cleaning toilets

Saturday, January 7th, 2017 08:36 pm
darkoshi: (Default)
To get the water out of the bowl, don't bother turning off the water and flushing. Even when the tank has emptied, the level of standing water in the bowl won't go down. Instead, you can use a toilet brush to "push" the water down the drain. This will lower the level a good bit.

To clean a brownish stain which has accumulated around the water level, if scrubbing with a toilet brush doesn't work: don't bother trying baking soda - even scrubbing the soda in with a scubber sponge doesn't help much. But scrubbing the stain with a pumice stone does work well, and supposedly doesn't damage the ceramic.

I found these tips here: Cleaning Toilet Bowl Stains, and tried them out - they really do work.
darkoshi: (Default)
Note to self:
Spray vinegar along the refrigerator seal/gasket every month or 2. Maybe that will prevent mold from growing, so that I won't have to go through so much trouble to clean the mold off later on.

Tip:
To clean small spots of mold/mildew off of bathtub caulk, spray on a small bit of bleach solution, so that a drop of the solution covers the spot. Repeat a few times if necessary until the mold is no longer visible. If the liquid runs down and won't form a bead in the right spot, then place a sheet of toilet tissue over the spot, and spray the tissue. The wet tissue will stick to the surface, giving the bleach time to work.

doings

Sunday, November 8th, 2015 02:18 am
darkoshi: (Default)
This morning, I again went to bed too late and woke up too early. While lying in bed, I decided to clean the refrigerator gasket and refrigerator coils today.

After getting up, I washed and dried 5 loads - including the new towels and all the dog blankets. On the 5th load, the spin cycle stopped working. After 3 or 4 tries I got it working again. Maybe the trick is that the door needs to be closed while holding the power button in to reset it.

I washed out the recycling bin with the hose, as some of the cardboard I had in it had left a funky smell. While doing that, I accidentally stepped into some dog doo. I decided to throw the shoes away. They were an old worn out pair that I only wear around the house, with a hole in the rubber sole. The doo got up into the hole, and would have been hard to clean out.

I disposed of stinky radish.
I used the weed whacker, being careful to look where I stepped.
I cleaned the flap on the dog house, and the gunk on the storm door.
I vacuumed.
I cleaned the toilet.
I washed dishes.
I made a chocolate cake from a mix (the "Neat-Egg" worked fine, but may have been too thick. The package says 2 Tbsp water per "egg", but 3 Tbsp would be better.)
I made next week's lunch sandwiches (so that I won't have to do it tomorrow; lately I've been forgetting about it until after midnight on Sunday).
I did various other minor tasks.

I did not clean the refrigerator gasket nor the coils. Maybe tomorrow.

the weekend work

Monday, October 26th, 2015 12:20 am
darkoshi: (Default)
Yesterday I washed a section of the garage wall that had gotten moldy, with bleach. Boxes had been pushed up right against the wall, not allowing enough ventilation. This is the 2nd round of bleach on it, as after the first round a week or so ago, it still smelled musty from somewhere. I hope there isn't mold on the inside of the wall. It's plain unpainted plyboard.

Then, as I was doing bleach anyway, I mopped down (up) the sun-room ceiling too, as it had accumulated a bunch of mildew spots from the frequent moisture in there.

I looked up info on adjustable beds, as Qiao is planning to get one. Currently he switches back and forth between the bed and the recliner at night, trying to get comfortable. His foot hasn't been hurting him much the last few days though (hallelujah!).

Today I washed the dogs. They really needed it.

Then I tried to figure out why the kitchen sink drain was suddenly (since yesterday) making glug-glug-glug noises, even though the water was draining fine. Suspecting a blockage in the drain vent, I got out the ladder and went up on the roof to check the vent. There wasn't anything blocking it up on that end, and water I poured into the vent seemed to be draining fine / not backing up.

While up there, I cleaned out the sun-room gutters. Zorro chose to stand directly in the path of the falling dirt and debris. It occurred to me that I had just gotten her all nice and clean... Yelling at her didn't help any, but I finally managed to sweet-talk her into moving away.

