I get your point about replacing older disposals, but honestly, age alone isn't always the best indicator. I've had mine going strong for nearly 15 years now—just needed a good sharpening and some TLC every few years. If you're comfortable with basic DIY, you can actually sharpen the blades yourself using ice cubes or even small bones occasionally. Might save you from replacing something that's still got life left in it...
Haha, sink monster—I love that! Mine's been growling at me lately too, and honestly, I was starting to think it was possessed or something. Glad I'm not alone in this battle.
But seriously, sharpening blades with ice cubes? That's a thing? I've tossed ice down there plenty of times (mostly by accident when dumping out drinks), but never knew it was actually helpful. Now I'm wondering if my accidental laziness has secretly been maintenance all along...
And bones—like chicken bones? I've always heard mixed things about that. Some people swear by it, others say it's a quick way to jam things up. Have you ever had issues with bones getting stuck or causing more noise? I'd be terrified of making the monster angrier than it already is.
I do agree though, age isn't everything. My disposal came with the house when I bought it last year, and who knows how long it's been lurking under there. But aside from the occasional weird noises (which might just be its personality?), it's still doing its job pretty well. Maybe I'll give your DIY sharpening trick a shot before calling in reinforcements.
Anyway, thanks for sharing your experience—it's reassuring to hear these things can last longer than expected with just a bit of care. Gives me hope that mine isn't on its last legs yet...or blades...or whatever disposals have down there.
Honestly, I'd be careful with bones. Yeah, some folks swear by chicken bones for sharpening, but I've seen too many disposals jammed up or damaged that way. Ice cubes are usually fine (though I'm skeptical about how much sharpening they actually do), but bones can splinter and wedge themselves in places you really don't want to deal with later.
If your sink monster's already growling and making weird noises, I'd stick to safer methods like ice and citrus peels to freshen things up. And don't underestimate the reset button underneath—saved me more than once. Better safe than sorry, especially if you're not sure how old that disposal really is...
"Ice cubes are usually fine (though I'm skeptical about how much sharpening they actually do)"
Yeah, agreed—ice cubes might not really sharpen the blades much, but at least they're harmless and help clean things out a bit. Has anyone else noticed that citrus peels seem to freshen the disposal but don't really do anything for the grinding noises? If it's already growling weirdly, maybe check for stuck debris or buildup around the blades. Mine quieted down once I cleaned it out thoroughly (unplugged first, obviously...). Worth a try before thinking about replacements.
Has anyone else noticed that citrus peels seem to freshen the disposal but don't really do anything for the grinding noises?
I had a similar issue last year—my disposal started sounding like it was chewing gravel. Tried the ice cube trick, and yeah, it cleaned things up a bit but didn't really fix the noise. Citrus peels smelled nice but didn't help either. Eventually, I unplugged it and took a flashlight to peek inside...turns out a tiny metal spoon had slipped down there and gotten wedged under the blades. Removed that, gave everything a good scrub, and it's been humming along fine ever since. Might be worth checking yours closely for sneaky culprits.
