The Truth About Sharpening Your Garbage Disposal's Blades

Have you ever been cleaning up after your usual meal prep and pushed some veggie scraps down the sink for your trusty garbage disposal to take care of, but it didn't seem to be doing as good a job as it used to? Then you think to yourself, "Maybe the blades are dull?" So you go to the freezer, grab some ice, and drop it down the drain, hoping it will sharpen those blades right up? Sadly, this is a common myth. The truth is, garbage disposals don't actually have blades — they have impellers (metal lugs). But ice may still help you get your disposal back to chewing up food scraps in no time.

Now, just because your garbage disposal doesn't have blades doesn't mean you should be sticking your hand in there to see what's going on! The impellers are just as dangerous because they spin at a high rate of speed (that's how they're able to grind all your food into pulp). The biggest reason your garbage disposal may be struggling to break down food all of a sudden is that it may just be clogged. Sometimes, food can wrap around the lugs that spin to grind up waste. Or the impellers could just have food stuck to them. That's why it's also important not to put anything down your disposal that isn't recommended by the manufacturer. Making this mistake is the quickest way to find out how much it'll cost you to repair a garbage disposal.

Now that you know there are no blades to be sharpened on your trusty disposal, you have to figure out how to fix the issue. Turns out, the best way to clean your garbage disposal can still be by using ice. Ice cubes in combination with a little salt and a quartered lemon have been shown to not only help clean the impellers but also freshen your garbage disposal. The ice hack still works because the ice could aid in removing leftover food bits stuck on the impellers or the rotating grind ring. Just add your ice to the disposal, add some salt, a little lemon, let the mixture sit for a minute or two, and then turn it on. Ensure to always run it with cold water.

If this method doesn't seem to clear up the issue, and your "sink pig" is still having a hard time getting rid of your kitchen scraps, it's probably time to call a plumber. After all, you don't want to keep trying hack after hack, when it clearly has an issue that can't be remedied by a quick DIY.

To keep your sink disposal running properly, you should avoid putting stringy food items in it, grease, anything a human can't chew, flour (turns into a glue-like paste), or eggshells, to name a few (consult your owner's manual for a complete list). And always run your garbage disposal with cold water, not hot, as hot water can burn out your motor.