I debated whether to go to the hardware store to buy a drain auger. I had tried pushing some cable wire down the vent, but it wouldn't go further than the bend at the bottom of the vent. But I didn't really want to go to the store.

I left the kitchen faucet running and checked the drain pipes in the basement. They were vibrating from the glug-glug-glugging. After a while, there was a change in sound - a larger rushing of water as if someone had dumped out some water into the sink. Whatever had been clogging it must have unclogged itself, as the glugging noise was gone.

While in the basement, I saw that water had leaked in during the flood-storm. It was absorbed into the dirt and didn't look too bad, but I carried a fan down there to help dry it out.

After the fact, it occurred to me that I could have simply tried using the sink plunger instead of going up to the roof and down to the basement.

I took advantage of the remaining daylight to cut down a branch that had cracked in the storm and which was leaning down on the shed. I had to use the extendable pole saw, with it extended to the maximum height.

And I washed 2 loads of clothes/towels, and made brownies. Finally.

Next, sleep-sleep-tired-tired.

Hurricane Joaquin

Sunday, October 4th, 2015 03:53 am
darkoshi: (Default)
Dear dog, if you're going to insist on eating small animals, please don't come inside to throw them up.

That was a bloody mess. The hairy part looked suspiciously rat-like. At least I was planning to clean that rug anyway.

Now we are having some very heavy rain. Qiao found water leaking in through the top of the bathroom window frame. I checked the attic, and found 2 large sections where the sheathing is all wet and dripping. Put up plastic bins to catch the water in the one section which is accessible to me, but it is dripping so fast that I hope the bins don't overflow while I'm asleep.

Then I checked the garage. A bunch of water had gotten in under the garage door seal again. I brushed as much as I could out even though I know more will come in. In between me going to the garage and coming back, the walkway by the side door had formed a deep puddle.

Down the street, where water tends to flood during heavy rains, it looks quite flooded. But it is dark, so I can't tell how bad it is. I had been wanting to call the county about that; they probably just need to clear out some growth in order for the water to be able to drain.

Dang, it must be really bad on the coast if it is this bad in the middle of the state.
darkoshi: (Default)
Got home, washed specks off my windshield, washed algae off the vinyl siding on one side of the garage, washed dishes. Ate. Vacuumed dog hair off the carpets.

It felt comparably cool this evening when I left work and got home, though it was still 89 degrees outside. That is why I decided to take advantage of the relative coolness to do the windshield and siding washing.

I've had a small watering can sitting around the house for a while. It's the kind for potted plants with a long narrow spout. It hasn't gotten much use, as I usually use a tall plastic cup to water the plants. But I used it today, along with a sponge, for washing the windshield and siding. Much easier than dragging out the big hose. Much cleaner than having water in a bucket and rinsing the sponge in the bucket and getting the remaining water all dirty. Yep, the watering can has finally found its calling.

My passport will expire soon, and who knows when I might want or need to go on a trip. So I need to fill out a renewal form. Monday I went and got photos taken for it. But now I'm procrastinating filling out the form. It is just a form, but for some reason it seems like a difficult task.
darkoshi: (Default)
Me, watching an online movie or DVD:
- watch 10 minutes
- put it on pause and go get a snack. Watch 5 more minutes
- put it on pause and go get some other snack and a drink. Watch 10 more minutes.
- put it on pause to take the clothes out of the washer and hang them up.
- check email or LJ/DW
- watch some more of the movie. ::sniff:: what's that smell? ::sniff, sniff::
- determine that the smell is coming from the sofa. It must really be time to wash this futon cover.
- put movie on pause. Remove futon cover and put it in the washer. Vacuum dust off the futon mattress (how the heck did dust get in there?). Vacuum the rest of the room while I'm at it, and the kitchen too. Spray some odor remover on the worst smelling part of the mattress.
- watch some more movie while sitting on the floor.
- get up and do some exercise while watching movie.
- put movie on pause. go off and do something else. Research printer problem. Fix printer problem.
- for the 10th time, hope that modern LED TVs don't have a problem with image burn-in, as this one paused image has been displaying for the last 2 hours.
- post something to LJ/DW
- possibly return to watching the rest of the movie.

picker upper fixer

Wednesday, March 18th, 2015 08:11 pm
darkoshi: (Default)
Hah. I fixed my picker-upper tool again. The one I use for picking up trash along the road by my house.

