Drains, Oh What A Pain…. Part 2

Drains, Oh What A Pain…. Part 2

Spring cleaning, I have been getting a lot done on my list. A couple of weeks ago I posted some ideas for spring cleaning secrets. I soaked the shower heads to remove the mineral build up. My oven is nice and clean, and my iron is so amazingly clean.

Other things that I wasn’t able to mention were: drains, facet screens and the glass on my wood stove. These are projects that I do around my own home that I thought you would find useful.

Starting with the facets, this is especially useful if you have a well like I do.

Faucet Screens: Faucet screens can collect mineral build up like the shower heads mentioned a couple weeks ago. They also need to be cleaned because they will restraint the water flow. You can also replace them, but I don’t I just clean them.

Soak the Faucet Screen

The faucet screen is located inside the aerator. The aerator is the place where the water flows out. Place a rag or something over the drain, to prevent any of the hardware from going down there. Sometimes the aerator can be unscrewed by your hand if not, wrap a couple pieces of tape around it  so you won’t scratch it and use a pair of pliers. You will notice other pieces of hardware in it as well. Remember the order and disassemble. Separate the screen, washer and sealing gasket from the aerator and place them in a container mixed with one cup of vinegar and one cup of warm water. Let them soak for a couple of hours.

* You will not have to turn off the water supply for this.



Scrub and Rinse the Faucet Screen


Scrub the faucet screen with an old toothbrush to remove any mineral build up. Rinse all the hardware with fresh water and pat dry.
Reassemble the Faucet Screen
Place the screen, washer and gasket back into the aerator. Be sure to reassemble the parts back together as you took them apart. If the aerator was leaking before, start with replacing the gasket. Replacement kits are cheap. Screw the aerator back on to the faucet and test the water flow. The water flow should have a solid flow.
Sink and Shower drains get ” Yucky “
Looking for ways to unclog those drains without Drano. It’s always a good idea to keep baking soda, and vinegar on hand.
  1. Pour about 3/4 to one cup of dry baking soda down your drain.
  2. Slowly pour 1/2 cup of vinegar down the drain after the baking soda. It will start to bubble up. Be sure to cover the drain immediately afterwards with a rag.
  3. Leave the mixture to sit in the drain for about 30 minutes. When the time is almost up. Boil some water.

After the 30 minutes, remove the rag and pour the boiling water down the drain. Pull any hair out if you see any.

You can use the same procedure for shower drains, you need to remove the drain cover with a standard screw driver. Don’t be surprised that underneath is covered with hair.
Does your Garbage Disposal smell?


Cleaning your garbage disposal on a regular basis will help prevent the smelly odors. Small pieces of food remain in the disposal causing bacteria growth, resulting in bad odors.
Scrub What you can reach


With gloves and hot soapy water and a sponge scrub as far as you can reach, being careful of the blades. Scrub the sides and under the rubber guard. By doing this you are removing the bacteria colonies causing your disposal’s odor problem.
Grin Ice Cubes


Place a few ice cubes in the garbage disposal and turn the unit on. Let the cubes be fully ground up before  turning the unit off. Repeat a few times. This will dislodge any food particles.
Oxygen – Based Bleach


A rinse with an oxygen Bleach will destroy additional small organisms living in your disposal. Pour 1/2 cup of oxygen bleach slowly into the disposal while it is running. Follow with cold water rinse, repeating if necessary.
Natural Enzyme Cleaners


For a natural enzyme you can use Earth Friendly products.
Freshen With Citrus Peel
The methods will remove odors from our garbage disposal. To give your disposal a new, fresh smell by grinding up a mixture of ice cubes and citrus peel. Regularly doing this will prevent the bacteria build up. You can use, lemon, lime and orange peels, followed with fresh water.
Also, on my To Do List….
How to Clean Wood Stove Glass Doors?
Instructions


  • Mix a vinegar and water solution in a spray bottle. Use 1 part vinegar to one part warm water. You can also put a couple teaspoons of lemon juice in the mixture.
  • Spray the solution onto the glass. Don’t soak completely or the liquid can get under the glass.
  • Wipe the glass with cheap paper towels or newspaper for a streak free surface. If the surface is badly smoked, I use a Mr. Clean eraser sponge ( heavy Duty).
  • Wipe and repeat as needed.
* Note: Clean glass when the stove is not in use and it is cold for cleaning.
Happy Cleaning!


Comments

  1. Christopher Jennings Penders says:

    All instructive ideas, Cathy. Didn’t know about vinegar and baking soda for drain cleaning. Vinegar has many cleaning uses and it’s probably something people have around their homes anyway. So amazing everything we can learn here.

    Good job!

    Be Happy! Be Well! Be Positive!

    Chris
    http://www.cjpwisdomandlife.com

  2. Natural Home says:

    Thanks Chris, for your comment! It does work well in combination with other ingredients.

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