We all know that being a homeowner could be a lot on the plate. The warm and cozy place that you lay your head at night can have problems waking you up the next day. Of course, as it is essential, lifesaving household and plumbing solutions can come in handy for you while you can also save up on maintenance, repair, and upgrade expenses at home. Not much of a choice really—these are daily unavoidable crises at home.
To make your life easier as a homeowner, here are some underrated or perhaps overlooked tips that may save you from massive hassle or plumbing expenses:
1. Exhausted from bathroom odors?
Have you already tried most ways to freshen up your throne in the bathroom? If spraying, opening the window, lighting up a match, or airing out the bad odor aren’t working enough, now is the time you roll up your sleeves and accept the truth—your bathroom needs deep cleaning once a week. You also need to clean your bathtub once every two weeks.
We understand that keeping the place nice and tidy could be a challenge due to the busy schedule that we could be juggling. That’s why safe and easy options are ideal to spare us from any trouble. One good way to deep clean your sink and toilet bowl with baking soda and follow these steps:
- Dismantle toilet seat and let the baking soda sit for a few minutes until you will find it easier to scrub the dirt and stains off.
- Do the same process on the exterior and interior ceramic of the toilet bowl and sink.
- Do not take the stains under the rims for granted, apply baking soda with vinegar and scrub after a few minutes.
- Some also tend to put one or two antacids in the toilet and it will eliminate more odor as it fizzles.
2. Go easy on the clogged kitchen sink.
If you’re caught up with the mess and stink of a clogged sink or drain, you don’t necessarily immediately call a plumber to solve this for you. Turns out, all it takes is boil some water to flush your worries away. To know more, here are the steps to resolve a clogged kitchen sink:
- Boil 1-2 liters of water
- Get 1 cup or 2 of salt and place it on the drain strainer of the sink
- Let the salt sit for 10 minutes
- Pour the boiling water.
- Follow by flushing some water on the drain to check if it’s working again.
- Flush more water if you can still smell some odor coming from the drain.
3. Dishwashing soap and hot water to remedy a clogged toilet.
Did you know that four out of ten Americans experience a bathroom closed due clogged toilets? We cannot deny that not only in the household do clogged toilets can cause a crisis but also in business establishments, restaurants, and even hotels. As it turns out, you can be single handedly judged because of how your toilet smells and performs. To avoid being stoned to criticisms, here is a lifesaving list of things not to flush in the toilet for starters:
- Medications
- Cotton pads
- Diaper
- Sanitary napkin
- Food scraps or cooking grease
- Wet wipes
4. Clear and restore your blocked shower heads by only using vinegar
If they say that good things can only happen overnight, then they can be wrong in this situation. Did you know that by unscrewing and dismantling your showerhead and letting it sit on vinegar overnight can dissolve the mineral deposits of water? You may wash and clean it after with fresh water and soap before reinstalling it back to your shower and take the most refreshing shower you have ever had in ages.
5. A leaky faucet flooding worries in your head?
Water can also consistently bring us unpredictable dilemmas through time. This is unavoidable because of the natural components in the water that can give rise to clogged mineral deposits, rusty valves, or leaky faucets.
With much factors to consider that may have caused your leaky faucets, here are a few basic things to troubleshoot if you experience a leaky faucet before having to call your local plumber:
- Check on the water pressure – Too much water pressure can cause your faucet to drip even if you have tried adjusting the knob to close a couple of times. You can notice a noise once you close the tap if you have water pressure problems.
- Worn-out washer or seals – The washer and the seal are rubber parts in your faucet that can help stop water from leaking. Make sure they are a perfect fit or they may cause a leak in the faucet near the spout.
- Corroded cartridge and valves – The cartridge and valves handle the water pressure firsthand as it flows through the faucet body and down to the aerator. If you have both a hot and cold running faucet, only check or replace the cartridge and valve of the side that is leaking.
- Loose and broken parts – after further inspection, if you still can’t get your faucet to stop leaking, try and tighten the parts that hold everything together. If the leak comes from underneath the sink then you may have a problem with the pipe. If this is the problem, then you may need to ask your local plumber to give you a hand. Of course, call and ask for a free estimate before you decide.
Take it easy!
Yet some big brain tips can save the day from the expenses and hassle that these household maintenance can cause you. For now, you can flush your worries down the drain if you encounter similar household problems in the future.