The first time it broke, it was my fault. Something had irritated me... probably the difficulty of maneuvering an item I had picked up into my garbage bag, along with general annoyance at having to pick up other people's trash*. I tossed the picker-upper away from me in annoyance, and when it hit the ground, it broke apart at the middle joint.

I tried gluing it back together, but even with crazy glue, it never held. Finally I used wood popsicle sticks and chopsticks as splints, along with wire holding them in place. The joint was no longer able to fold for storage, but at least the tool was useable again.

Lately, one of the grabby end pieces kept coming loose and falling off. A few times I was able to find the fallen off piece and reattach it. Yesterday I couldn't find it, and thought that the tool was done for this time.

But this morning I realized all that was needed to replace the missing part was a small rubber suction cup along with a screw and washer to hold it in place. Conveniently, I found just the right size suction cup amongst my stuff; the color nearly matches the original one too. I love it when that happens - when something I've kept in case it might be useful some day, ends up being exactly what I need later on. So I made a hole in the middle of the suction cup, screwed it on, and voila! A working picker-upper tool again.

I'll still buy a new one the next time I see one, for backup. I'm not sure how much longer that joint will hold, especially when picking up heavy things like big glass bottles.

*Yet, picking up trash like that is almost as gratifying as vacuum cleaning, in how easy it is to do, with immediately visible results.

riddle

Sunday, December 28th, 2014 05:09 pm
darkoshi: (Default)
Here's a riddle for you.

A few days ago in my house, I was crouched down on the carpet, sniffing it in various places.
Today, I was again crouched down on the same carpet, but this time I had my ear angled towards it, listening carefully.

What was I listening to?

The answer can be found here. )
darkoshi: (Default)
On a related note, here's info on getting rid of unpleasant mildewy odor coming from a sink's overflow vent.

My bathroom sink was having this problem for quite a while, and I tried several things over several months to get rid of the odor:

- Run hot water for a while. Then dump 1/2 cup baking soda down the drain, followed by 1 cup of vinegar.

- Same as above, but spoon as much baking soda into the overflow vent as possible, followed by vinegar

- Applied an enzyme drain cleaner

- Poured bleach down the overflow vent

- Applied foaming drain cleaner (contains bleach) down the overflow vent

- Pushed a small snake with a brush attachment down the overflow vent to clean it out

None of the above attempts got rid of the smell for long. Often it came back after only a few days. I started taping the overflow vent shut as nothing else worked. After a while, I could smell the bad odor even with the vent taped shut.

I also tried these methods in vain:

- Boil water, carefully carry the pot of hot water to the bathroom, and use a small measuring cup to scoop up and pour the very hot water down the overflow vent.

- Hang a balloon down in the drain, partially inflate it, and tie it off. Then apply drain cleaner down the overflow vent. The balloon blocks the bottom end of the vent, so that the drain cleaner doesn't drain out as fast.

The odor problem started in February. None of the above fixed the problem. I started considering getting a whole new sink.

Finally in October, I used the snake again. But I also used some small wire-centered bottle brushes to clean out the bottom of the overflow vents, from the drain holes in the pipe where it connects to the bottom of the sink. (The sink stopper must be removed in order to do this.) The brushes weren't very flexible, and I couldn't push them far into those bottom holes. But I cleaned out the holes as best I could. And this did the trick, even though I didn't see much gunk come out. It's now 2 months later, and since that day, the bad smell has been gone.

oil stains

Thursday, December 18th, 2014 09:19 pm
darkoshi: (Default)
Tip for cleaning oil stains in clothing.

