Picking the Right Drain Cleaner
I wish I had followed my own advice…advice that I’m writing about in this article. Let me tell you about a bathroom drain that I completely ignored for almost a year. In my defense, I have been busy and I have other sinks in my home. Every morning I would remind myself that I need to bring home a drain cleaner. One day in frustration I used a very caustic drain cleaner that should only be used in toilets. It’s so caustic that I don’t sell it on the internet. Despite the fact that I would never tell anyone else to use this product in a sink, I poured it down the drain. Nothing happened. It should have drained immediately. But what I did notice was little black specs in the water in my sink. And then I remembered this was not the first time I had used the wrong drain opener. I had no other options; I called my plumber. My plumber is so smart. He looked at me and asked, “What kind of drain cleaner did you use?� My disintegrating drain was the culprit and not a clogged plumbing line. He replaced the drain and bingo…. the sink drains just fine.
When you use a drain cleaner, it usually will not go through standing water. And if it says it will, just remember the acid that the drain cleaner is using will damage your drain fixture and your sink. If you have standing water move the water down into the drain using a plunger. If it won’t move, then use a shop vac to remove all the standing water, before you use any drain opener. For sinks and tubs, there are a couple of good choices that are safe and will not damage the drain or the surface of the sink or tub. Green Gobbler comes in a container with 3 separate packages and a Zip It in the container. Use the Zip It first to remove all the hair that might be clogging the drain. It’s excellent, but sometimes you need a liquid to go down a drain. Green Gobbler also has a liquid formula. You can use Green Gobbler in the toilet also.
Drain Out is a liquid and they have two different formulas. One is for a kitchen sink. Its formula is targeted for soap and grease. It’s called Drain Out Kitchen. The other formula is for the bathroom and it’s targeted for hair and soap. It’s called Drain Out Bathroom. So, the next time your drain is slow or completely clogged up, these drain openers should be what you use.
TIP
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Question: I can feel cold air coming around the front door. And the gap at the top is different than the gap at the bottom of the door. I’m not good with a hammer and nails, is there easy way to attach weatherstripping?
Answer: Nothing is simpler than the V Strip weatherstripping from MD. The V Strip comes with adhesive on one side so there is no need for hammer and nails. It trims easily with a pair of scissors.
It will flex up to ¼ of an inch and so if the door is 1/8 gap at the bottom and different at the top the V Strip will take care of that. It will last for up to a million door openings and closings.
Question: I have a front-loading washing machine. The seals around the door are stained with mildew. I don’t think it harms my clothes, but it looks horrible. I have tried everything I know of to remove the stain but nothing budges it.
Answer: The only product that I have found that will clean the stain is RMR 86. It’s a spray that took the stain completely off the seals. And I thought I would have to clean them monthly, but I used it last year and the seals are still clean. RMR is on our website.
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