The Right Tool for Every Residence

This past weekend, I found myself kneeling by the side of my bathtub pouring extra super thick double maxx Liquid Plumr down the drain.

The thing didn’t even gurgle back at me it was so clogged up. Not that the drain on this sad ol’ tub ever worked that well to begin with. The strands of my luxurious mane are, sadly, more than it can take.

As I sat back on my heels waiting for that satisfying gurgle/sigh that pipe gives off when it’s cleared, I thought about how every damn place I’ve lived since the moment I set foot in the State of California has had plumbing issues.

Every. Single. One.

The first place where I unpacked my bags in Cali was in Sunnyvale. It was a cheery little eight unit building with a landlord so cheap he made Abe Lincoln on the penny squeak. He wasn’t a bad guy, he was just a massive tightwad.

My next door neighbors, two over tanned ex-hippies, came over to my place to welcome me to the building. They also presented me with a gift, saying, “Trust us, you’ll need it.”

This was the gift:





Isn’t she a beauty? Yes, I still have her some fifteen years later. This little black beauty has been my guardian. My savior. My favorite tool.

That plunger has unclogged toilets, sinks and disposers across the Greater Bay Area.

I thought of my old friend as I gazed into the drain of the sad, blocked bathtub that fills with water halfway up my shins when I take a shower. I wished old Black Beauty could step into service on this problem. She has a magic touch. Sadly I was unable to get her assistance on this one.

It took an entire bottle of the Plumr to finally get some movement in that damn drain. It’s ostensibly fixed, but still slow as molasses running in an uphill direction on a cold January day.

But the toilet, that flushes like a champion. That’s cuz Black Beauty is standing guard.
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Yes. I wrote an entire blog post about a plunger.

Happy Friday.






As I’m sure everyone wants to rip off my photo of a plunger, I am obligated to tell you that it is Copyright 2012, Karen Fayeth, and subject to the Creative Commons license found in the right column of this page. Taken with an iPhone 4s, the Camera+ app, and love.



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Karen Fayeth

Comments

  • Natalie

    A gallon of bleach at night, once a week/month (whatever works until just once a month), will fix that problem. It’s cheap and easy. Just gently pour and let it sit overnight.
    Plumbers never tell you about these little hints. My neighbor is a plumber. I’m telling you… it works. I live with a thick-haired gal and haven’t had a problem since I’ve been doing this.
    Cheers!

  • Anji

    I love my plonger too. It’s my husband’s hair that is the problme in our house, so it comes into use about once every three weeks. I try not to use a product that unblocks the drains because it kills the bacteria they use and the sewage station.

    Do you give your hair a good brush before washing it? It makes a difference.

    • Karen Fayeth

      Hi Anji – Yup, I do give my hair a solid brushing before bathing, and yes, it helps. But not enough.

      Honestly, it’s more to do with the poor drains in this apartment than anything else. I didn’t have this kind of trouble at our last place. Ah well.

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