i know i read that i can use lemon to freshen my disposal. (and maybe something particular about using something to help sharpen the blades). anyhow, do i just cut it up and stick it in there? rind and all?

yup, toss it all in. I usually quarter it just to make it go a little faster. You can also put ice in the disposal and run it. The ice helps sharpen the blades and rinse them off...but I like the lemon scent:)

j

My dad always said that broken glass sharpens the blades.

Just never put potato peels in the garbage disposer.

Originally posted by boyfactory


Just never put potato peels in the garbage disposer.

Why not?

I have flooded our kitchen twice by putting less than 1 potato's worth of peels down there. They don't get chopped up well and clog up the pipes. I think it had to do with the pressure...anyway, it was awful. I didn't believe dh when he blamed the potato skins, so I had to try it again. Now, I believe it.

THat's weird...I always put the peels down there and I've never had a problem...not yet, anyways.

That would make sense about the potatoe peels if they are being ground by themselves. They are so flat.

I wonder if you could throw in some ice when you do potatoe skins?

I freeze the lemon wedges and then you kind of kill two birds with one stone... or I'll freeze the leftovers after I juice half of a lemon or lime for the same thing. I also like to dump baking soda down there... baking soda does everything. :)
Jen

Originally posted by boyfactory
I have flooded our kitchen twice by putting less than 1 potato's worth of peels down there. They don't get chopped up well and clog up the pipes. I think it had to do with the pressure...anyway, it was awful. I didn't believe dh when he blamed the potato skins, so I had to try it again. Now, I believe it.

THis happened to me today...Yikes, what a mess. I have a daycare in my home, one of my moms is on bedrest. I still have the little guy and I was making dinner for both of our families. Mashed potatoes, meatloaf, & biscuits. I put 5 lbs worth of potato peels in the disposal. Not too smart huh? Took me 2 hours to figure out how to fix it, when I did clean the trap, I found many, many potato peels, 1 paintbrush and a straw in my sink:rolleyes: . Never again will I put potato peels in the sink!

My dad always said that broken glass sharpens the blades
do NOT do that - the glass will get caught under the blades and that's a pain to get clear. I broke a glass in the sink and this happened to me. fyi:)

The acid from the lemon cleans the grime and build up from around the blades and makes the kitchen smell fresh. Garbage disposals that aren't cleaned start stinking- eww! Ice does the same but without the nice smell.

Potato peels can dull the blades, or so I've heard.

thanks everyone. we really dont use the disposal much. i never had one before this house and just dont often think of using it. most of our scrapes and peelings go into the compost bucket anyhow (except for meat or dairy, of course). but i was just thinking i'd like my kitchen to smell lemony fresh and could clean the disposal at the same time. again, thank you.

I just ran a squeezed orange through mine (I had used the orange marinating a turkey breast) and my kitchen smelled really nice! Probably the same concept as the lemon. . .

I always just put my orange peels and some ice down there.

I have also flooded my home because of potato peels. And broccoli stems. I've sworn off the disposal completely. After we had to pull our new carpet up in the basement to dry it out, I'm just not going there again. :(