Tips to Maintain Your Garbage Disposal

Tips to Maintain Your Garbage Disposal

Trash compactors are useful appliances that compress household garbage and recyclables allowing homeowners to put more garbage in outdoor disposal containers. For some areas, this means fewer trips to the dump or lowered cost for garbage pickup. However, there are important tips to operating and maintaining a trash compactor in order to avoid expensive repairs.

Cleaning
Just like any disposal container, a trash compactor needs to be cleaned. Every month, use a bacteria-fighting cleaning product that includes a degreasing agent to clean the platform of the unit. The platform is the part that presses down on the contents of the disposal to condense it. Use the cleaner on any portion of the unit that comes in contact with garbage to eliminate bacteria. Before closing the compactor, be sure all parts are completely dry.

Filter Replacement
Most trash compactors have filters that use charcoal to keep the unit smelling fresh. Check with the manufacturer, such as Electrolux compactor accessories sections of websites or manuals to determine how to change or replace the filter. This should be done at least once or twice per year.

Eliminating Odors
Because there is often food waste in a compactor, bacteria sometimes grows inside the bin section of the unit. Therefore it is recommended that users spray the interior of the garbage disposal with disinfectant. Many types of disinfectant also have deodorizing agents that will help keep the unit smelling fresh.

Troubleshooting
There are two types of trash compactors. One has a switch on the top while the other uses a foot pedal to operate the machine. Occasionally, the metal ram needs a quick jolt to dislodge itself if the machine jams. Quickly depress the switch or tap on the pedal several times in quick succession to dislodge whatever is blocking the ram. Check how much debris is in the bin as it is meant to be approximately one-third full before attempting to crush the trash. If it is too full or not full enough, the trash will not compress properly. Also, pull the bin out to see if any garbage has been pushed behind the bin that may be preventing the ram from dropping properly.

These tips will help keep a trash compactor working smoothly and could significantly reduce the costs of garbage removal.