Amazing Women's Educational Retreat

Are you an adventurous Do-it-Yourselfer?. Or, are you a Happy-to-have-others-do-iter? Maybe some of both? I’m that way, depending on the project. I like to do anything crafty and creative, like making cards, painting and things involving glue. I don’t particularly care for projects that involve electricity, heights or gross things that smell. With that being said, I’m writing this article to help you with the latter, namely, gross things that smell.

Yes, I’m with Garvin’s Sewer Service, the daughter of a plumber. There’s no glamour in that. None. Thankfully, most of the gross stuff I only hear about while I’m safely hiding in my office being recounted the horror stories, not experiencing them. Nonetheless, I feel it is worth sharing some important plumbing tips that apply especially to women. I’m warning you now, this does involve gross things, but I will tread delicately.

1. Hair. Ladies with long, beautiful hair, ladies who shave, ladies who like excessive bath products (ie. conditioner, bath salts, soap), take note: Make sure your drain has something to catch these things. When it does catch them, scoop that out and throw it in the trash- don’t force it down the drain (what’s the point in that, really?)
2. Tampons. If you use tampons, it is important that you don’t flush them. I’m not talking about the applicator- I’m talking about the actual cotton tampon. When you remove it, wrap it in toilet paper and dispose of it in a sanitary can or your waste basket. THIS CHANGE ALONE will save you from hundreds of dollars in sewer line cleaning. Don’t think that just because you are a renter, it won’t effect you- we hear from landlords who hold their tenants responsible for this. Ok, yuck, done talking about that.
3. Jewelry. Ladies who keep their jewelry next to the sink: STOP IT. Ladies who put their jewelry on over the sink: STOP IT. Please keep your jewelry away from drains. Remember when women had vanities where they sat and applied their jewelry & make-up at a mirrored table? Be fabulously retro and save your beautiful jewelry instead of sacrificing it to the sewer gods (they don’t care for it anyway). Note: the sewer gods get particularly greedy for your jewelry during the holiday months, especially when you are walking out the door for a party.
4. Charmin (or any Ultra toilet paper). I love the little bear commercials. They make me want to grab a bunch of toilet paper and make a pillow and fall asleep. That’s actually what you should do with Charmin. Using it in your bathroom, as appealing as that feels, causes big balls of problems.

True story: Mary approaches me at a networking event and tells me she’s having constant trouble with her toilets. They keep blocking up. I ran through the list of typical problems, “Are they low-flow?”

“No.”

“Do you have any large trees in your yard, or at your neighbors? Any known issues with roots?”

“No, I even spent a few hundred dollars to get the line scoped to find out for sure.” (Wish she knew me before she did that). “I just don’t know what to do. How much is it going to cost? Do I need to replace the toilets?”

I asked, “Mary, what kind of toilet paper do you use?”

“Charmin Ultra” is her cushiony reply.

“STOP IT” I say, “Change your toilet paper and see if it fixes your problem.”

Three months later, and no revenue to my company, she is very happy to report smooth running toilets. Ahhhh, now that’s comforting.

As always, if you have questions, please ask me: AskPlumbingGirl@hotmail.com I continually post tips on my blog at www.GarvinsSewerSerivce.com

CAMP SISTERS: Mention CampE when you call for service to get a free gift & come introduce yourself to us at Camp and the Pre-Camp Events.