5 Things You Should Never Put Down a Garbage Disposal

Your disposal is tougher than a drain but weaker than its reputation. These five send us more kitchen-clog calls than everything else combined:

• Grease and bacon fat. Liquid going in, concrete coming out — it cools and coats the line.
• Potato peels and rice. Starch turns to paste; paste turns into a plug.
• Coffee grounds. The number-three surprise: they pack into sludge that traps everything else.
• Fibrous stuff. Celery, corn husks, onion skins — stringy fibers wrap the impellers.
• Eggshell membranes and pasta. Both keep working long after they leave the chamber.

Golden rule: the disposal is for plate scraps, not meal prep. Everything else, bin it — your future Saturday self thanks you.