Coffee grounds in the garbage disposal

[snopes]

Comment: I have heard that coffee grounds are good for a garbage disposal
as they freshen and sharpen the blades of the disposal. Is this true?

[St. Alia]

They just clog ours. I put ice and citrus in the disposal sometimes to freshen it up, but have never had a problem with the sharpness of the blades. However, a quick google search advised just that (ice and citrus) to sharpen the blades as well:
http://www.ehow.com/how_4529424_shar...al-blades.html

[crocoduck_hunter]

I wouldn't put them in the garbage disposal, but they're great on compost piles.

[WildaBeast]

I used to put them in the garbage disposal until I saw a PSA from the local utility saying not to. They didn't say why, but I would assume they must be bad for the sewer pipes or something. I've got a compost pile now anyway, so that's where they go now.

[Beachlife!]

Originally Posted by WildaBeast

I used to put them in the garbage disposal until I saw a PSA from the local utility saying not to. They didn't say why, but I would assume they must be bad for the sewer pipes or something. I've got a compost pile now anyway, so that's where they go now.

Its because the only think worse than aligators in the sewer is aligators jazzed up on cafeine in the sewer.

[tagurit]

I'm pretty sure coffee grounds are not good for plumbing because of the oil they contain.

Good one, Beach!

[Nappy Solo]

I've heard citrus peels to freshen the disposal, coffee ground and salt to clean and sharpen it. The only thing we routinely put in ours is silverware.

[missy_pooh_1997]

I do use the lemon peels in mine. I also do Vinegar,baking soda,and boiling water every couples of months to keep it fresh and to clean all the gunk out of the drains.

[mrwrite]

A garbage disposal does not have blades.
It works by grinding. There is an impeller that spins.
It is dangerous to fingers, (and anything else you toss in)
but not sharp.

Speaking to the plumber that installed my latest disposal,
he claims the most common items he has to clean out of a
drain is pasta and rice. (My thought--Maybe because they
expand with water?)

[urbanlegendfanatic]

Originally Posted by mrwrite

A garbage disposal does not have blades.
It works by grinding. There is an impeller that spins.
It is dangerous to fingers, (and anything else you toss in)
but not sharp.

Speaking to the plumber that installed my latest disposal,
he claims the most common items he has to clean out of a
drain is pasta and rice. (My thought--Maybe because they
expand with water?)

I eat a hard-boiled egg with breakfast each morning and I dump the shell down it without thinking about it. I wonder if that's a problem?

[Saitaina]

Coffee grounds: Can clog the spinning 'blades' and are a hassle to try to get out (they aren't always uniformly ground and can get larger pieces stuck and stop up the whole thing).

Citrus peels and ice: Very recomended by me who uses the disposal more often than I should (so, anecdotal evidence).

Pasta/Rice/Potatoes: STARCH! Starch is a glue, starch can clog your disposal, then run into your pipes, then glue them shut until you have rice/water/dirt volcano in your kitchen at 3am , when there are no plumbers and your cats are staring at your like your a lunatic as you try to stop it and oh dear god the water...

Sorry, I was having flashbacks. Don't do it, it will seriously screw up your system resulting in either a very expensive plumbing bill or a very aggravated home owner spending two hours trying to take apart a sink drain system to clear it all out (only to have it back up again, because glue).

[Eoin]

Originally Posted by urbanlegendfanatic

I eat a hard-boiled egg with breakfast each morning and I dump the shell down it without thinking about it. I wonder if that's a problem?

I'd heard that eggshells were good for keeping the disposal clean. Some plumbers insist they're bad. While I can't find any good evidence that they actually keep the disposal clean, there's no consensus among the experts and manufacturers. Some advice as to what one can put in a disposal is so limiting it reminds me of people who thoroughly rinse their dishes before putting them in the dishwasher - it makes me question the point of using these appliances. If all I can put in the disposal is waste so small that it wouldn't clog an ordinary drain, why would I want a garbage disposal? (Mine came with the place.) It would be like a owning hair dryer I could only use if my hair was slightly damp.

http://myria.com/can-you-put-eggshel...rbage-disposal