Yeah, wooden spoons aren't exactly disposal-friendly. Had a similar issue once—thought I'd cleared everything out, but tiny splinters stayed behind and made the grinding noise worse. Plastic utensils or tongs are definitely safer bets... disposals are picky enough without extra drama.
Had a similar run-in with wooden utensils myself. Those tiny splinters can be sneaky—thought I'd picked out every piece, but nope, disposal kept sounding like it was chewing gravel. Ended up unplugging it and using a flashlight to spot the stubborn bits stuck under the blades. Long needle-nose pliers did the trick for fishing them out safely.
Honestly, plastic utensils aren't foolproof either. Had a plastic fork tine snap off once and wedge itself inside. Took forever to find it because the disposal blades had jammed it into a weird corner. Metal tongs or silicone spatulas seem to be safest overall—soft enough not to damage anything, sturdy enough not to break apart.
One other thing worth checking: sometimes the grinding noise isn't even from debris. Could be the blades themselves getting dull or loose. If you've cleared everything and it's still noisy, try tightening the mounting screws underneath (with power off obviously). Helped mine run smoother again.
Disposals are handy but kinda temperamental... gotta keep an eye on them.
Ran into something similar last month—turned out it wasn't utensils at all, but a small piece of glass hiding under the blades. Had to carefully fish it out with tweezers. Definitely agree disposals are finicky... gotta check every angle before assuming it's clear.
Had a similar battle with my disposal last summer—thought it was a rogue spoon, but nope, turned out to be a tiny avocado pit fragment (thanks, guacamole night...). Took forever to spot it. Honestly, these things seem to have a personal vendetta against us.
Speaking of finicky disposals, anyone ever tried the ice cube trick? Heard tossing ice cubes and lemon peels in there sharpens blades and freshens things up. Sounds eco-friendly enough, but does it actually help, or am I just giving the sink monster a crunchy snack?
I've tried the ice cube and lemon peel trick a few times myself. Can't say it actually sharpens anything though, since disposals don't really have blades like knives—they're more like blunt impellers that mash stuff up. But it definitely helps clean out gunk and freshen things up a bit. I usually toss in a handful of ice cubes, some lemon or orange peels (whatever citrus I've got lying around), and run cold water while the disposal's on. Seems to knock loose any stubborn bits stuck in there and leaves a nice fresh scent behind.
Funny story though—one time I got a bit carried away with the citrus peels. Had just juiced a bunch of oranges for brunch, so figured I'd toss all the peels down there. Bad idea. Disposal got jammed up pretty good, and I spent the next half-hour fishing out shredded orange peel bits. Lesson learned: moderation is key, even with something as innocent as orange peels.
Also, one thing I've learned from experience—avoid putting fibrous stuff like celery or onion skins down there. Those stringy fibers wrap around the impellers and cause all sorts of trouble. Had to take mine apart once after Thanksgiving dinner prep because celery strings decided to stage a rebellion in there. Not fun.
Anyway, bottom line is the ice cube trick won't magically sharpen blades (since there aren't really blades), but it does help clean things out and keep odors at bay. Just don't go overboard with the citrus peels... trust me on that one.