Attach some safety pins to the fabric, about 2 inches to the left or right of the stain(s), or on both sides. That way you'll know which spot to scrub soap in, even after the fabric is wet and you can no longer see the stain due to the wetness.
darkoshi: (Default)
I discovered an easier way to clean my plastic/peva shower curtain.

If only the bottom of the curtain needs to be cleaned, you can scrub the curtain with a brush against the bottom side of the tub, without having to remove it from the rod or anything.

But cleaning it higher up is difficult. In the past, I removed it from the rings, partially folded it, and laid it in the tub in order to scrub it with a brush, while using the shower head to rinse it off. Then I unfolded another area of the curtain and repeated, until the whole thing was clean. This is difficult due to only being able to clean a small part of the curtain at a time, as the curtain is much larger than the bottom of the tub. Taking the curtain off the rings, and putting it back on again is also tedious.

New method:
(requires there to be a wall around 3 sides of the tub;
requires the curtain rod to be a tension rod, not screwed into the wall)

Leave the curtain and rings on the rod.
Loosen rod from wall.
Flip the rod around, depending on which side of the curtain you want to clean.
Position rod close to the inner wall of the tub (still up high so that the curtain hangs down like normal).
Then scrub the curtain with a brush; the back wall provides a solid surface against which to brush.
Rinse curtain with shower head, then return curtain rod to regular position.
darkoshi: (Default)
I've always had trouble using this vacuum cleaner on certain rugs. It gets so much suction on those rugs, that it sticks to them and makes it hard to push or pull the vacuum. But lately, I've had trouble vacuuming the other rugs too. Sometimes, it looked like the brush-roll wasn't turning.

So I replaced the wide belt (the vacuum has 2 belts - one wide and one narrow), and that seems to have fixed the problem. On the normal rugs, at least. The difficult rugs are still difficult, but not as bad as before changing the belt.

The old belt still looked to be in fine condition - no cracks and it didn't seem loose. But when comparing it to the new one, it was somewhat bigger / more stretched out.

This is a good video showing how to replace the belts. However, the guy in that video makes putting the new belt on look so simple, though actually it can be quite difficult to stretch the belt over the wheel.

I finally managed it as follows.
I wore gloves to protect the skin on my fingers.
First, slide the belt over the back metal pin.
Then pull the belt over the top part of the wheel as much as possible.
Then while holding the belt in place on the top of the wheel, turn the wheel slightly clockwise while pushing the belt over the bottom of the wheel.

For a while I was using a hex driver to try to push the belt down towards the bottom of the wheel, as my fingers didn't fit down there easily. I don't remember if I was still using the hex driver, or just my fingers, when I finally succeeded.

Once the belt is on the wheel, push at it until it is centered on the wheel.
Make sure the belt is still positioned correctly on the back metal pin too.
darkoshi: (Default)
If the washer starts acting weird, such as:
- the status light staying on one of the cycles and not properly progressing to "Done"
- the status light flashing
- making a continuous chugging sound (as if it's trying to drain water but not succeeding)
- the status light indicating "Done", but the clothes on top feeling totally dry as if they hadn't been washed, and/or the clothes on the bottom feeling wet as if not properly drained.

Then, you may need to clean out the lint filter. There could be a clump of lint preventing the water from properly draining out. The filter is on the front bottom right corner of the washer. Some water will come out with the filter when it is removed - position a shallow pan under the area to capture this water.

When re-inserting the filter, do not first tighten the head of the filter. It needs to be loose. When the head is tightened, this compresses the rubber section, making the rubber stick out more (to create a better seal). If the rubber is compressed like that before inserting the filter, the filter will not fit in.
darkoshi: (Default)
The "View - Reload" menu item has been removed from version 25 of Firefox. Apparently for quite a while already, "Reload" was only available when pressing "Alt+V" to view the menu. But now it's no longer there at all. I wonder why the Firefox designers feel the need to remove functionality from the menus, when the menus aren't even visible by default anymore.

