If you are serious about getting your hands on the best garbage disposal available, but aren’t quite sure of where to look just yet to find a top quality solution you know you are going to be able to trust and rely on, you’re going to want to pay very close attention to all of the inside information we are able to share in this quick buying guide.

By the time you’re done reviewing the details we share with you below you’ll know EXACTLY what to look for in a top garbage disposal solution, but you’ll also know about three of what many consider to be the top-of-the-line garbage disposal options available on the market today and how they stack up against one another.

Now that we have gotten that out of the way, let’s break down some of the very best garbage disposal solutions you’re going to come across on the market today!

Garbage Disposal Reviews – Picking the Best Garbage Disposal

InSinkErator Badger 5, 1/2 HP Food Waste Disposer Review

Certainly one of the most impressive and powerful garbage disposal options money can buy right now, this one half horsepower double drive induction system is going to grind of pretty much anything and everything you can throw at it without ever slowing down!

Pros

• 26 ounce grind chamber that utilizes a galvanized steel grind system will provide you with the ability to chew up pretty much anything and everything imaginable (including coal chunks of ice) in record time, producing particulate debris that can be shuttled down any plumbing system
• ½ hp double drive induction motor keeps this garbage disposal operating at optimal speeds and rpm’s without any slowdown in production
• The entire system has been made in the United States of America and it has one of the best reputations in the business

Cons

• On the other hand, this isn’t exactly the cheapest garbage disposal you’re going to come across by any stretch of the imagination. You are also going to have to supply your own power cord and will have to handle the installation all on your own or hire someone else to do the heavy lifting for you.

Waste King L-2600 Legend Series 1/2 HP Continuous Feed Operation Garbage Disposal

Another of the more impressive garbage disposal solutions you’ll have the chance to purchase today, this unit isn’t quite as large as the one mentioned above but is still quite capable of incredible performance. It’s also one of the more reliable options you’ll come across today.

Pros

• Spinning at 2600 RPM, the galvanized steel blades that this garbage disposal utilizes will be able to rip right through most anything you feed into the garbage disposal
• The 36 inch power cord required to run this garbage disposal is included with this unit
• This garbage disposal comes with a five year in-home service warranty, one of the best in the business

Cons

• Because it is a relatively compact garbage disposal it isn’t able to produce the same kind of incredibly efficient results as the unit mentioned above. It’s also manufactured using lower grade construction materials, which may prove to be a problem later down the line.

Kitchen Aid KCDB250G 1/2 HP Continuous Feed Garbage Disposal

Responsible for manufacturing some of the best small appliances in the kitchen, you are going to be able to depend on the legendary name behind this garbage disposal. You should have complete and total confidence moving forward with this option, especially if you’re looking for a system that can grind, chop, and chew through most anything imaginable.

Pros

• The continuous feed engineering of this garbage disposal makes this a fantastic option for those looking to dispose of considerable product at any one particular point in time
• The ½ hp motor provides fantastic speed and torque to run the galvanized steel blades this unit utilizes
• The hardwired set up that this continuous feed garbage disposal requires provides it constant and consistent power

Cons

• The blades are only going to spin at a maximum speed of 1725 RPM, which is nowhere near as fast as the two options listed above
• The hardwiring of this garbage disposal will almost always require you to call in a professional electricians to help you with the installation

Final Verdict

At the end of the day, the odds are pretty good that you aren’t ever going to be able to get your hands on any garbage disposal better than the InSinkErator Badger 5. For the money, it is far and away the very best top-end garbage disposal you’ll have the chance to purchase right now!

Waste Disposal Buyers Guide

Consider how you’re going to use your new garbage disposal before anything else

The most important thing you can do before you even start to look at the different garbage disposal options available on the market right is figure out exactly how you anticipate using this garbage disposal to begin with.

This will help inform just how powerful a garbage disposal you need, how important energy and water efficiency is, and whether or not you’re going to be able to find a garbage disposal that suits your needs at a particular price point.

Take your septic tank or municipal wastewater capacity into consideration

You are also going to want to think about everything that’s going to happen to all of the stuff that you grind up and dispose of and what it’s going to do to your plumbing and the septic system or municipal wastewater system that you are going to be of eventually pushing that debris out into.

Some municipalities require upgrades to be made before a garbage disposal is installed, so you’ll want to look into that before you pull the trigger on this kind of purchase.

How healthy is your plumbing?

Another key consideration that a lot of people ignore or aren’t aware of in advance is whether or not their plumbing as it exists today is up to the task of handling everything that is going to be raging through the pipes after it’s been ground up in your garbage disposal.

You want to not only make sure that your plumbing is in picture perfect condition and free of any clogs or damage, but you are also going to want to make sure that it is capable of handling the size debris you intend on sending down the line every time you fire up your garbage disposal.

Pay close attention to garbage disposal reviews for inside information you wouldn’t have access to otherwise

There is a significant advantage to doing the bulk of your research about garbage disposal options online, and that is being able to check out what other people that have already purchased a particular garbage disposal have to say about its day to day operation and its utility.

