I need to make a final decision about whether or not to have a garbage disposal. I keep going back and forth on it.
First of all, they kind of terrify me. I'm just afraid of accidents and also afraid of things getting down there that should be (flatwear, toys, etc) and messing things up.
I've never had a garbage disposal before, so I can't really imagine what it would be like on a daily basis.
In the new kitchen the sink will be a single basin, so only one drain. Having a double basin with one side having the disposal and the other side not having it isn't an option. We will also have a dishwasher now.
Okay ladies, tell me which side of the fence to land on!
Post by simpsongal on Dec 11, 2013 12:05:10 GMT -5
I never had one growing up but we have one in our house now. It's nice to have because you don't have to clean the drain catch or worry about clogging the sink. That said, I don't use it a lot because we compost. You might be able to put a mesh piece over it if you're really afraid of things going down the disposal. It hasn't been an issue for us though.
See, I've always had one and I'm going to a house without one and I'm terrified of that! Now I have to worry about keeping all my vegetable peels out of the sink.
You can't put, like, whole lemon rinds or peach pits or anything like that in there, but things like garlic paper, the end of the tomato you don't want to eat, and small bits of scraped off food from dinner plates are much, much easier to deal with if you can just rinse them down the drain.
ETA: I've had them in single basin sinks for the past 6 years or so.
I never had one growing up and I wasn't sure I would use it. But I use it quite a bit now and would not put in a new sink without one at this point. We compost, so I don't use it so often - but it's very nice to not have to clean out that funk nasty drain catch. I've only gotten a spoon caught down there once or twice in 7 or 8 years and the rubber piece that covers the hole makes it hard to have any accidents. No blood and gore as of yet. lol!
Post by hbomdiggity on Dec 11, 2013 13:33:59 GMT -5
I can't stand doing dishes at my parents house because they don't have one. Grew up without one, but ever since my first apartment in college I've had one.
And you are not supposed to put big stuff down there. But it's the little scraps that otherwise clog up the drain filter thing that I hate to clean out.
We debated the issue but decided to go ahead and install one in our single sink, just because. I am amazed at how often I use it, since we have been without since we moved here in April and not in the habit. I guess old habits die hard. ;p
We just use it for minor, keep the drain running type things, not anything major. We don't seem to have anything major other than vegetable scraps anyway, and we give those to the neighbor's chickens.
ETA: We were going to get the one that munkii posted, but our kitchen was wired for the wall switch already and it wasn't a big deal to us anyway so we got pretty much the same model except for the plug/switch.
Between the drain plug (which has an opening when it is not pushed down as a stopper that regular stuff can go down but nothing like a fork could ), pushers, the wall switch not being really close, etc., they are actually quite safe and easy to use.
Post by bunnymendelbaum on Dec 11, 2013 14:07:11 GMT -5
We don't have one in the rental here and I HATE it! We used to compost at our hold house and even then I still loved it just for the little bits that didn't make it into the compost. I wish we had one here. Cleaning the strainer is BY FAR my least favorite chore.
That cover on the top activates the unit; so it doesn't just turn on with a switch.
My DH told me a while ago that these are the only kind allowed by code in NYC.
But for all you non-GD people, does cleaning the strainer not gross you out? How can you get every last crap in the compost? (We don't compost meat or dairy too.)
My DH told me a while ago that these are the only kind allowed by code in NYC.
But for all you non-GD people, does cleaning the strainer not gross you out? How can you get every last crap in the compost? (We don't compost meat or dairy too.)
If we're just talking dregs, I dump those in the garbage, since they may not be stuff we compost. I just bang the strainer on the inside of the trash can a couple of times. Never seemed like a big deal to me. At least not enough of a big deal to purchase and maintain another appliance. I had a disposal in my college/grad days, but I don't miss it.
I seriously cannot believe I'm the only garbage disposal lover. I hate having to clean that stupid strainer! I've never had my garbage disposal stink and they aren't that expensive at all.
Aren't they bad for municipal wastewater system FOG problems? I've read several articles that say they are the devil, but this one looks sort of balanced: www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/the_green_lantern/2008/09/should_we_dispose_of_disposals.html. Looks like it might be a toss-up if your community isn't running out of water (soooo, not California) and you never put anything greasy down it. But composting is always better.
Aaah, after all the replies I'm still conflicted! I agree with a lot of the different perspectives. On one hand we do compost, but not 100% of the time and not everything can go in there. I like the idea of not having to worry about bits of food clogging the drain up, but I'd hate to create another whole hassle of things going down there accidentally. I don't mind the mesh strainer that I use to cover the drain now. I just tap it off on the side of the trash can, but it does fill up more often than I'd like.
Hmm. Well now I'll go click on juno's link and see what the concerns with GDs that I've never thought of or heard of before.
I already had to read a thread about the evils of BPA today. Particularly on the harmful effects on children. Today, the day I had to get a cavity filled and worried the whole time that I'm ruining my unborn child. Gah.
okay @juno that article didn't make me feel too terrible at all. With the composting we do and the dog prewashing most of the dishes I'm thinking we may just hold off on it for now. We'll make sure to have things available for hookup if we do decide we want it later on.
Kitchen decision 278 of 1049 done. Thank you all for your input and stories.
I hear you on the strainer basket. It's enough to trigger my gag reflex. I banged mine against the trash can and run it through the top rack of the dishwasher.
And fyi- the gasket on most disposals will need to be removed and cleaned periodically as it will get coated with a sort of cooking smegma that gets nasty.
I hear you on the strainer basket. It's enough to trigger my gag reflex. I banged mine against the trash can and run it through the top rack of the dishwasher.
And fyi- the gasket on most disposals will need to be removed and cleaned periodically as it will get coated with a sort of cooking smegma that gets nasty.
This is absolutely the grossest! How many people actually remember to use the sponge on the UNDERSIDE of that rubber flappy thing? I almost barf every time I do it....
Post by teengirlsquad on Dec 13, 2013 9:49:28 GMT -5
Team Garbage Disposal!!
I have to have one. I always have. Strainers gross me out so much. I want to gag just thinking about it. I have also never had a utensil go down it. I remember once when my mom accidentally ground up a spoon growing up, but that's it.
Post by schitzengiggles on Dec 13, 2013 12:37:06 GMT -5
I never had one growing up either, or in my own first home with DH (which we lived in for 8 years).
We moved last year, and rented a home that had one. Within 2 weeks I vowed that a garbage disposal would be a must for any future houses. (We bought a few months ago and yep - we have one). I love it SOOO MUCH! It's like a thing I never imagined would be a big deal to me and I was all "pfffffshhhhh" to anyone who sung it's praises, but now I totally get it.
Post by DirtySouth on Dec 13, 2013 12:44:20 GMT -5
I grew up with one that we never used. My last house had one and I used it rarely. We didn't install one when we replaced our kitchen sink and I don't miss having one.