An appliance that asks for little
A disposer has no filters to change and no parts to grease. Maintenance is almost entirely about how you use it every day; the rest is five minutes every now and then.
Every day: cold water
Turn on the cold water before switching on, keep it running while grinding and for about 15 seconds after switching off: that way the ground waste reaches the sewer and does not settle in the pipes.
You need a good flow: the manufacturer's manuals specify at least 6 litres a minute, meaning the tap turned on properly, not a trickle.
Why cold: with cold water, small traces of fat stay solid and are ground and carried away. With hot water they melt and settle further along the pipes, where the water cools.
Between uses you can pour hot water into the sink, such as pasta water. What matters is using cold water while the disposer is grinding.
A little at a time, mixed loads
Feed the scraps in gradually, with the disposer already running. Soft scraps grind better together with slightly firmer ones.
According to the manufacturer, small hard pieces, such as fragments of small bones or an ice cube, create a scouring action inside the chamber that helps keep it clean.
When needed: cleaning the chamber
With ice: about ten cubes with the cold water running knock residue off the chamber walls.
With citrus: a few pieces of lemon or orange peel freshen up the smell from the drain.
With bicarbonate of soda, if there is a build-up or a lingering smell. This is the method given in the manufacturer's manuals: switch the disposer off, put the stopper in and fill the sink halfway with warm water, dissolve a quarter of a cup of bicarbonate of soda in it, then switch the disposer on and remove the stopper at the same moment. The draining water carries the residue away.
The splash guard
The rubber splash guard in the sink opening, also called the baffle, is the part that gets dirtiest. It lifts out with your fingers and can be washed by hand with washing-up liquid; if your model's manual allows it, in the dishwasher too.
Always put it back before using the disposer: it also stops material from being thrown out. When it is worn or misshapen, have it replaced.
Odours
A bad smell usually means food and fat residue left in the chamber or on the splash guard, often because there was too little water. Clean the splash guard, run some ice and a little citrus through, and over the following days let the cold water run a few seconds longer.
What never to use
Chemical drain cleaners, caustic soda, concentrated bleach and solvents damage the seals and metal parts of the disposer and the plumbing.
Cooking oil and fat go neither into the disposer nor down the sink: collect them in a bottle and take them to a collection point.
An occasional look under the sink
Every few months, open the cabinet and check that the connections are dry. A small leak caught early is a few minutes' work; a leak that goes on for months ruins the cabinet.
Before and after a long absence
Before you go away, run the disposer with cold water for about thirty seconds, with no scraps. Do the same when you get back. If it smells stale, use ice and citrus.
The manual in the box
For instructions specific to your model, such as removing the splash guard, accessories and dishwasher cleaning, always refer to the manual in the box. Here you will find the good practice that applies to all InSinkErator disposers.