Pay close attention to all of the information you’re able to get out of these garbage disposal reviews, and especially look for information pertaining to how you anticipate utilizing your garbage disposal on a routine basis from here on out.

If you have the opportunity to, you may even want to consider contacting the people responsible for writing these garbage disposal posts and asked them a couple of pointed questions to determine whether or not the specific model they recommend is right for your specific situation.

It never hurts to ask!

For most people, their garbage disposals are a necessity of life. They keep bad smells away from the kitchen, help reduce potential microbial pathogens and significantly speed up the post-meal cleaning process. Requiring no more than essential maintenance and cleaning, a garbage disposal has a life cycle of several years. Nevertheless, as is the case with every other appliance, garbage disposals sometimes breakdown or die. If this situation arises, with a little know-how and al little information you’ll be able to fix or replace your unit.

How Garbage Disposals Work

For most of us, knowledge of garbage disposals revolves around two things. First, you push food down the pipe, turn the water and the machine on, and the food vanishes. Second, no matter what, you never ever put your hand down the pipe. These two things serve their purpose brilliantly for the most part, until there’s some kind of a problem with the appliance, or your kitchen starts to smell in a way that it shouldn’t. Garbage disposals are electric appliances that that are connected to the drain and water pipe, which granulate food leftovers and wash them away to the sewing system. It consists of a cylinder, which contains a number of blades and/or grinders, depending on the manufacturer, model and year. In some there is a blade at the top, like a food processor.

First, the food passes through the cylinder and then goes into it, for additional grinding. With time, grease and food build up gradually inside the cylinder and on the blades, which are the cause of bacterial growth and bad smell. In addition, sometimes other things besides food go down the pipe and find their way inside as well. To keep your disposal in prime condition, you need to perform maintenance on it regularly.

Cleaning your garbage disposal

Cleaning your garbage disposal is a fast and easy way to keep bad odors away from your kitchen and your unit in prime working condition. Although garbage disposing units that are regularly maintained are essentially self-cleaning, if you follow our advice below you will ensure that your unit stays in top form for many years.

Garbage Disposal Cleaning

The basic part of most garbage disposals is a metal cylinder with rotating impellers. Newer units may contain a series of grinders on the bottom or sides of the metal cylinder that grind down what the garbage disposal contains. Regardless of the model type, the inner parts of a disposing unit can become covered with debris and sludge rather quickly. Also, however hard you try to only send appropriate material down the drain, inappropriate material will always find their way down there. Metal, glass, foods high in fiber (shrimp shells, cornhusks, artichoke leaves, peach pits etc) or even rubber objects will have to be manually taken out of the unit. The end result with all these items is that they favor microbial growth and reduce the performance of both the unit and drain.

Here is how you can clean grease and debris:

Removing Items from the Garbage Disposal

Always put safety first when handling your garbage disposal. Before starting, make sure that you disconnect the fuse regulating power to your unit, to prevent it from turning on while you have your hands inside. With the help of pliers or tongs, you can try to remove any foreign material stuck inside your disposing unit. Try not to stick your hands inside, but if you can’t avoid it, double check that the power is cut off.

Cleaning the Grinders With Rock Salt and Ice

By combining a cup of rock salt with two cups of ice cubes, you can create a brilliant cure for bad-smelling garbage disposals. First you fill the unit with the ice cubes and then you pour the salt over them. Turn on the cold water and switch the power on for about five to ten seconds. Ice combined with salt will help clear debris and sludge away from the grinders, so they can proceed to flush down the drain. In case you don’t have rock salt, you can use a cup of vinegar in its place.

Use Citrus Peels to Freshen up your Garbage Disposal

After having cleaned your garbage disposal, you can use peels from citrus fruits (lemons, oranges, limes or grapefruit) to freshen up the sink. Shove a handful of peels down the drain, run the cold water and switch the unit on. The peels will let citric acid out, which will help fight off bad odors and leave a pleasant scent behind.
It’s a particularly good idea to clean your unit beforehand, if you plan on leaving the house for a few days. Food leftovers, grease and debris that remain in a moist unit which remains unused are certain to give rise to colonies of bad-smelling microbes. If you follow our advice, your garbage disposal will remain in great working condition and your kitchen sink will always smell fresh.

Removing Objects From Your Disposal

First and foremost, before starting work on the unit you must remember to pull the plug. If the plug is inaccessible, deactivate the associated fuse in your fuse box. It’s essential that the unit cannot be turned on while you have your hands on it. Some models provide a tool that can reach items that fall into the sink. If you don’t have one, you can try a pair of pliers to see if you can reach the stuck items. If pliers fail, use tongs.

Avoid putting your hand in the unit, because the blades are capable of cutting you even if the unit is off. Better safe than sorry. Try to keep the opening blocked, so you can’t drop items inside by accident.

Also, avoid putting fibrous or hard items, like bones or shrimp shells, down the drain. If you fail to remove the stuck objects and you are unfamiliar with the device, you’d better call a repair person. It is a much better alternative to getting hurt while trying, or failing to put it back together after disassembling it.