For sure, the kitchen at your house is going to be very busy for the next few days. Foods will be sliced, diced and prepared for Christmas dinner, while plates will be filled, emptied and cleaned. It's best to remember that not everything you need to throw out has to be put down the garbage disposal. Doing so can only damage it or inconvenience you.
These are the things you must never, ever run through the garbage disposal:
1) Bones. These will not go down the drain pipes and will just keep spinning on the blades, essentially dulling them. You should also never give bone scraps to your pets as it can be a dental and choking hazard, according to Can I Give My Dog. The better way to handle bone scraps is to compost.
2) Oil, grease, lard or fat. These items will not drain properly and the greasy residue could harden when it cools. Once that happens, your disposal's blades and drain will not function well. Instead, pack the oil in a milk carton, coffee can or any waxed container you can throw away and put in the garbage bin, per eHow.
3) Fibered vegetables. Celery, asparagus and corn husks have strings that could tangle in the blades, which are nearly impossible to clean properly. Throwing these fibrous items in the disposal will result in malfunction or damage.
4) Coffee grounds. These don't dissolve or melt and can actually pile up in the drain and cause a blockage.
5) Fruit pits. Some pits are too big and too hard to be broken down by the blades. They will also not go down the disposal's drain properly.
6) Egg shells. Like some vegetables, its membrane can wrap in between the blades. Learn to compost egg shells to use in your garden. Watch the video below for how to use eggshells for plants:
For more on how take good care of your garbage disposal, watch this video:
For other ideas into cleaning up after Christmas or the holidays, check out Holiday Cleaning Tips: 8 Easy, Practical Ways To Clean Up Your Home Post-Christmas.