Why do little changes like this bother me so much? Because it's like coming home to find that all your door handles have been removed and replaced by knobs, and furthermore, the knobs are on the top of the doors rather than in their hitherto-normal positions. Then you find out that for the last 10 years, 98% of other people have been using wireless mobilephone apps to remotely open all their doors, rather than using the door handles.

Now I have to remember to use either F5 or Ctrl+R to refresh the page when I don't have my hand on the mouse. I feel like I'm too old to learn new mnemonics. I can never even remember that Ctrl+Tab is for switching between tabs, even though I constantly use Alt+Tab for switching between windows. (I also can never remember the hotkeys for indenting or outdenting a block of text, in my email program at work).

Hmm. To press either F5 or a Control key combination, I have to look at the keyboard. Maybe that's why I find the menu mnemonics using the Alt keys easier to learn/remember. If I need to copy/paste something while typing, I still tend to use the Alt-Edit-Copy and Alt-Edit-Paste keys. My fingers however, know that Ctrl+Ins, Shift+Ins,and Ctrl-C can also be used.... but I don't use Ctrl-V much because how am I supposed to remember that V is for Paste?

Hmm. When editing text (as opposed to typing), my left hand is in the normal position, but my right hand is centered on the arrow keys. That lets me scroll through the text with my right hand, and also lets me do copy/paste/delete operations using the keys on that side.

.

I've found that it is much easier to iron clothes while they are still damp from the washer. No need to first let them dry. No need to put water into the iron, nor to drain it out afterwards. Ironing damp clothes makes them dry faster too.

This makes me more likely to iron clothes right after I've washed them, avoiding an ever-increasing accumulation of wrinkled clothes waiting to be ironed. If I know that I won't have time to iron right after washing, I may not even put those particular items into the wash.

.

I've been noticing a recent tendency to bite my lower lip while washing dishes, especially if I'm in a hurry. It's an odd subconscious thing; as if biting my lip will somehow make me get done faster. I have to consciously put effort into not doing it, as it's not a habit I want to have.
darkoshi: (Default)
I'm quite pleased tonight to find out that Mr. Clean Nyplex gloves are finally being sold again, just under a different name - Bliss gloves.

I've had to patch tiny holes in my old pair of Nyplex gloves with silicon glue, in order to keep using them for washing dishes. They are 3 years old now. The material has stiffened to the point where they are no longer comfortable, and cracks/holes are becoming more frequent. As it will soon be winter, ie. chapped hands season, I'll be in need of a good pair again.

None of the other brands I've tried were as good as these Nyplex ones were.

Ever since getting to know someone who is very allergic to latex, and reading that latex allergies may be induced by frequent exposure to it, I've tried to avoid it where possible.

As for why I've never even tried using the dish-washing machine that is in this house, well. The seal looks bad; I'm afraid it would leak water. I'm not sure the machine would do a good job. Maybe it would waste more water than when I wash the dishes by hand. Maybe it would make annoying noise. I seem to have a hang-up about it, and I'm not sure why.

(no subject)

Wednesday, April 10th, 2013 11:27 pm
darkoshi: (Default)
I bought a toilet brush today. The price on the shelf said $6, which seemed quite expensive to me. But hey, the handle on my old one had broken, so I needed a new one. Whatcha gonna do? Later, when checking my receipt, I found that I had actually been charged $10 for that brush!

For that price, I expect the brush to take care of cleaning the toilet all on its own-some from now on.

.

Last week I came down with a stomach bug. I was so sick the first day, that I didn't even turn on my computer. I didn't even brush my teeth! I felt better after a couple of days, but I've had headaches every day since then. Not sure if it is still due to the virus, or to allergies. I tried Tylenol one day, and Naproxen the next, and neither helped.

So today, I also bought a bottle of Ibuprofen, and Excedrin-type tablets, to see how well they work.

.

