There’s a good chance you’re putting this problematic item in your garbage disposal every day
The Surprising Item You Should Never Put in Your Garbage Disposal—And No, It’s Not Celery
Published on Feb. 11, 2025
I’ve lived in a bunch of not-so-great apartments in my time (hey, we all have to start somewhere!), but no matter where I was, one feature always made me feel like I was in a luxury building, even when I most definitely wasn’t. It wasn’t an elevator or a washing machine—it was a garbage disposal. If you’ve ever had one, you know what I mean. The garbage disposal is one of the hardest-working appliances in any modern home, and one we often take for granted until something goes wrong and it stops working properly.
And you might be perilously close to having that happen if you put one very common item down your garbage disposal. I am a professional cleaning writer, and I didn’t even know this important lesson until recently—so I’m guessing you might not either. Even worse? It’s something you’re probably putting down there every single day.
Read on to find out which item should never put down your garbage disposal—and what you can do to reverse the damage you may have already done.
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What can happen if you put the wrong thing in the garbage disposal?
In short, you can damage the device. How, exactly, depends on the item in question. For example, something like chicken bones can grind down and dull the blades, while cereal and rice can absorb water and create a sticky, clumpy mess that backs up the drain. Once that happens, food scraps can create issues farther down, potentially clogging your pipes and creating larger plumbing problems. And that would mean it’s time to call a plumber—and possibly even buy a new device.
In general, you should put only small particles of food you wash off a plate down the drain. A good rule of thumb is if you can grab it and pick it up with your fingers, you should put it in the trash, not your garbage disposal.
What surprising item should never go down the garbage disposal?
Believe it or not, coffee grounds should never go down a garbage disposal. No, you can’t pick up coffee grounds with your fingers, but they create a whole different kind of problem. “Coffee grounds are like wet sand,” says Chuck Pound, a virtual plumbing expert with Frontdoor. “They don’t dissolve, and they clump together easily. They can collect other food particles as well.” This can cause a snowball effect and create a huge clog when they meet other bits of food.
The correct method to dispose of your coffee grounds? Dump as much as you can into the garbage before rinsing out your coffee pot. “The little bits of coffee grounds that are left in your cup are not a big deal,” he says.
Will you have an immediate problem if you put coffee grounds down the garbage disposal?
Don’t freak out if you accidentally dump too many coffee grounds into the sink—a one-time misstep won’t completely wreck your garbage disposal. “If you can catch it, start running water to flush it out,” Pound says.
The real issue is if you do this chronically. “Without taking the pipes apart, there’s no way of knowing just how much coffee has stayed in there,” Pound explains. But chances are, if you’ve been dumping pots filled with coffee grounds down the drain regularly, you might have quite a bit of sediment sitting in your pipes.
This can cause a few immediate issues, such as a stinky sink or a weak motor. Eventually, it can lead to dulled and ineffective blades or even septic tank issues.
How can you fix your garbage disposal if you’re having problems?
If you’ve been putting coffee grounds down the drain, Pound suggests the following steps:
- Stop putting coffee grounds down the drain immediately.
- Flush out as much of the coffee grounds as you can with hot water. If it’s a small amount, 15 to 30 seconds should suffice. If it’s a larger amount or you’ve made this mistake repeatedly, run it for about a minute.
- If water starts to back up, coffee grounds might be stuck in your P-trap (the U-shaped pipe that’s immediately below your drain and sits parallel to the sink). After making sure there is no electricity going to your garbage disposal, unscrew the P-trap, remove it and clean it out. “If you can get a lot of it out before it goes into the wall, you can probably fix it on your own,” Pounds says.
- If there were a lot of grounds in there, snake the drain as well. Feed the cable in slowly until you reach resistance, then crank the hand to spin the cable while working it back and forth. Pull it out, and reassemble the drain if needed.
- Test your newly cleaned disposal with running water for five minutes. If the water runs normally, you’re in the clear.
Pro tip: While it might might be your first instinct to reach for a plunger to loosen up the grounds, don’t do that. According to Pound, a plunger will not be as effective as the steps outlined above.
When should you call a repair person?
“I wouldn’t call someone unless you are in dire need or if it stops working,” Pound says. Translation: If you’ve been putting coffee grounds in your garbage disposal but haven’t had issues yet or the issues are easily rectified, consider yourself lucky. But definitely stop doing that!
FYI, a garbage disposal should last about 10 years if taken care of properly, according to Pound. Many disposals have warranties that last up to five years, but they might be negated if you put anything down the drain that the manufacturer’s guide says not to. Check your manual for more information, and cross-reference it with the list of no-no’s below.
What else should you avoid putting in your garbage disposal?
There is, unfortunately, a long list of things you shouldn’t put in your garbage disposal. They include:
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Fibrous vegetables like celery, asparagus and kale stems
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Vegetable peels
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Onion skins
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Grease
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Rice
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Eggshells
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Chicken bones
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Nuts
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Trash
- Pasta
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Cereal
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Oatmeal
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Flour
While some of these are no-brainers—like chicken bones and trash, which don’t break down into small enough pieces and can bounce around the disposal or jam the grinder plate—you might be surprised to see things like eggshells and vegetable peels on the list. The Reader’s Digest version of the problems they can cause? Eggshell membranes and vegetable peels stick to the sides of the device and can snowball food particles, preventing blades from moving properly.
And while you might think something like a grain of rice is small enough to get chopped up properly, that’s not always the case, as noted earlier. “Things like rice, pasta, oatmeal and cereal can absorb water and expand,” Pound explains. “These items create a paste that can stick and lead to a clog.”
Other tips to keep your garbage disposal working properly
- Remember: “The garbage disposal is not designed for table scraps or preparation cleanup,” Pound says. “It’s just for those small, leftover particles on your plate.”
- Run hot water down your drain after doing your dishes. “Soap suds crystallize and form soap scum in the garbage disposal, causing odors,” Pound says. Running hot water down the drain for a minute or so after doing the dishes can help prevent this.
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When you run the garbage disposal, experts recommend cold water, since this ensures that food doesn’t clump together.
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Once a month, pour a large cup of ice into your garbage disposal and grind it up. “The ice will loosen up any stuck food particles under the blade. The ice can also help keep the blades sharp,” Pound says. “Ice removes the food particles and makes it so that things can move freely in there again.”
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Source:
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Chuck Pound, virtual plumbing expert for Frontdoor; phone interview, Jan. 27, 2025
