised when the disposal suddenly starts up again. Even if your body parts are clear, the components will slam into whatever you are using to clear the drain, damaging both the tool and the garbage disposal.
Check for visible blockages: It’s hard to see clearly down a drain, so grab a flashlight or use the flashlight from your cell phone and shine it down into the drain. One of the most common blockages for sinks are small utensils – measuring spoons, infant-sized silverware, or other small items like bottle stoppers or rubber nipples from baby bottles.
Remove any visible blockages with tongs or pliers: As we mentioned above, you should never stick your hand in the drain to clear the garbage disposal. However, a pair of pliers from your toolbox or a pair of tongs from your kitchen drawer can help you clear most disposal blockages. In addition to utensils, you may find some other items that are best removed rather than attempting to continue to grind, such as bones, bottle caps, and bits of food packaging.
Turn the grinding plate with the hex key: Most garbage disposals have a space on the bottom of the disposal for a hex key. Odds are good that you’ve never looked at the bottom of your disposal or used this hex key, but the actual process is very simple. If you look at the bottom outside of your garbage disposal (probably under your sink and possibly inside a cabinet) you will see a small hexagonal space on the part of the garbage disposal closest to your floor. You can insert a hex key into this hole and turn it (the same way you would to build a piece of IKEA furniture). This allows you to manually turn the garbage disposal and help it become unstuck or grind something that is currently stuck in it. This works most frequently if the garbage disposal is clogged by fibrous vegetables or other buildup over time. If you are able to turn this until it becomes an easy fluid motion, you may have cleared the blockage.
Turn the power back on to the disposal and attempt to run it again: Make sure all tools and body parts are clear. Then, return power to the disposal and attempt to run it again. If the disposal buzzes but the internal components don’t move, you may attempt repeating this process or move on to the next section on cleaning your disposal. If it makes no noise at all, the breaker on the disposal has probably tripped, and you should skip to the section titled “How Do I Reset My Garbage Disposal?”. Even if your garbage disposal now works, you may want to consider a thorough cleaning to prevent future issues.

How Do I Clean My Garbage Disposal?

Garbage Disposals are incredible little machines, but no machine is perfect, especially when your kid decides to dispose of all their leftover Brussels sprouts by dropping them into that machine. Over time, whether you’re using an Insinkerator, Waste King, Moen, KitchenAid, or Badger, your garbage disposal will experience some buildup over time. And if this buildup is not taken care of, it can lead to larger issues with your garbage disposal, including unpleasant odors from mold and bacterial buildup.

To avoid this, the best thing you can do is clean your garbage disposal regularly. Now, we’re not talking about wiping down the outside (though feel free); we’re talking about finding a way to get in between all those gears and blades inside where no hand or cloth dares.

First, you’ll want to collect some supplies. For a thorough drain cleaning, you need:

Tongs or pliers
An old toothbrush or small scrub brush
Dish Soap
Baking Soda
White Vinegar
Ice Cubes
Rock Salt
Lemon or Citrus Peels

Once you have all of those items in hand, follow this step-by-step process to get your garbage disposal clean and smelling good!

Turn off power to the garbage disposal: You do not want to clear the blockage and be surprised when the disposal suddenly starts up again. Even if your body parts are clear, the components will slam into whatever you are using to clear the drain, damaging both the tool and the garbage disposal.
Clear any visible blockages: If you haven’t already gone through the unclogging process above, you’ll need to be sure there is nothing large or tough blocking the disposal. Regular offenders include: utensils, bones, bits of packaging, and bottle caps.
Flush with hot water and soap: This may not do much visibly, but it can start the processes that will allow any other efforts to work. Pour soap into the disposal, allow it to sit for a moment, then flush it with hot water. This will help loosen up grease and grime in the disposal just like it does on your plates.
Scrub that splash guard: Okay, you know the rubber thing that goes down into the drain a little on the garbage disposal side? That’s called a “splash guard” and it’s there to keep the disposal from spitting bits of ground food back at you as it chops and grinds. Consequently, a lot of ground food hits the inside part of this splash guard, and not all of it rinses off easily. That buildup can contribute to bad smells in your kitchen. If you take a scrubbing sponge and clean up all of that buildup, you can quickly knock out noxious odors and prevent future buildup.
Finish it off with ice, salt, and citrus: To clean the blades themselves, the cleanest and least dangerous method is to drop a handful of ice and rock salt into the disposal, then run it. This should get any clinging buildup off the blades. Once the ice is gone, you can repeat the process with the skin of a lemon, lime, or orange. The cleanup will be complete, leaving your disposal with a new citrusy smell!

How Do I Reset My Garbage Disposal?

When you flip the switch for your garbage disposal and get no response, you may need to reset it. Blocked drains and gummed-up disposals usually make some kind of noise (usually a slow grinding or angry buzzing), but if it makes no sound, odds are there is no power getting to it.

Obviously, this could be an issue with connecting power, but if not, the answer is pretty simple. On the outside of your disposal, usually around the part closest to your floor, there is a small electronic reset button. This button is flipped just like a switch in a breaker box when a disposal is in danger. Once you’ve cleared any clog and checked the drain, simply press this button to reset your garbage disposal. So long as there is power running to the disposal, this should at least make it start making noises again. If the disposal still isn’t working, we recommend referring back to the section titled “How Do I Unclog My Garbage Disposal?” above.

What Can I Put in My Garbage Disposal?

Garbage disposals are not meant for large pieces of food that can be easily placed in the trash, but for smaller and more difficult-to-handle food trash, especially those of a wet or semi-solid texture. Modern disposals can handle a lot of things they weren’t meant for, but here is a brief list of items that should never go into your disposal:

Bones (including chicken bones)
Eggshells
Corn husks
Fruit pits
Celery
Coffee grounds
Banana peels
Grease
Oils
Fatty meat
Other starchy or stringy vegetables like potatoes or green chili peels

How Do I Replace My Garbage Disposal?

There are some issues with garbage disposals that cannot be easily or completely fixed. For example, frequent use can dull the blades, and standing water can rust through the disposal walls. Depending on where the rust forms, a temporary sealant may be possible, but the likely result is a leaking disposal that allows water to pool in your cabinets, which can cause mold and warping. Eventually, it will be necessary to replace your garbage disposal.

It is possible to replace a garbage disposal without professional assistance. Most large home goods stores (like Home Depot and Lowes Hardware) carry at least one model, and they are fairly easy to order online.

However, we do not recommend installing a garbage disposal yourself. If for no other reason, it is a two-person job. When you install a garbage disposal, the large piece of machinery will need to be held in place while someone lies underneath it, facing upward, to secure it. It can be a complicated task with lots of opportunities for injury, electrocution, or flooding of your floors or cabinets. It is highly recommended that you contact a professional for assistance.

What Do I Do if My Sink Still Isn’t Draining?

If you’ve followed all of the above steps and you still find your sink isn’t draining, your issue is probably a larger plumbing issue rather than simply your garbage disposal. We have a number of other issues that can help with potential plumbing issues that may cause these problems:

Drain Clogging Up
Grease Buildup
Sewer Line / Septic Tank Issues

However, there are a number of reasons you could have issues with pipes and frequent clogging, and the surest way to deal with them is to hire a professional. If you reach out to TLC today, we will schedule a free diagnostic and estimate for one of our certified technicians to come help you find the source of the problem and get it fixed in a jiffy. You could spend the next six months listening to your garbage disposal grind salt rocks and ice cubes, or you can give us a call (505) 761-9644 or schedule online, and we can get things flowing smoothly on the double.