Wonderful spring weather this week, with blossoms and yellow pollen.

sauerkraut odor

Thursday, December 20th, 2012 02:03 am
darkoshi: (Default)
Big can of sauerkraut; too much to eat in a single meal. Stored in refrigerator in glass dish with plastic lid for about a week until it was eaten up.

Afterwards, plastic lid reeked of sauerkraut, even after washing.

Tried baking soda paste soak. No noticeable effect.

Put crumpled newspaper in the glass dish with the lid on. After a night, the newspaper reeked of sauerkraut. The lid still reeked too. Put in fresh crumpled newspaper. After a few hours, the fresh newspaper reeked, as did the lid.

Tried 2 soakings in hot water with dissolved sodium percarbonate power (oxygen bleach). This reduced the smell, but didn't get rid of it.

Tried soaking in hot water with vinegar for about 10 minutes. No noticeable effect.

Sprayed "Pure Citrus" air freshener (Citrus blend - 100% oils extracted from citrus fruit) on it and rubbed it in. Let it sit and evaporate. After that, the lid smelled like a mix of lemon and sauerkraut. Sprayed a larger dose of the oils on the lid. Let it sit and evaporate...

Maybe I'll try coffee next. Should instant coffee work the same well as coffee grounds?

If that doesn't work, I'll try more newspaper.

Update (Jan 17, 2013): The only method that finally worked to get rid of the odor, was to put the smelly plastic lid outside where the sun could hit it. I taped it to a south-facing window and left it there for a week or two. Now the odor is gone. Next time, I'll try to remember to use this method to begin with.
darkoshi: (Default)
According to this page:
"The fact of the matter is by the time your water has reached boiling point (212°F / 100°C) all pathogens have already been killed! As a precautionary measure you may wish to boil for a full minute just to be safe. The time it takes for your water to reach a boil and then cool down is more than enough time to kill all harmful organisms that could make you sick.

To be safe you may wish to follow the advice of the US Environmental Protection Agency which recommends boiling for 1 full minute, or 3 minutes if you are 2000 meters above ground level"



According to this page:
If your well tests positive for E. coli, you should boil the water for at least one minute at a rolling boil before drinking it.

According to this page:
After the boil water advisory is lifted, will the water heater be contaminated?
A possibility exists, albeit small, that a pathogen may contaminate a water heater and survive (in a few cases, even grow), if the hot water temperature is maintained at 120°F or lower. However, because hot water directly from the water heater is usually not ingested, this should not be a safety concern. A water temperature of 140°F for a half hour should kill virtually any pathogens (including Legionella) in the water heater.


This page has info on Boil Water Orders/Advisories.

According to this page:
boiling does not kill ALL the bacteria, just MOST of them. Some bacteria are actually resistant to the temperature of boiling water (100 degrees C.). To kill all the bacteria, you need to raise the temperature to about 121 degrees C. To get water to this temperature, you must heat it under pressure. (You cannot heat boiling water in an open pot to anything over 100 degrees C.). In science labs, we use something called an autoclave to do this; at home you might have a pressure cooker in the kitchen.
darkoshi: (Default)
Ambiguous vacuum cleaner review: "This thing really sucks".


After having accidentally bought the wrong vacuum cleaner* 4 years ago (a Bissell CleanView II), I'm finally planning to replace it. The accidental one is bagless (I hadn't planned to go bagless!), and while it still works, it doesn't seem to work as well as it used to. I'm also very tired of the maintenance it requires. About every other time I empty the dust cup, the filters are clogged with dust too, so I have to take them apart and wash them and let them dry. And this last time, the HEPA filter (which is a non-washable one that you have to buy replacements for) only lasted 3 months - you can notice that it needs to be replaced when the exhaust air starts smelling foul.

Out of curiosity, I looked up some reviews for the bagless model I have, and found the one above. At first I was confused, as the title of the review seemed to conflict with the number of stars given (4 out of 5).


* - After having spent a lot of attention on the floor models, I didn't pay enough attention to which box I pulled from the shelf. But in my defense, the correct one and the incorrect one were both red!

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