When's the last time you put much thought into your garbage disposal? Unless you've completed a Chicago kitchen remodeling project in the past five or 10 years, odds are - never. However, in an effort to improve safety and a more streamlined kitchen appearance, garbage disposals now come with more options than ever, including:

• Continuous or Batch feed
• Electrical or Air switch
• Horsepower
• Noise

While garbage disposals - also called disposers, depending on the source - are predominantly a functional item, there are more options to choose from than ever.

Things to Consider When Choosing a Garbage Disposal for Your Kitchen Remodel

Here are some of the primary considerations.

Continuous Feed or Batch Feed

Most of us grew up with continuous feed garbage disposals, meaning the blades operate for the entire time the switch is on, allowing you to continuously add kitchen scraps down the sink drain. The plus-side is you can process a lot of food scraps quickly; the bad news is that silverware, wedding rings, baby bottle parts and - worst of all - fingers and hands can inadvertently make their way into the blade's path.

For this reason, batch feed disposals are a wonderful invention. The unit only works when a special disposer cover is placed over the drain. For busy chefs, this may seem like an inconvenience but it's a major benefit because you know that the unit can't run when a hand is down the drain or before you've had a safe chance to check the disposer bottom for anything you don't want to be processed by its powerful blades.

Electrical Switch or Air Switch

Another safety feature that has been added to the mix is called an air switch, or air button. We've all heard a million times that water is a conductor of electricity, and you should never touch an electrical appliance with wet hands. Yet, the large majority of household garbage disposals work via an electrical switch on the wall - that is switched on by wet hands. Even with a GFCI switch, it's still a bad design.

Fortunately, the air switch has eliminated both the electrical hazard as well as an unnecessary extra switch plate in your backsplash area. With an air switch - or button - a round, complementary button is installed on the sink itself or at a convenient countertop location. Visually, they're a more streamlined option. They work by pushing a stream of air through a hidden tube, and this "air signal" triggers the unit to turn on. To turn it off, you simply hit the air switch again.

Horse Power and Noise

Most garbage disposals range from 1/4 horsepower to 1 horsepower, and the greater the horsepower, the more powerful the unit. There is no need to go crazy and get a high-power unit if you rarely cook or if you put the majority of your food waste into a compost bin, so choose a power that makes sense for you. Also, make sure you choose a unit that is well-insulated to reduce the noise as much as possible.

Even something as seemingly "unimportant" as a garbage disposal is a pretty important decision when designing a Chicago kitchen remodeling project that will satisfy your household's needs on a daily basis. Work with Kitchens & Baths Unlimited to make sure you don't miss an important detail in your upcoming kitchen design.

Photo Credit: GarbageDisposalGuides.com